Just a few days back, we were blanketed by the latest weather phenomena to grace our presence, the polar vortex. While the thermometers outdoors struggled to maintain a postition above the zero mark, (or on several nights and days even about the 15 below zero mark), our furnaces weren’t the only thing keeping us warm and cozy indoors. At our home in town during the week and our cottage getaway on the weekends, our ovens were burning, seemingly non-stop. This loaf of banana bread was only one of the yummies that resulted.
Out of theat cold snap, among other treats of deliciousness, came the likes of Cinamon Rolls, some Oatmeal and Apple Butter Bars, an incredible adult version of Mac ‘N Cheese, and of course this addictive and delightful loaf of banana bread.
Moist and heavy but not dense, this loaf of banana bread was virtually perfect, by my standard. Let’s be clear, the addition of optional walnuts and chocolate chips certainly did nothing to detract from its high ranking.
Aside from the taste, the best thing about this bread was that I did not have to make it. Unbeknownst to me, the other guy behind this site, Scott, worked from home on this day.
Have you ever arrived home on a cold winter day and had a fresh loaf of this waiting for you? Friend, you haven’t lived until you have had such an experience.
Do yourself a favor and start stashing a banana or two away, inside of your freezer. You never know when your spouse might get the urge to have a loaf of this waiting for you at the end of a long, cold day. You can thank me for the tip, later.
- 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F .
- Using a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
- Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir.
- Add optional walnuts and chocolate chips, if desired.
- Add the flour and then mix by hand.
- Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour.
- Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Hey Scott we love a good banana bread and this sounds so moist just the way we like it! A cup of coffee right now would go perfectly!!
This recipe is so easy and so delicious. You really need to give it a try.
What is it about cold weather that makes folks run to their oven? So true, though! Banana bread is always so good and with chocolate chips, so much the better!
Abbe,
I love to bake under normal circumstances, but as the outdoor temp drops it seems like our oven temps go up that much more! Thanks for the comments and I hope you are staying warm!
I have given up on making banana bread … much to my dismay. I have never, and I truly mean never, had any recipe come out of the oven where the inside core of the bread is raw and runny/gooey and the outside crust is hard as a rock. 🙁 I have verified the temperature in my oven to be correct. Can you help me?
I meant “not” had it come out of the oven… missed one word, changed the meaning of the sentence … 🙂
I am not sure why you are having the issues that you are with your banana bread. This recipe is very easy and almost full proof. Notice that I said almost. There always is the risk of over baking or under baking. I make sure that I monitor the bread as it is baking in the oven. This should take no more than an hour to bake, and may even be more like 50-55 minutes depending on your oven. I always take a knife to check this bread. If you insert the knife an inch or two from the edge it should come out clean. If it does, it is cooked. Give this recipe a try and let me know if you still are having problems. Good luck!
We always bake when the weather is cold! Particularly when it’s snowy. We’ve been making loads of beer bread lately, but should do some banana bread, and soon. To Anonymous, who has trouble getting his bread baked through, use an instant read thermometer to see whether your bread is done. It’s usually done around 190 degrees F to 200 F. Anyway, super recipe – thanks.
Thank you for the excellent suggestion of using an instant read thermometer. I will have to give it a try sometime.
Coming home to this bread after a long day at work would be a treat indeed! Banana bread with chocolate chips – woa – pinch me I think I am sleep-reading! So nice to hear about how thoughtful yall are of each other! And love how this site is now featuring the two of yall!
Hi Shashi. I love banana bread. This recipe is so quick, easy and delicious. I hope that you will give it a try.
Shashi,
I’m one lucky dog…. Thanks for the comments! xo