Grandma’s Banana Bread

Get ready to use up those ripe bananas sitting out in your kitchen. This banana bread is tender and comforting without being too sweet. Of course if you’re like my 8-year-old, you can add chocolate chips in case you need that extra bit of indulgence.

This banana bread is delicious and simple. It’s made with pantry staples plus those bananas you were sure your kids were going to eat before they all turned brown. We like to enjoy a thick slice for an after-school snack.

Pro tip: before preheating your oven, lower the middle rack to the lower part of your oven. This ensures that the top of your loaf pan will be in the middle and helps prevent the top from browning too quickly. If you find the top is too brown before it is cooked through, gently put a piece of aluminum foil over the loaf.

I often bake one large loaf so each slice is giant and kind of a miniature meal. Other times I use two smaller loaf pans. This is typically when I have a helper in the kitchen with me requesting chocolate chip banana bread. For two smaller loaves, the bake time will be reduced slightly so keep an eye on them. You do not want over-baked bread.

If you’re feeling feisty, go ahead and mix the wet ingredients then add the dry ingredients straight into the same bowl. I know it sounds wild. But sometimes I just feel a little too lazy to get out one more bowl to wash, and the banana bread is still delicious. Enjoy plain or with a bit of butter spread on a warm slice. Mmmmm…

Grandma’s Banana Bread

This banana bread recipe is from a plaque on the wall in my Grandma's kitchen, so you know it's going to be good!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Cooling Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8 1-inch slices

Equipment

• 1 Oven
• 1 Bread pan 1 – 9"x5" or 2 – 8"x4" pans

Ingredients

  

• 2½ Cups flour
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder heaping
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbs neutral oil canola or vegetable oil
• ¾ Cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 Cup mashed banana about 2 large bananas

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Position the oven rack to the lower third of the oven, so that the top of the bread pan will be in the middle of the oven as the bread bakes.
• Grease and flour your loaf pan.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour (2½ C), sugar (1 C), baking powder (1 heaping Tbsp), and salt (1 tsp). Whisk together gently to remove any clumps. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients: mashed bananas (1 C), 1 egg, milk (¾ C), and oil (3 Tbs).
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until no dry streaks remain. Poor into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil. The loaf will be done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes

This recipe can be made in one large loaf pan or two smaller (8″x4″) pans. If using two pans, cooking time will be shorter, closer to 45 minutes. Sometimes I turn one of these smaller loaves into chocolate chip banana bread by adding a handful (or two!) of semi sweet chocolate chips to the batter before pouring into the pan.