How To Make Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe
It is not often that I toot my own horn, but when I do, you can be sure it must be pretty impressive. I am my worst own critic and super hard on myself. So after years of making this, I am ready to share and confidently state that this is the best ever banana bread recipe you will ever need.
When I first made this banana bread, I couldn’t stop eating it. It tasted so incredible. My kids absolutely loved it. And even my husband, who has never liked banana bread, raves about my recipe to this day!
It was December 2017 and the first holiday season my husband was at his new job. Oddly I felt like banana bread, because you know, it is a staple holiday baked good, right?! 🤣
So I stumbled across a banana cake recipe I had on hand and then I modified it a tad, turning it into a bread. Of course I am sure it would have been great as a cake too. However, I like a more dense texture and honestly can totally skip the cream cheese icing that is usually paired with a banana cake.
And that is how my best ever banana bread recipe was born! I made small loafs for everyone in my husband’s department that year. I think it was 6 loaves total and then I of course kept some loaves for us at home. That year I made two batches of this batter to have enough loaves, including the first test run.
Come to the holiday season 2018 and everyone that had my bread the year before was looking forward to it again. I was super excited that it went over that well, although, being the perfectionist I am, I worried that it might not live up to the prior year. We gave out even more loaves and everyone enjoyed them.
In 2019 I was so happy that people were talking about this bread again and so I may have made the batter four times. 😮 I loved to see how excited my husband was to bring in the loaves and hand them out to lots of coworkers.
It’s now become a holiday tradition for my husband to bring in this banana bread. And I am super happy to have people looking forward to my recipe. Although now that I’m sharing it publicly, anyone can make it whenever they want. 😁
So let’s get to it…here is the best ever banana bread recipe! It will be the moistest, most flavorful banana bread you’ll ever make!
Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 very ripe fresh or thawed (if previously frozen) bananas – equal to about 1 to 1 ⅓ cups mashed
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups skim milk soured with 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- dash of salt
- 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 275° F.
- Grease and flour 7 mini bread loaf foil pans. When giving as gifts, I like to get the loaf pans with the plastic tops. Otherwise, save yourself money and just get the loaf pans.
- Make your soured milk by mixing in 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 ½ cups of skim milk. Set aside.
- Mash bananas and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add mashed bananas to the batter.
- Add eggs, beating in one at a time.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Next, add about one-third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the larger bowl. Then add about one-third of the soured milk. Repeat two more times until everything is mixed together.
- Pour batter evenly into 7 loaf pans, about three-quarters full.
- Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test center of loaves with a butter knife making sure it comes out clean. If needed, cook for a few more minutes until the center is set.
- Once finished, immediately place the loaves in the freezer for 50 minutes. This helps the bread to stop cooking faster, keeping the moisture inside, which is where we want it!
- Slice your bread and enjoy!
Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 7 mini bread loaf foil pans
Ingredients
- 4 whole very ripe fresh or thawed (if previously frozen) bananas about 1 to 1 ⅓ cups mashed
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups skim milk soured with 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- dash of salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 275° F.
- Grease and flour 7 mini bread loaf foil pans.
- Make your soured milk by mixing in 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Mash bananas and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add mashed bananas to the batter.
- Add eggs, beating in one at a time.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Next, add about one-third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the larger bowl. Then add about one-third of the soured milk. Repeat two more times until everything is mixed together.
- Pour batter evenly into 7 loaf pans, about three-quarters full.
- Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test center of loaves with a butter knife making sure it comes out clean. If needed, cook for 5 to 10 more minutes until the center is set.
- Once finished, immediately place the loaves in the freezer for 50 minutes. This helps the bread to stop cooking faster, keeping the moisture inside, which is where we want it! Slice & enjoy!
hiya christina, i intend on making this in the next coupla days, sounds wonderful. i came across this page this morning and thought of you – https://www.thekitchn.com/banana-bread-official-comfort-food-coronavirus-23021239?utm_source=pocket-newtab so check it out ! i have a feeling you started something with your recipe !
one little question, can you tell me approx how many cups of mashed bananas? they vary so much in size…thank you much ! janet
Hi Janet! I had read that banana bread was trending especially in Australia, so that gave me a push to get my recipe out there! I had scribbled so many notes on my recipe card and was busy in the middle of the night trying to get this published. I then made the recipe Saturday morning and found I had some mistakes in my first copy, but the recipe is now all good. ? The banana bread came out delish and I can’t stop eating it!
I honestly don’t know how many cups of mashed bananas I use though. At first, I would use 3 medium-sized bananas but now I do 4 just because I love the banana flavor! If I had to guess I would say 1 to 1 ⅓ cups is perfect. Come back and let me know what you think! I really do love this recipe!!
Can;t wait to try this / but think I”ll add some chopped nuts. My mother in law makes a pound cake with cardamon and also bakes it at low temp, Can you tell me the measurement of 4 bananas approximatly? I slice and freeze any bananas that don’t get eaten Thanks /by the way, you’re a real cutie!!! Muriel
Awww, thank you Muriel! I keep saying I should add chopped nuts too but never do. I would love for you to come back and let me know how it turns out with them! I would say that 1 to 1 ⅓ cups of mashed bananas is the perfect amount. I love banana flavor so I tend to put more rather than less but definitely adjust to your liking. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!