Banana Bread
Banana bread does not need much. What it does need is bananas that are properly ripe, ideally ones that look too far gone. The darker and softer they are, the sweeter and more flavourful the bread.
This comes together in a food processor in minutes. No creaming butter by hand, no mess. If you do not have a food processor, a fork and a bowl work fine. Just mash the bananas really well before mixing in the rest.
How to Make Banana Bread
One food processor, five steps. The only rule is not to overmix once the flour goes in.
All Ingredients
1. In the food processor
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Add the bananas, butter and both sugars. Blitz for about 20 seconds until smooth.
- 2
Add the eggs and pulse briefly to combine.
- 3
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, bicarbonate of soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Pulse until just combined. Do not overmix.
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2. Into the tin
- 1
Pour the batter into the greased tin (25 x 10 x 11 cm) and smooth the top. Bake at 180°C for 50-55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out.
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How to Serve
Warm from the oven, as is. Or toasted the next day with a generous amount of butter. Both are correct.
The Recipe
Prep10 min
Cook55 min
Total1h 5m
Serves10
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
for 10 serves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a deep-sided loaf tin (25 x 10 x 11 cm) with butter and set aside.
Add the bananas, butter and both sugars to a food processor. Blitz for about 20 seconds until smooth and combined.
Add the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, bicarbonate of soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Pulse until just combined. Do not overmix or the bread will be dense.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm, or allow to cool completely before storing.
Tips & Notes
No buttermilk?
Make your own: stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 100ml of full-fat milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly. That is all it takes.
The riper the better
The bananas should be very spotty or mostly black. That is when they are sweet enough to make this what it is. A yellow banana will give you a bland loaf.
Do not overmix
Once the flour goes in, pulse just until everything comes together. Overmixing develops the gluten and gives you a dense, rubbery loaf instead of a tender one.
No food processor?
Mash the bananas really well with a fork, then mix in the softened butter and sugars by hand or with a handheld mixer. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.
Storing and freezing
Keeps in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and it actually gets moister on day 2. Freezes brilliantly: slice it first so you can pull out individual pieces and toast from frozen.
How It Turned Out
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