This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This post is sponsored by Bosch but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
This recipe for the best banana bread ever is SO special to me and my family as it belongs to my 91-year-old Grandma. I have the fondest memories of eating it as a child, warmed in the microwave with butter melted on top – healthy, I know ;). And I love making it for my family now that I have kids. So I wanted to share it here, not only because it’s absolutely delicious, but because brings back so many memories.
It’s also a really easy recipe; baking is NOT my strong suit and even I can manage this recipe; it requires zero mixers or fancy equipment. I even made this banana bread with my almost-2-year-old right next to me – #teamwork.
I’m partnering with Bosch on this post; they provided us with our kitchen appliances and almost 6 months in, we are still loving them. You’ll see them throughout this post, especially the 800 Series Oven – bakes so evenly and preheats quickly – and the 100 Series Dishwasher – I didn’t even have to rinse before I loaded.
see our kitchen reveal here // see our kitchen sources here
Keep scrolling for my Grandma’s easy banana bread recipe – afamilyfavorite!
The Best Banana Bread Recipe
This banana bread recipe is moist, delish and easy to make – no mixer required! You can include nuts or leave them out. Take a look at how we made it and scroll to the bottom for the recipe 🙂
Baking soda works best in conjunction with an acidic ingredient. In the case of banana bread, this may be buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses or the bananas themselves. Recipes generally include just enough baking soda to balance the acidity in the batter.
Ripe bananas are not only softer and easier to mash and blend into a batter, but they are also sweeter, which is why baking recipes specifically call for ripe bananas in ingredient lists. As the bananas ripen, the fruit converts starches to sugars, making them sweeter and more flavorful.
Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.
Cool completely on rack. Wrap and store at room temperature overnight before slicing. (We know it's hard to wait, but your bread will be more evenly moist and less crumbly if you let it sit overnight.)
Basically, the reason for both is because sometimes you need more leavening than you have acid available in the recipe. It's all about balance. Another reason to use both baking powder and baking soda is because they affect both browning and flavor.
Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread. Baking soda is alkaline, and an excessive amount of it can result in an unpleasant flavor. Unpleasant Texture: Too much baking soda can lead to a coarse and crumbly texture in the bread.
As it sits at room temperature, starches convert to sugars, making the fruit sweeter and softer. These brown spots, often seen as a sign of spoilage, are actually a dead giveaway of peak banana bread potential. But, there is a limit. Black bananas or rotten bananas are a no-go.
The texture of a baked banana may be a bit softer than that of one naturally ripened but the taste and caramelized sweetness will be amazing. Preheat your oven to 300ºF, as a low and slow oven ensures the interior of the banana bakes before the outside gets too dark and mushy.
Let the bananas ripen (and overripen) at room temperature. Depending on the weather, this could take a few days, or up to a week. The best bananas for banana bread aren't yellow; they're black. Or they're at least streaked with black/brown, with just the barest hint of green at the stem.
Banana bread recipes typically ask you to use overripe bananas so that they're easier to mush. This means it's tempting to toss all your bananas into the mix when you're ready to bake, to avoid food waste. But if you add too much of the fruit into your batter, your bread could turn out mushy, heavy, and wet.
An overmixed banana bread batter will result in a dense, rubbery loaf. As you're prepping your batter, heed the advice of "stir until just moistened" and "no more than 10 seconds."
Skimping on the sugar can dry out a loaf of banana bread and leave it flavorless. It turns out, sugar does more than just make things sweeter. When it comes to banana bread, cutting back on sugar will leave you with a dry loaf totally devoid of any distinguishable flavor.
Fill the pan until it's two-thirds full, and if there is any remaining batter, fill up a muffin tin. This ensures you get a beautifully risen loaf instead of a potentially flat loaf in a 9×5.
Save your butter wrappers and use them to grease the loaf pan. Spray oils will work as well, though you'll want to ensure that you get even coverage. Use a paper towel to spread it out into a thin layer rather than spraying more than needed. If you're using oil, be sure to sop up any puddles that form in the pan.
While both serve as leavening agents, they operate differently in recipes. Baking soda requires an acidic component to activate its leavening properties, while baking powder contains both an acid and a base, offering a more versatile option when additional browning and specific textures aren't required.
Baking powder: Baking powder can be used to replace baking soda, though not at a 1-to-1 ratio. Because the former is not as strong as the latter, it's important to use three times the amount of baking powder as baking soda. Be aware, a slightly bitter, off-putting taste might result from using that much baking powder.
Baking powder does most of the heavy lifting in the rise department and while baking soda aids in leavening, it also helps neutralize the acid." Take buttermilk pancakes, for instance. Fryer says the "swift reaction between the buttermilk and the baking powder and baking soda makes lofty, fluffy pancakes."
Address: Apt. 994 8891 Orval Hill, Brittnyburgh, AZ 41023-0398
Phone: +26417467956738
Job: District Marketing Strategist
Hobby: Embroidery, Bodybuilding, Motor sports, Amateur radio, Wood carving, Whittling, Air sports
Introduction: My name is Prof. An Powlowski, I am a charming, helpful, attractive, good, graceful, thoughtful, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.