Banana Bread

One bowl, no mixer, and the best use for bananas that have gone brown and spotty.

Yield:
1 loaf
Time:
1 h 15 min
Oven:
350°F · 55 min – 1 h 5 min
  • Baking
  • Breakfast
  • Bake in a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan. Making more than one loaf? Use one pan per loaf.

Ingredients

1 loaf
  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • ⅓ cup butter, melted
  • ¾ cup sugar, white or brown
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, optional
Cooking at a different temperature?

The recipe says 350°F for 55 min – 1 h 5 min.

about 1 h 3 min – 1 h 14 min

An estimate: start checking early and go by the doneness cues in the steps. Once you enter your temperature, the steps' oven timers use it while this panel is open. More options in the Oven Time Converter.

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan.
  2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork until mostly smooth.
  3. Stir in the melted butter, then the sugar, egg and vanilla.
  4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the batter and stir in. Add the flour and stir until just combined; a few streaks are fine. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips, if using.
  5. Pour into the pan and bake until a skewer in the center comes out clean, 55–65 minutes.
  6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.

Tips

  • The browner the bananas, the sweeter and more banana-y the bread. Freeze overripe bananas in their peels until you have enough.
  • If the top browns before the middle is done, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan.
  • Muffins: bake the batter in a lined 12-cup muffin tin for 20–25 minutes.