Banana Bread

Have you ever ended up with a bunch of over ripe bananas in your fruit bowl and wondered what to do with them? With four kids in our house, we go through a lot of bananas. But, sometimes we can’t keep up and they turn a little too brown to eat. Rather than throwing them out, this banana bread recipe is the perfect solution.

Banana bread is best when made with brown bananas. In fact, the browner the banana, the better the bread!

This banana bread recipe is moist, delicious and makes a perfect breakfast, school snack or dessert. It’s also a fun, easy recipe to make with kids. In fact, it is my two year old’s favourite recipe to make (and eat). Just throw all of the ingredients together into one bowl and mix. No fuss.

It keeps moist for days in an airtight container and can also be stored in the freezer for a go-to school lunch or day time snack. I make a couple of batches of this bread over the school holidays to store, wrapped and sliced, ahead of time for easy school lunches. The mixture is easily doubled or even tripled without affecting the result.

If you want to reduce the sugar content, you can add a little less, or swap the sugar out for brown rice syrup. You can use this recipe as a base and then add your favourites; walnuts, blueberries, dates, sultanas, chocolate chips, strawberries. I sometimes sprinkle frozen blueberries or strawberries over the top before baking and let them sink into the bread while baking. SO DELICIOUS.

Banana Bread

Have you ever ended up with a bunch of over ripe bananas in your fruit bowl and wondered what to do with them? Rather than throwing them out, this banana bread recipe is the perfect solution. It is moist, delicious and makes a perfect breakfast, school snack or dessert. 

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: baking

Cuisine: Australian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 302kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ ⅓ cup vegetable oil or butter
• ▢ ¾ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups mashed, over-ripe bananas approximately 3 large bananas
• ▢ ⅓ cup Greek yoghurt or sour cream
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup plain flour
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ pinch of salt
• ▢ ¼-1/2 tsp cinnamon ground

Instructions

• Pre heat oven to 180 °C/356 F (160 C fan forced). Grease and line a bread/loaf tin with baking paper. (25cm x 10 cm/ 10.5 " x 4").
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil and sugar together with an electric beater (medium speed) for 1-2 minutes. While the beaters are still running, add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined and fluffy (a further 1-2 minutes).
• Add the remaining wet ingredients (mashed bananas, yoghurt, vanilla) and stir until combined.
• Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir until just combined. Pour the prepared batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for around 40 minutes, or until the loaf is cooked through. You can test the loaf by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean with a few crumbs sticking to the skewer, the banana bread is ready.
• Transfer the banana bread to a wire rack and allow to cool. Cut into individual slices to serve. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Brown, spotty and over-ripe bananas are best in this recipe! The browner the banana, the sweeter and softer the bread will be.
2. Although this banana bread tastes amazing on its own, you can also include your favourite add-ins! Try folding some of the following ideas into the batter before baking and then follow the baking instructions as above; mixed berries (fresh or frozen is fine), chopped nuts (try walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts), chopped dates, chocolate chips, chopped strawberries. 
3. The banana bread can be sliced, individually wrapped and stored in the freezer in an airtight container until required. And it also keeps at room temperature for 3-4 days.
4. Try multiplying the recipe and making a double, or even a triple batch to store in the freezer for convenient lunchbox treats or a snack on the go.
5. Serve the slices of banana bread warm (or cold) on its own, or with whipped butter, maple syrup, mixed berries, a sprinkle of cinnamon or a drizzle of lemon icing. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

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