Banana Bread

Honestly, our favorite banana bread is the super simple and easy Chiquita banana bread mix, but you can't always find it, so I wanted to have a backup bread recipe that the boys enjoyed. So far, this recipe is the winner!

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 3–4 ripe bananas)
• 1/3 cup (80g) plain Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 a bag of mini chocolate chips, optional
• chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 325°F. Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• I used my metal pans the first time I made this, and I thought that maybe the glass pans would work better as insulation to keep the edges from getting over done. I don't think it will overfill the pans, but I might want to put a cookie sheet under the bread the first time I try this.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the mashed bananas, yogurt/sour cream, and vanilla until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in the nuts/chocolate chips, if using. The batter should be thick.
5. Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil halfway through, to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Cool the bread in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Remove the bread from the pan and place it directly on the rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
6. Store wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Marsha's Notes:

The first time I made this recipe, it seemed like a toothpick inserted into the center came out clean at about 55 minutes and the outer edges were starting to get really dark, so I pulled the loaf from the oven. Then the middle sank some during the cooling process and I knew that it actually wasn't completely done. Therefore, I changed the original recipe that says to bake at 325 degrees (instead of 350) and left the time suggestion at 60-65 minutes, hoping that lower and longer will help the middle get done before the outside is over baked. I also inserted the suggestion to use my glass pans next time. I will return and update these notes the next time I make this recipe with the results.

This is the banana bread mix that we really like.

I also had a friend recommend this recipe, which I might also try: https://tasty.co/recipe/one-bowl-chocolate-chip-banana-bread