Interest in baking has certainly skyrocketed during quarantine and it seems that one specific dish has soared in popularity. Banana bread.
It has become so popular that there are viral tweets and memes dedicated to banana bread alone. In fact, the number one recipe search on Google this month was… you guessed it, banana bread.
The newfound delight in baking bread can only rationally be explained by our excess time at home and potentially by our lack of pantry staples to make much else.
All joking aside, banana bread has actually been one of our most recent favorites. Back in the good ol’ days of non-isolation, banana bread was becoming one of our most anticipated morning snacks. Our neighborhood coffee spot had recently started serving warm slices of fresh baked banana bread paired with soft and melty cinnamon butter.
We started out grabbing a slice to share with our daily caffeine and quickly realized that we each needed a piece all to ourselves to maintain a happy relationship. From here, the search for the perfect recipe began.
In the beginning, we tried to get too extravagant. We had stars in our eyes finding Pinterest recipes for cinnamon swirls, cream cheese fillings, and chocolate drizzles to fancify our beloved banana bread. After three or four fails and sunken, soggy, loaves it was clear that we needed to simplify. And this recipe was born.
This really can’t get much easier. This recipe does not call for any special kitchen equipment. No hand mixers, stand mixers, sifters, scales, butter melting pots, none of it. Bonus: Less dishes! The most you’ll need here is a loaf pan, mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, and a rubber spatula (a wooden spoon will work too).
As for ingredients, grab those over ripe bananas you bought as a “healthy snack” and haven’t touched yet, and your baking essentials. You’ll need three medium sized bananas and the ingredients shown below.
Though this recipe is unbelievably easy, one important step is to make sure you soften your butter. I like to preheat my oven and leave the stick wrapped but sitting on the flat space between burners until it warms slightly- just enough so that I can mix it later.
The first thing you’ll do is combine your softened butter in a bowl with the brown and white sugar. Once mixed together until smooth, you can add your eggs and vanilla, combining again.
Now, you can peel and mash your bananas with a fork in a separate bowl. If you really want to be lazy about extra dishes, you could probably mash them right on top of your sugary egg mixture. Stir everything together.
Finally, throw in all of the remaining dry ingredients and mix until it’s all combined. Spray your loaf pan with cooking or baking spray and pour in your batter. The pan I use is 9×5 and the batter fills it up about halfway. Pop it into the oven at 350 degrees for an hour and you’ll be enjoying your banana bread in isolation in no time!
As we mentioned earlier, we love to top our slices with cinnamon butter, but honey and regular butter works just as well. Hope yinz enjoy!
Unbelievably Easy Banana Bread
Course: Dessert, BreakfastDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes1
hour1
hour10
minutesThis beginner friendly recipe makes one 9×5 loaf of sweet, delicious banana bread. Simple ingredients and simple directions for a delightful snack.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In your mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add eggs and vanilla, stir to combine again. Then add mashed bananas and mix well.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients to the mixture and combine.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5 loaf pan sprayed with baking spray or cooking spray.
- Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.