You’ll never need another banana bread recipe after trying this one!
Every family has their own favourite banana bread recipe, right? This one is ours. I’ve been making this recipe now since my eldest was just a baby and had started on solids, and he’ll be 17 on his next birthday. I’d tweaked the original recipe (I have no idea where it came from) to be a reduced sugar, reduced-fat option and it just sort of stuck.
In all honesty, I’d never had banana bread until I’d moved to the UK. For some reason, it wasn’t something served in homes in rural Eastern Canada.
In fact, I don’t even remember eating bananas when I was a child! Wild apples and other wild-harvested fruits, yes, but not bananas, so there were no brown spotty bananas needing to be used up.
Spotty bananas make the best banana bread. In fact, if you have completely forgotten about those bananas in the fruit bowl and they turn pitch black entirely, those ones are even better.
Defrosted banana segments work too.
I’ve made many variations of this recipe over the years, experimenting with different fruits and nuts.
Sometimes I throw in a handful of raisins, sometimes I’ll make a banana chip loaf by adding some coarsely chopped dark chocolate.
White chocolate works too.
Sometimes I’ll add chopped nuts and dried apples, sometimes I’ll sprinkle the top of the loaf with ground almonds before baking. It gives it a really lovely crumbly nutty topping when baked.
One thing I do know is that this banana bread is utterly delicious, still slightly warm, with butter and a cup of tea.
I can’t believe I’ve been making this recipe for over 15 years now and it’s not yet appeared on the blog!
My husband and I were busy working on a recipe video last week and while we were waiting for the dish we were filming to bake and so I was killing time by playing around with my camera and the light on my flip-top craft desk, taking photographs of the banana bread that had recently come out of the oven.
Said craft desk has recently become prime bird-watching territory by our Cat’s Protection rescue cat Izzy.
I really rather like how the photographs have turned out; dark and moody. Usually, my food photographs are taken by the kitchen window where the best afternoon light comes in, but these were taken on the other side of the house. I’m definitely going to be taking more pictures there from now on.
So yes, after nearly five years of blogging I am finally sharing with you our family favourite banana bread recipe.
Over the years I’ve tried all sorts of other recipes, but this is the one I keep coming back to time and time again. The kids love a slice or two when they come home from school ravenous.
As for using up overripe bananas, I’ve also been eyeing up Bintu’s Akara recipe, aka banana fritters.
How do you make your banana bread? Any tips or tricks to share to use up overripe bananas? Let me know in the comments!
Elizabeth's Classic Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 175 grams granulated sugar
- 55 grams butter
- 1 large free-range egg
- 200 grams plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 250-300 grams bananas mashed (approx. 3 small bananas)
- 1 pinch Shetland sea salt
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Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to a moderate heat 190 C/ 170 fan and lightly butter a bread tin. Alternatively, place paper baking cases into a 12 hole muffin tin.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well.
- Stir in the mashed bananas, sift over the flour and bicarbonate of soda and combine well with a wooden spoon.
- If using any of the variations listed below, fold in your extra ingredients now.
- Spoon into the prepared tin or paper cases and bake for 50-60 minutes (for the loaf) or 25-30 minutes for the cupcakes.
- Leave to cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Stores well in an airtight container for several days and it freezes well too.
Notes
OTHER BANANA BREAD RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Banana Bread with Streusel Topping – Refined sugar free! from Family, Friends, Food
Quick Banana & Rum Soaked Raisin Bundt by Tin & Thyme
Healthy Banana Bread by Little Sunny Kitchen
Gooey Delicious Banana Cake by Kavey Eats
Coconut Banana Bread Bites by Simply.Food
Leon Hidden Banana Cake by Maison Cupcake
Banana Bread with a Sourdough Twist by Heidi Roberts Kitchen Talk
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Have you made this recipe?
Take a photo and tag @tangoraindrop or use the hashtag #elizabethskitchendiary and share on Instagram and Twitter. It would make my day to see your creations!
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My mouth is watering looking at this! I think I might even try it… I’m not very good at baking but this looks too good not to try. Gorgeous photos too.
My mother’s banana bread recipe never got written down or shared. So, I might just steal yours;)
This looks delicious! You cannot beat banana bread!
Hi Elizabeth,
Banana bread was one of the first things I learnt to make when I was a kid!
Thanks for sharing your classic version. 🙂
Amy
OMG!!! Need to try this recipe!! Looks so yummy!!!
It’s so easy to forget to ever blog some recipes on one’s regular repertoire isn’t it? This looks so good and sounds very versatile. I love mine gooey, kind of like a brownie, I love that fudgy layer at the bottom!
Happy blog anniversary. I’d always assumed banana bread was something from the US!
I love going back to the basics. This loaf of banana bread looks amazing! I want to dig right in!
This is a lovely recipe, Nothing nicer than a banana loaf, warm spread with butter
Love how simple this recipe is!
Oh my god!! This makes me want to have it right now. I am not a good baker, but you have made the banana bread recipe so so easy that I AM GOING TO TRY IT OVER this weekend.
Your recipe sounds delicious!!! I so love banana bread. I haven’t baked it in a looooong time. Although I was telling my husband the other day I wanted to bake some for him and the kids. Thank you for the reminder 🙂
I agree, the photo’s are superbly dark and moody… and that banana bread looks superb!
Banana bread is such a classic. I love eating it for breakfast…and it makes the perfect snack. We just got a rresuce cat back in February!!
This looks just perfect. I actually don’t think I’ve ever made banana bread, but every time I see a great one like this it makes me really want to give it a go!
Lovely pictures! You should definitely take photos in that spot again. (Lovely cat, too. 🙂 ) And there is nothing like a tried and true recipe which you’ve made again and again through the years.
Your recipe sounds super easy and looks amazing! Great job! I’m always up for banana bread, so I might have to give this a try. 🙂
Your kitty cat doesn’t look excited about this recipe but I am! Thanks for the beautiful photos as well.
Lush Banana Bread Elizabeth, I haven’t had the type that you butter in a very long while. Love the kitty too:-)
That’s a lovely looking bread – and I like that it’s the one you have gravitated towards over the years. That means it’s really good!
This looks amazing! I would definitely add some nuts and fruits, it sounds so good!
Mmmm, I do like a good banana bread, but don’t make it nearly often enough. I like mine barely sweet and my favourite so far uses just a little honey in addition to the bananas. Fabulous toasted and spread with peanut butter. And you’re right about the photos – they look great. I quite like the moody look.
Hello,
Hope you are well. Thank you for sharing your family recipe, and I am excited to try this. But just noticed it doesn’t have the number of eggs from it’s ingredients list, but instructions calls for mixing it. Would greatly appreciate if you could let us know the number of eggs needed and size of the eggs.
Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Sharmin
Oh my goodness, my sincerest apologies! Recipe amended! That’ll teach me to blog first thing in the morning without having my required number of coffees first! Do let me know how you get on, and thanks for pointing out my omission. Much appreciated!