How to make banana bread
A mainstay of breakfast, mid-morning snacks and tea times around the globe, banana bread is a real winner of a recipe, as evidenced by its starring role in lockdowns. It's easily one of the best baking recipes we know and it turns out perfect every single time! What's more, it really couldn't be easier to make, no matter how experienced a baker you are. A timeless afternoon tea treat that is as tasty when fresh out the oven as it is a few days later, toasted and slathered in butter. The key to a successful loaf is very ripe bananas, which can be easily mashed and mixed into the batter. If you don't have any overripe bananas on hand, try roasting them for a bit in the oven to accelerate the process. Alternatively, if you have some overripe bananas but aren't quite ready to make a banana bread, pop them in the freezer until you are. They will look rather ghastly when you defrost them, but trust us, they'll be perfect for making this bake.
We've got many more recipes for bread, from our soda bread recipe, to a sourdough bread recipe, naan bread recipe and easy overnight bread recipe.
Tip
The banana bread is great freshly baked, but is also terrific when stored for a day or two and then sliced, toasted and spread with butter. Add a pinch or two of spice if desired - ground cardamom or mixed spice are good.
Tip
There are all sorts of variations you can make to this recipe. Try adding a swirl of peanut butter through the batter before you bake it. Simply warm some peanut butter so it's easier to work with, then dollop three spoonfuls onto the uncooked batter, take a skewer or knife and swirl it gently through the batter before you put the banana bread in the oven.
Can you use white sugar instead of brown sugar for banana bread?
You can use either, really. It depends on the flavour you want. Brown sugar adds moisture and gives a little more chewiness. With white sugar, you often end up with a crispier result.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Ingredients
Preparation
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 170°C (gas mark 3). Grease a medium-sized loaf tin with some butter or oil and line the base with greaseproof paper, or you could add a paper loaf case into the tin instead.
Step 2
Place all the ingredients in a food processor or electric mixer and, using the pulse action, blend them together until smooth. Be careful not to over process the mixture to keep the final bake light and fluffy.
Step 3
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Put the tin in the oven to bake for about 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top of the bread is firm to the touch and golden brown. To check if it's cooked through, a skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre of cake can help; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it comes out with some batter on it, leave the cake in the oven a little while longer.
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