Besides boxed cake mixes, one of the first baked goods I learned to make as a kid was banana bread, with a bit of guidance from my mom, of course. Nonetheless, I knew what the ingredients were (maybe not so much the amount) and was always super excited when I saw ripe bananas sitting on the kitchen counter.
As I was getting older, I found recipes in magazines, newspapers, and over on the good ol’ world wide web! Most banana bread recipes were good, some had a little too many ingredients going on and others turned out sad looking. And although I will always love my Mother’s homemade banana bread recipe (and Chrissy Teigen’s), I did some experimenting over the years and developed the best basic banana bread recipe that is simply delicious, easily customizable and will want you having another slice (or two – I won’t judge).
P.S., it’s Mom approved!
Ingredients:
- 2-4 Very Ripe to Overripe Bananas (mashed)
- 1¾ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (soften at room temperature)
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Milk or Milk Alternative
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C. Line a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, add in Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, and Baking Powder, set aside.
In another large bowl, cream together Butter and Sugar. Then whisk in the Eggs and add in Mashed Bananas and Vanilla Extract, mix until combined.
Slowly pour in the dry ingredients and Milk into the wet mixture and whisk until everything is fully combined. OPTIONAL: Include 1/2 cup (more or less) of chocolate chips, walnuts, or blueberries (make sure blueberries are rinsed and fully dry) into the batter while mixing.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. OPTIONAL: Place sliced bananas on top for added decoration!
Bake in the oven at 325°F/160°C for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, check to see if the banana bread is fully baked by inserting a toothpick in the center; if it comes out wet, leave it in for another 5-10 minutes, once it comes out dry, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely (about 30 minutes) before slicing and serving.
Enjoy!
Love this Basic Banana Bread recipe? Check out more delicious baked good recipes here.