How Do You Bake the Perfect Banana Bread Every Time?
I would love to blow your mind with some fancy secret ingredient, but **SPOILER ALERT** there isn’t one. This recipe for Perfect Banana Bread is ridiculously simple. You can throw in chocolate chips, nuts or whatever you want, but it stands up on its own.
But first, here’s the disclaimer: The following post may contain affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking the link may pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Perfect Banana Bread Story Time!
Junior year of college, I made up this recipe with pecans and was giving mini-loaves away to friends. At the time, I was flirting with this guy from my art class. Turns out he didn’t like nuts in his banana bread (and wasn’t getting the hint that I wanted a date).
So, I made up this recipe again, barebones, without the nuts, just for him. The batter was already in the pan when I realized I’d forgotten the salt. Oops!
So, I sprinkled it in and stirred it up a bit before I put it in the oven. That wasn’t good enough, though, because some parts had no salt, and some parts had ALL the salt.
I didn’t realize this, though, until I got a text asking why I was trying to kill him. Apparently, I’d given him an extra salty piece. After that, he researched a ton of banana bread recipes for me, convinced I couldn’t bake at all.
We’re married now, and he still comments on my salt use when I bake.
Um, You Said Something About Perfect Banana Bread?
That was the one time that my Perfect Banana Bread was not so perfect. I will probably never live that down. Every other time has been great, though. Trust me, I’ve made this recipe about a hundred times since.
What makes this recipe so perfect is that it bakes up low and slow allowing it to stay moist. The texture is denser than it is caky, so it holds its shape once sliced. Because of the heartier texture, it’s perfect for tossing a slice in the toaster for breakfast. Paired with a swish of cream cheese or chocolate hummus and a cup of coffee, it will cheer your morning right up.
Another thing that makes it great is that it perfumes your house with the perfect bakery scent to cheer up a cold rainy day, which we’re having a lot of lately. There’s just a kiss of vanilla and cinnamon to compliment the banana without overpowering it. It’s just like a Yankee Candle, but better!
The State of Your Bananas is Critical
I mean, how many food bloggers have waxed poetic about the necessity of using bananas that are so far gone that the fruit flies are attacking? It’s probably a lot.
Bananas Have to be Soft and Brown
For my part though, I want you to know that the browner your bananas are, the sweeter your bread will turn out. If you don’t currently have brown bananas, there are a couple of things you can do.
Head to the grocery store, and check the discount produce section. At my Kroger, there’s an endcap full of red net bags for $1 each. I’ve used the avocados to make baby food in ice cube trays, apples for pie, and bananas for this very perfect banana bread recipe.
Your other option is to lay your bananas out on a baking sheet and place them in the oven while you’re preheating. It can take between 15 and 30 minutes for them to reach a glossy black color.
Bananas Need to be the Right Temperature
Regardless, once you have your bananas to the right color, they need to be the right temperature. That’s right. They need to be room temperature. Some of us like to keep our bananas in the freezer until it’s bread-making-time.
If you’re like me, those need to sit on the counter (in a bowl) until they’ve defrosted and warmed up. The other option is to mash the cold bananas and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
The concern is that, if the banana are too cold, they’ll cause your butter to seize up. In this recipe, that’s not a total loss. You can still proceed and come out with great banana bread.
If you went the oven route, and you baked your bananas to brown, let them cool completely before you proceed. The concern this way is that you’ll scramble the eggs in the batter. If this happens, the batter is unusable.
Mixing the Batter for Perfect Banana Bread
I’ve touched on the fact that temperature is a key factor. You want the butter, eggs, milk, and bananas all at room temperature. We’ve already talked about the bananas, so let’s work on the other things.
The eggs and milk just need to sit out on the counter. They’re relatively small compared to a stick of butter or a banana, so they don’t take long to warm up. But you don’t want them cold because they can cause the butter to get grainy. It’s not the worst thing; it’s just not optimal.
As for the butter, I’ve made banana bread with softened, melted, and browned butter. Softened works great if you want to proceed with the creaming method. That was the way I made banana bread for years.
Why Use Melted Butter?
On the road to making great brownies, though, I started getting really excited about mixing melted butter into sugar. It gets caramelly and it’s just aesthetically fun. The result is essentially the same, but it becomes more important that everything else is room temperature, too.
The reason I love melting the butter most though is that it takes so much less energy to whisk the butter into the sugar. The water in the melted butter is more readily available to dissolve the sugar. This gives that caramel-like base I love so much.
What About Browned Butter?
Now, let’s talk browned butter, shall we? This goes beyond a simple recipe, so I don’t expect you to do this. Just in case you’re experimental, though, here’s what happens. Browned butter doesn’t have the same water content as softened or melted butter. That means it’s not going to cream into the sugar the same way.
Instead, you’ll incorporate the browned butter and sugar and then beat in the eggs. At this point, you’ll end up with the creamy, dreamy texture you’re looking for. Mix in the vanilla, milk, bananas, and then fold in the dry ingredients. Easy.
So, are you ready to make your own loaf of perfect banana bread? Tell me how it turns out! I can’t wait to hear from you! And don’t forget to Subscribe for email updates on the blog!
Perfect Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 3 large over-ripe bananas room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup pure cane sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 Tbsp milk room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Butter and flour a 9×5 loaf pan. Set aside.
- Melt the butter, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Mash the bananas and set them aside.
- Whisk together the butter and sugar and then the eggs. Whisk until creamy. Add in the milk and vanilla. Finally, mix in the mashed bananas.
- Sift in the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold them in with a spatula, but do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
- Cool in the pan until the pan is touchable (about 20 minutes). Remove it to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely… or at least try to.
