There are a million banana bread recipes on the internet. It’s hard to know which one to follow; which one will give the best result? All I can say is, in my eyes, this is the best banana bread out there because… it’s my Nanny’s recipe. This is the banana bread I ate my whole childhood - dark in colour and rich in flavour. I’ve tweaked it slightly to reduce the sugar and use whole grain flour (optional). But otherwise, it’s pretty much exactly how my darling grandmother made it.
Nanny’s Banana Bread
NOTE: This bread will keep on the counter for 2-3 days if you top with a banana slice like pictured. Without the banana on top, 4-5 days. It also freezes very well - recommend slicing and putting parchment paper between each slice. Reheat individual slices at 350F until toasty!
ingredients
4 small or 3 large bananas, very ripe and browned (+ one additional for topping if you’d like)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole grain flour (or you can do all AP if you do not have WG)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp kosher salt
method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a loaf pan by greasing with butter or cooking spray and lining with a parchment paper “hammock” (parchment paper covers bottom and sides length wise).
In a large bowl, mash your ripened bananas. Add in melted butter, sugar and eggs, mixing until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and fold in, being careful to not overmix. No flour should be visible, but clumps are ok!
Pour into your prepared loaf pan. If you have an extra banana, slice in half lengthwise and place on top of the batter.
Bake for 60-75 mins, until deeply browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before slicing.