The sweet smell of freshly baked banana bread wafting through the kitchen brings back memories of cozy Sunday afternoons and is the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea in foul weather. Today we are sharing a recipe for banana bread that is very easy to make.
We love banana bread because it is the perfect use for (over)ripe bananas, which give the bread not only sweetness but also juiciness. Bananas are a good example of products that can still be used even when they are no longer beautiful and photogenic enough for the supermarket. They actually only get better in taste as they go. Don’t be put off by the brown color.
First, mash the overripe bananas until you have a smooth mixture. We used a potato masher for this, but you can also use a fork.
Then add sugar and butter directly to the bananas. You can melt the butter, but you don’t have to. We have used room temperature butter and it worked fine.
We do it in this order because it’s easier to check how much sugar you really need. You can taste it at this point. Our bananas were completely brown and very sweet, so less sugar was enough.
Now add vanilla extract to the banana and butter mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Sift these dry ingredients and gradually work them in.
It is very important to only stir until everything is just combined. If you stir for too long, the banana bread will be heavy and won’t rise well. We definitely prefer an airy structure like a good spongy cake.
Now we add egg and stir it gently into the batter. The egg also contributes to the structure of the bread and gives it a nice shine.
We love it when the banana bread has a bit of crunch. We like to use coarsely chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, which we also fold in lightly with a spoon. Of course, you can also use other nuts to taste: Peanuts, sliced hazelnuts, almonds or pecans are all suitable. Actually, we also like to use leftovers when it comes to chocolate: all the chocolate Easter bunnies and the likes end up in the banana bread, where we enjoy them much more in this form.
The dough should be relatively moist. If it should appear a little dry, add some milk.
It’s up to you whether you just grease the tin or use some baking paper to be on the safe side. We opted for a strip of baking paper, simply placing it lengthways in the tin so that the bread could be easily removed later.
We spread the dough in the loaf tin and bake it in the oven at 175 degrees Celsius without convection for about 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. As the different textures of bananas can greatly affect the baking time, it can take up to 15 minutes longer for the banana bread to be done.
Now leave the banana bread to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Leave it to cool completely.
To serve: cut the banana bread into thick slices, spread with a little salted butter and serve with a cup of tea.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients:
4 medium or 3 large brown / very ripe bananas
150 g flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
150 g soft butter
100 g sugar (depending on the sweetness of the bananas)
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
80 g walnuts
80 g dark chocolate
