Perfect Homemade Banana Bread For Over Ripe Bananas

Banana Bread from Over Ripe Bananas

It’s a classic kitchen scene. The week is drawing to a close and most of the produce has been consumed, even though you’re still a couple of days from grocery shopping day. But on the counter, there they are. A few bananas piled together. Their once greenish yellow skin now aging to brown. If your kids are anything like mine, they won’t touch the banana after it has reached a specific yellow to brown ratio on the peel. But you hate to waste them. Of course there’s always one thing you can do: Banana bread! This easy Banana Bread recipe is delicious for breakfast, a side at a brunch, or a snack anytime. It also is a great gift to give around the holidays to friends and neighbors. Everyone loves it, it is the best banana bread recipe!

Ingredients in Banana Bread

sugar eggs butter – softened baking powder baking soda salt vanilla extract flour (avoid using whole wheat flour) mashed bananas – very ripe

Optional Mix Ins

chopped walnuts, pecans, or other favorite nuts cinnamon chocolate chips

Baking Tips for the Perfect Banana Bread

As with all baking, there are a few things that can get in the way of a successful loaf of banana bread.

Avoid cooking the bread on too high a temperature. Lower temps mean longer baking time, but it also means the inside is done at the same time as the outside of the bread. If you find your banana bread is overdone on the outside and underdone in the middle, try lowering the baking temperature by a few degrees. In addition, make sure the bread is baked in a preheated oven. This will ensure perfectly moist banana bread. Grease and flour the pan. Some people favor the grease and flour technique. This works well. But you can also use a baking specific spray like Pam with Flour or Baker’s Joy. A regular canola oil cooking spray will not be enough to keep the bread from sticking to the pan. Cool on a wire rack. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool. This cools the bread faster as the air circulates around all sides of the bread. Transfer bread to a Ziplock bag or airtight container after baking. This will hold in the moisture, especially if you aren’t planning on serving it right away.