Banana Bread

My little sister loves banana bread. We accidentally started a tradition involving banana bread when she went to college. I sent her to school with a loaf of banana bread when she started her first semester. That first semester she made the Dean’s List. So, to reward her hard work, I sent her down with another loaf at the beginning of the next semester. She made Dean’s List again and a tradition was born. She’s managed to get a loaf of banana bread every semester. I’m a proud big sissy.

How to Change Up a Basic Banana Bread Recipe

Making over eight banana breads the past few years has given me the chance to fine-tune this simple and easy classic banana bread recipe. But, this classic recipe is also a great base for any banana bread recipe where you want have fun with by making additions to the batter. One of the additions I have made over the past few years is adding chopped dried apricots to the batter. My best friend from college loved this variation because it reminded her of how her mom would put golden raisins in her banana bread (which is also a cool idea).

I also used this recipe to make a s’mores banana bread. It was very fun. To make it “s’mores”, I folded some chocolate chips into the batter. Then, I put half the batter in the loaf pan, topped it with a layer of marshmallows, then the other half of the batter. Lastly, I put some crushed graham crackers on top. I actually got this idea from a little late-night snack I would make in college with plain banana bread. I would take a slice of banana bread, sprinkle on a few chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Then I would put it in under the broiler until the chocolate was melted and the marshmallows golden and gooey. Man, I haven’t made that snack in a long time. I might have to make that again if I ever get around to making a loaf of banana bread again for myself instead of just my loved ones.

Speaking of loved ones, my grandma has a special banana bread trick she likes to do to make her’s a little more cake-like instead of the classic banana bread texture. She separates her eggs, whipping the whites, and then folds them into her batter. It does end up making it a lighter banana bread, but I don’t like to dirty an extra dish for that step, or take the extra time to whip egg whites. Just a personal preference. But if you want a lighter and airier banana bread, you should try my grandma’s tip.

Let’s Make That Bread

One of the best things about banana bread, besides it being delicious, is it is a great way to use up over-ripe bananas. Over-ripe bananas are actually better for banana bread because they’re sweeter. If you have over-ripe bananas and you aren’t quite ready to make banana bread, peel the bananas and store them in the freezer for a when you are ready.

This recipe calls for about 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana. I don’t normally measure this part because it normally comes close to 2 bananas.

Then just mix in all of the wet ingredients:

Then mix in the dry ingredients and pour into a prepared bread/loaf pan. I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper for easy removal.