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Banana Bread

Photo: Getty Images

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED March 15, 2024

The best banana bread is a balancing act: It requires a fair amount of fat to keep it moist and lighten the crumb, and just enough sweetness without overpowering the super-ripe fruit. The final product should be sweet, but not overly so, crumbly, and tender, with an irresistible crust.

Though coconut is my favorite secret ingredient, feel free to omit it, or the nuts. Or add more nuts, raisins, or other dried fruit instead. This bread keeps better than most quick breads, though it probably won’t be around too long, especially since it makes the best toast in the world.

 

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For the first time ever, Mark is baking bread you can buy and enjoy at home. Meet Bittman’s — whole-grain sourdough, made the old way, naturally fermented, frozen at its peak, and delivered straight to your door. We’ve already done the baking, so when you’re ready, just heat it in the oven (about 15–20 minutes) and enjoy hot, fresh bread on your table — on your schedule.

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Banana Bread

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 1 loaf 1x

Time about 1 hour, largely unattended

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus softened butter for greasing
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
  2. Mix the melted butter and bananas together in a medium bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just enough to combine everything. Gently fold in the nuts and coconut if you’re using them.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out almost entirely clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then carefully turn it upside down to release the loaf. Serve warm or at room temperature. Or wrap and keep at room temperature for up to a couple of days.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Completely Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition 

Recipe variations

Honey Whole Grain Banana Bread
Substitute 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup oat bran for the all-purpose flour. Reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup, and add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup honey to the banana along with the butter in Step 3.

Plantain Bread
A great use for overly ripe (read black) plantains: Substitute 1 cup mashed very ripe plantains for the bananas.

Banana Bread with Candied Ginger
The ginger adds heat and sweetness: Omit the nuts and coconut. Add 3/4 cup chopped candied ginger.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Orange
Omit the nuts and coconut. Add 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, and the grated zest of 1 navel orange.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Reduce the butter to 5 tablespoons. Add 1/3 cup peanut butter to the bananas.

Pumpkin Bread
Substitute 1 cup pumpkin purée for the bananas. Whisk 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each freshly grated nutmeg and ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves into the dry ingredients.

 

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