An Easy Classic Banana Bread Recipe For You

Whenever I am about to go on holiday, I always have a few bananas left over in the fridge. I was taught not to waste food and I do get upset if I end up throwing some away. With bananas, it’s a quick dash in the freezer and forget about them until that rainy day comes along. Or so you would think. Am I the only one who has a freezer full of bananas? Yes? No? Maybe? Whether it is a short or long trip, I will always toss a few into the freezer. Over the weekend, I knew I was going to throw more in there. Therefore, Sunday became banana bread baking day.

I thought I would have finished baking all the batches but I still have a few more left. Four batches I think, left to bake. Then I can throw the other 8 bananas in the freezer in peace. Banana bread is one of those classic desserts that you can adapt based on what you have at home. It was a reoccurring dessert growing up. Also it was the most baked dessert at the peak of COVID in 2020 (what a strange year)!

Banana Bread Additions

Having a result that is airy and moist is what you should be aiming for. To add some more fibre and texture to banana bread, I like to add some chia seeds or walnuts. To make it into a more savoury dessert, dark chocolate chips and banana is a great combination.

Banana Bread Substitutions

I know that a lot of recipes call for sugar or brown sugar. I prefer to remove this ingredient altogether because bananas are sweet enough, and it doesn’t need to be sweeter. If you want a healthier version of the recipe, you can substitute oil for the butter. This isn’t a substitution but you can forego baking soda and baking powder. The only con is that the bread won’t rise and will not have that airy and dense result that you are looking for.

How To Make The Best Bread

Make sure to use ripe bananas. They cannot be green or just ripe when you throw them in the freezer. The bananas need to be ripe ( a day or two old) and turn brown with some soft spots. I don’t think there is such a thing as too ripe for this recipe. The sweeter the banana, the better is the motto.

Ingredients

• 140g of All purpose flour or self-raising flour
• 4 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon of Baking soda (can be removed if not available).
• 1 teaspoon of Baking powder (can be removed if not available).
• A pinch of Salt
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 115g of Butter or 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 eggs Eggs
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds (optional)
• 50 grams of walnuts (optional)
• 50 grams of dark chocolate chips (optional)

Easy Classic Banana Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1hr

Total time: 1hr 15 minutes

1. Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Grease the loaf tin with oil and place baking paper in it.
3. Mash 4 ripe bananas in a bowl using a fork into a chunky paste in one bowl.
4. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking soda and baking powder together. Once done, set aside.
5. In the banana bowl, add the oil and eggs, and whisk together until well blended.
6. Pour the dry ingredients into the banana bowl in stages. Stir until the flour disappears and the batter is smooth.
7. Fold in the optional ingredients (chia seeds, walnuts or dark chocolate chips).

To Finish

1. Pour banana bread batter into loaf tin and smooth the top.
2. Bake for 55 minutes to 65 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius. Use a toothpick or a knife to check if the middle is cooked.
3. After it is done, move to a stove or a wire rack to cool down
4. Let the banana bread cool down completely.

You can wrap the bread and store in the fridge for up to a week. It usually tastes better on Day 2 and I have no idea why. If you are like me and want to store it in the freezer for those colder winter months, you can cut them into slices and freeze them. Or you can wrap them in foil and freeze them whole.

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So there you have it! An easy and classic banana bread recipe that can be whipped up in 1hr 15 minutes. This was my first time baking dessert in over two years and it was therapeutic! What are some of your favourite desserts to bake? Carrot cake is another favourite of mine. Drop them in the comments below. I

hope you are enjoying Blogmas 2022. There are 10 days left until it’s over! Time really does fly when you are having fun. Don’t forget to subscribe to join the blog squad. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting, wellness and style.

Until next time,

Folakemi