WHAT IS THE BEST BANANA BREAD RECIPE?
To make the very best banana bread that comes out super moist, it is important to start out with those ugly, overripe bananas! In the picture below you can see the bananas that I used for this recipe post. These bananas are just ripe enough to work with. They need to be a dark yellow with lots of browning. You can use bananas that are even darker than this! The riper the bananas, the more moist your bread will be and the more banana flavor it will have!
HOW DO YOU KEEP BANANA BREAD MOIST?
The best way to keep banana bread moist for days is to wrap it tightly! Once your bread is baked and cooled, I recommend wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. Then, take a second step and store it in a large zip top freezer bag or a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Stored this way on the counter, your bread will last up to 3 days. If you’d like, you can store it wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
CAN YOU FREEZE BANANA BREAD?
Yes! If you’d like to freeze this then allow it to cool completely at room temperature on a plate or wire rack once it comes out of the oven. Once cool, wrap the bread in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil. Freeze the bread for up to 2 months for best results.
To thaw the bread, remove from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature, covered on the counter. This will take about 24 hours.
Banana Bread
Materials
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1.5 sticks
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large bananas or 4 medium size
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup buttermilk or milk with 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Beat sugars and butter until creamy
- Beat in one egg at a time
- Beat in bananas and vanilla
- Mix all dry ingredients together well
- Add dry ingredients and milk to wet mixture in alternative stages
- Pour into 2 well-greased 9x5" bread pans
- Sprinkle top of each loaf with chocolate chips
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
NOTE ON SUBSTITUTIONS: I’ve had a couple of questions about substituting the vanilla extract in this recipe. As always the recipe is best as written! I don’t recommend using almond extract, because the flavors just don’t seem to pair well and the almond overtakes the banana. You CAN add banana extract if you’d like, but, keep in mind it will have more of an artificial banana flavor.
NOTES ON STORING THIS BREAD: To keep your bread moist, allow it to cool completely then wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then store in a freezer size zip-top bag, or a large plastic container with a tight fitting lid. It will last on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Alternately, you can wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
NOTE ON LOAF PAN: For this recipe you will use a standard size about 9×5 inch loaf pan for one loaf of bread. Alternately, you can use a standard sized muffin tin and bake for around 25-30 minutes.
NOTE ON ADDITIONS: You can add 1 Cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips to the batter before baking if desired.
