Best Banana Bread

Originally posted on May 15, 2019.

As long as I can remember I have loved baking. I mean who doesn't want to help make delicious sweet treats, am I right?? Plus helpers alwayyys get to lick the bowl or spoon so it's a no-brainer. I also enjoy the process - finding a recipe, getting the ingredients, measuring it all out, and watching (and smelling!) it bake. And, of course, the taste testing once they are done. Duh!

In my house, my kids love bananas. Like A LOT. Seriously, we buy like 2-3 bunches per week. They are perfect for lunches and snacks and my kids almost always pick them as their first choice for fruit. Plus, I love them too. When I was a kid one of my favorite after school snacks was sliced bananas with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on it and I've definitely transferred that love to my kids.

This banana bread recipe takes the banana + cinnamon combo up a notch. As soon as it's out of the oven and coated with cinnamon sugar, I slice it up and poof! it's gone. Seriously doesn't last longer than a day, it's that good. So easy too.

Any good banana bread recipe starts with ripe bananas. You want them soft, at least a couple days past when the kids would eat them, but before they are totally blackened. Don't worry if there are bruises or super mushy spots - you can cut those out. Once the bananas are ripe, it's time to whip up some bread!

First up, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Don't skip the preheat either - I know my husband is always forgetting this step, but it matters! Your bread will bake much more evenly when the oven is properly preheated.

Next, grease up a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan. I've used both glass and non-stick pans for this recipe but find the bread cooks a lot better in non-stick. This Williams-Sonoma ceramic-coated loaf pan is my absolute favorite. Another favorite? The Wilton Bake Easy non-stick spray. I put a light coat of this on pretty much every pan before baking. Works amazing.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, slice up 2 large bananas, or 2-3 small bananas and mix them on medium-high speed until smooth. The more you mash or mix the bananas, the less chunky the batter will be. If you want some bits of banana in the bread, leave it chunky, otherwise, mix it up until it looks like applesauce.

Once the bananas are mashed add the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Seriously, just dump them all in the mixing bowl - no need to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Add the melted butter last, then slowly turn the mixer up to medium and whip until just combined. Only about 30 seconds - don't over mix.

Use a spatula to give the batter a final mix to ensure everything from the bottom and sides of the bowl got mixed in. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and pop it in your preheated oven.

Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes. Once the top has a nice golden brown and a tooth pick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean you know it's done. Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.

Run a knife along the sides of the pan to ensure a clean release and transfer the bread to a cutting board. While the bread is still warm, prepare the cinnamon sugar topping by mixing 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Spread butter along the entire top surface of the bread and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. The butter and sugar mix to create a delicious coating that seeps into the top of the bread making every bite just a little bit sweeter.

Slice and serve warm or if serving later, reheat a slice in the microwave for 15 seconds to get that just-baked taste.

Sure to be a family favorite, this banana bread recipe delivers - easy, moist, and great banana flavor with the perfect sweet topping! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Banana Bread

• 2-3 ripe banana
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and grease a 4x8 inch non-stick loaf pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add bananas and mix on medium speed until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients to the mashed bananas in the order listed. Once all ingredients have been added, mix on medium speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325 for 60 minutes. Loaf should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
5. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to release from the pan and transfer to a cutting board.
6. Once transferred, add cinnamon sugar topping (optional). Mix sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl until combined. Spread butter on top of warm banana bread and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
7. Cut loaf into slices and serve.