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Banana Bread (from How to Cook Everything Kids)

Photo: Ghazalle Badiozamani

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED September 25, 2024

From How to Cook Everything Kids: I’ve been making this exact banana bread since I first learned to cook, and it’s one of my most popular baking recipes. You can either use an electric mixer or mix the batter with a spoon. If you’re not crazy about bananas, the variations will point you in three other directions.

 

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Banana Bread (from How to Cook Everything Kids)

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Makes 8 to 12 servings 1x

Time 90 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 very ripe medium bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if you like)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (if you like)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter by smearing about 1 tablespoon around the sides and bottom of the pan.
  2. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
  3. Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher in a medium bowl until very smooth. You should have about 11/2 cups. Mash in the butter. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir or beat with an electric mixer until well combined.
  4. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and use a slow stirring and folding motion with your spoon or soft spatula just enough to make the dry ingredients wet and form a batter. It’s okay if there are lumps. Gently fold in the nuts and coconut if you’re using them.
  5. Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the bread is golden brown and firm when you carefully press on the loaf, 50 to 60 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you poke a toothpick into the center and it comes out almost entirely clean.
  6. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the pan upside down to release the loaf. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Or wrap airtight and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to several months.)

Recipe variations

Pumpkin Bread

Instead of the bananas, use one 15-ounce can plain pumpkin purée
(not pumpkin pie filling). Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and skip the vanilla. Everything else stays the same.

Applesauce Bread

Instead of the bananas, use 11/2 cups chunky applesauce. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon if you like and skip the vanilla. Everything else stays the same.

Sweet Potato Bread

Instead of the bananas, use 1 1/2 cups mashed baked sweet potatoes (or use one 15-ounce can plain sweet potato purée). Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon if you like and skip the vanilla. Everything else stays the same.

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