Classic Banana Bread

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Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and studded with nuts, not much beats this classic quick bread!

Classic Banana Bread: Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and studded with nuts, not much beats this classic quick bread!

It is high time I share this recipe with you, friends. HIGH TIME. It’s been in my kitchen for years, baked dozens of times, but I have yet to share it with you, at least in its simplest form. 

I mentioned this recipe last year when I posted banana nut muffins, and a year later, I’m bringing it back because what dessert-heavy recipe blog is complete without a banana bread recipe? 

This recipe comes straight from Betty herself, but it’s specifically from my MIL. She’s been making this bread since the 90s, and it was one of the first things I learned about my MIL when I met Matt– she makes a killer banana bread and zucchini bread

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Classic Banana Bread: Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and studded with nuts, not much beats this classic quick bread!

This banana bread belongs in the 2019 Bread of The Month collection, and it’s securing the 3rd spot, but it’s the first sweet quick bread I’m adding to the lineup. January brought us a quick bread, but it was savory– full of tomatoes and cheese and flavorful herbs. Last month, we worked with yeast to make a traditional Mardi Gras King Cake.

So we’re mixing it up and going sweet quick for March! Plus, how many times do you find yourself with turning bananas and think you should eat them before they’re too far gone, and then they’re too far gone and you’re stuck?

So. Many. Times.

Your solution is banana bread! And if you’re not ready to make it when your bananas turn– peel them and freeze them and you’ll be good to go when you’re feeling inspired to whip it up. 

BONUS POINTS: there is absolutely nothing special about this bread. You don’t need any fancy tools, ingredients, or skills. It’s incredibly straightforward, and you’re rewarded in the end with super moist, super flavorful, suuuuuper amazing banana bread that will keep you coming back for more. 

Classic Banana Bread: Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and studded with nuts, not much beats this classic quick bread!

Just ask my kiddos! Both of them devoured this stuff. And I actually only got one slice. ONE!! Thankfully, I’ve had my fair share of banana bread in my life, and they have just discovered the gloriousness that is. So, I’ll cut them some slack. 

Plus, I think that just gives me an excuse to make it again, oh, this weekend? Yeah?

Perfect for any time of year, can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, cold… With peanut butter, plain, with cream cheese… Banana bread knows no season in our house! 

And now, I’ve done my due diligence as a food blogger. Five years later!

Classic Banana Bread: Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and studded with nuts, not much beats this classic quick bread!

What are some recipes that have stood the test of time in your family kitchen?

 

Classic Banana Bread

Spiced with a touch of cinnamon and studded with nuts, not much beats this classic quick bread!
Prep Time15 minutes
Bake Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Recipe Author Lynn April
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1and ⅔ cup all purpose flour be sure to measure properly
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 medium bananas mashed (about 1 and ½ cups)
  • cup water
  • ½ cup chopped nuts I prefer pecans or walnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  • In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat both of the sugars and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat again until completely incorporated. Add the banana and the water and beat again until everything is combined.
  • Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, stopping when everything is just incorporated. Stir in the nuts with a spatula.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the loaf for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow loaf to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack before serving. Loaf stays fresh, covered tightly at room temperature, up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Loaf freezes well. Remove from pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from Betty Crocker
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

 

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15 Comments

  1. Nostalgia alert! This looks EXACTLY like the banana bread my mom used to make us growing up, and I’ve been search for the recipe for-ev-er. She said she just loosely followed a recipe in one of her favorite cookbooks, but couldn’t remember which. Probably Betty! YOU ARE AMAZING, lady. Going to have to bookmark this one for some weekend baking and a trip down memory lane.

    1. YES! Probably!! I have a little cutout from a photocopy from my MIL, and it actually was pretty hard to find the Google link, hahaha. I hope you try it and love it!

  2. 5 stars
    This is the BEST banana bread I’ve ever had! Huge hit with my picky eaters… the neighbors… anyone who’s tried it!

  3. 5 stars
    I am not a very good baker, but this recipe is super simple and easy to follow and DELICIOUS. The cinnamon elevates the flavor making it even more yummy.

  4. 5 stars
    When it seems inconvenient to make banana bread with over-ripe bananas, this recipe turns that around. It’s so, so simple and the most delicious!

  5. 5 stars
    Delicious! Whenever I have some over ripe bananas I make some kind of banana bread/muffins. I tried this recipe today and subbed chocolate chips for nuts so that way my daughter could enjoy them at her nut free school. I will definitely keep this recipe now as my staple banana bread!

  6. I’ve always liked the recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook because it has buttermilk. Which I never have, so I make sour milk. I always thought that was the key to the moistness! I don’t add cinnamon, maybe I’ll try next time. I do occasionally add chocolate chips, because they always make everything taste better, right? I also toss my bananas, peel and all, in a ziplock and throw in the freezer. I keep reading to peel them first! Never in mmm~hmm years have I done that! Hahaa