Try this Moist Banana Bread recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- (all ingredients should be room tempt.)
- 3 large extra ripe bananas (1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar (i used 1/2 cup)
- 8 tablespoons butter softened ( 1 stick)
- Carbohydrate 267.510852792938 g
- Cholesterol 868.456666666283 mg
- Fat 197.141793336339 g
- Fiber 8.83990006846044 g
- Protein 44.6555150311944 g
- Saturated Fat 120.850725000438 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (849g)
- Sodium 4821.09208736883 mg
- Sugar 258.670952724478 g
- Trans Fat 15.2728686676817 g
- Calories 3009 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Grease and flour a loaf pan.
- In a medium size bowl, mash bananas until creamy and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour,baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
- Beat in the eggs until combined.
- Fold in the bananas.
- Add in the vanilla extract and buttermilk.
- Beat until combined.
- Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture.
- STIR GENTLY AND JUST UNTIL THE FLOUR IS INCORPORATED. DO NOT OVER STIR.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake on center rack for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cooking times may vary. Check on bread at the 1 hour mark. Toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean and bread should be golden on the outside.
- Brush the top of the bread with butter if desire when it comes out of the oven.
- Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove the bread from the pan and place on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and enjoy! (flavors will intensify the next day)
What happens chemically when a quick bread sits wrapped in plastic overnight? Moisture redistributes evenly throughout the dense crumb as starches retrograde slightly, softening the crust and deepening the caramel notes contributed by the brown sugar. Waiting twenty-four hours allows the cinnamon and vanilla to fully saturate the surrounding fats.
Bringing butter, eggs, and buttermilk to 70 degrees Fahrenheit before mixing prevents the cold dairy from solidifying the creamed fat. Room-temperature ingredients emulsify cleanly, trapping microscopic air pockets that expand properly during the initial thirty minutes of baking at 325 degrees.
Using overripe fruit containing dark spots shifts the sugar profile significantly higher than firm, yellow produce containing mostly unconverted starches. Highly spotted bananas yield a sweeter loaf with less structural integrity, requiring gentle folding to avoid developing the excess gluten that creates tough textures.
Storing the baked loaf wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to three days preserves moisture without requiring refrigeration, which accelerates starch crystallization and makes baked goods stale faster. Slicing the loaf only after it cools completely on a wire rack prevents the internal steam from condensing back into the crust.
