The Best Banana Bread Recipe

Banana bread should be moist, tender loaf that really tastes like bananas. Here is how to scale down banana bread to fit in a mini loaf pan but keep all the flavor intact. 

A single ultra-ripe banana infused the bread with flavor. A combination of butter and a little yogurt The Best Banana Bread rich and moist without making it greasy. Add toasted walnuts for crunch and a little vanilla to enhance the overall flavor. 

Be careful as creaming the butter and sugar may result in over mixed batter and a dense loaf.  To avoid this, gently fold everything together using the quick-bread method to ensure that The Best Banana Bread loaf stays tender with a delicate texture. 

The Best Banana Bread Process

Use a 5 1/2″ by 3″ loaf pan.  The key to making banana bread is a very ripe, soft, darkly speckled banana.  

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the 5 1/2″ by 3″ loaf pan.

Whisk flour, walnuts, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. ln a separate bowl, whisk mashed banana, egg, melted butter, yogurt, and vanilla together until smooth. Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. (Batter will be lumpy with a few spots of dry flour – do not over mix.

Scrape batter info prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until loaf is golden brown. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out clean then the best banana loaf is ready – about 30 to 40 minutes. Don’t forget to rotate the pan halfway through baking.

Let loaf cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 small ripe banana, peeled and mashed well
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract