Description
This best moist banana bread recipe yields a deliciously tender loaf packed with ripe banana flavor, complemented by a touch of cinnamon and optional toasted nuts. Perfect for breakfast or a snack, the loaf is easy to make with simple pantry ingredients and promises a rich, moist texture thanks to sour cream and a blend of flours.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, 9 ounces, about 2 and 1/2 medium bananas
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, blended into a powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves, optional
Optional Add-ins
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper to ensure easy removal and slicing.
- Toast Nuts (Optional): If using nuts, spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts on a dry baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and cream together by beating for about 2 minutes until fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract until well incorporated, scraping the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Mash Bananas: In a small bowl, mash about 2 and 1/2 very ripe bananas to make about 1 cup. Add the mashed banana to the butter mixture and stir until combined.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Add all-purpose flour to the bowl but do not stir yet. Blend oats into a fine powder and add to the bowl as well. Use a small spoon to mix baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and optional cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into the flour mixture to remove any lumps.
- Combine Mixtures: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gently until just incorporated, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Fold in Sour Cream and Nuts: Fold in the sour cream and, if using, the cooled toasted nuts into the batter. Optionally save some nuts to sprinkle on top before baking.
- Pour and Smooth Batter: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees F for 65 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick inserted deep into the loaf; it should come out clean or with moist crumbs but no wet batter. The bread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool: Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate leftovers. Banana bread can also be frozen wrapped in foil and sealed in a bag.
Notes
- You can use between 1 cup to 2 cups of mashed banana; more banana will make the bread denser and slightly gummy, but still tasty.
- If you don’t want to blend oats into a powder, replace 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup all-purpose flour instead.
- Toasting nuts before adding enhances their flavor; consider reserving some to sprinkle on top of the batter for added texture and presentation.
- Use parchment paper in the loaf pan for easier removal and cleaner slicing.
- Banana bread freezes well either as a whole loaf or sliced individually; thaw slices on the counter and toast briefly before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
