I have made countless banana bread recipes over the years, with the hope of baking a banana bread that is light, not too sweet, rises nice and high but slices well. This is the winner! Enjoy this bread lightly toasted with some peanut butter for a quick satisfying breakfast or have it as a side with your afternoon coffee. I prefer this bread made with only a half a cup of sugar but if a sweeter loaf is desired then you can increase the sugar to three-quarter cup, add in some chocolate chips or frost it with lemon icing.
1cupmashed bananasabout 2 large bananas. Note: Do not use more than 1 cup of mashed bananas.
¼cupunsalted butter at room temperatureyou can use vegetable oil instead of butter but this will result in a denser bread
½cupgranulated sugar
1egg white
1largeegg
½cupplain yogurtuse at least 2% fat, Greek yogurt is a good option
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1¾cupall-purpose flour
¼cupwhole wheat flouror substitute with all-purpose
½teaspoonbaking soda
1½teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonsalt
Optional ingredients:
½cupmini chocolate chips
¾cupwild blueberries
Optional lemon icing:
1cupconfectioners' sugar
1tablespoonunsalted butterat room temperature
1tablespoonlemon juicefreshly squeezed and strained
1teaspoonlemon zest
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Grease the loaf pan with butter. Dust the bottom and sides of the loaf pan with flour. Position the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F.
Mash the bananas in a large bowl and measure out one cup.
Cream the butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add the egg and egg white and beat until smooth. Add in the yogurt, and vanilla and blend. Add the mashed bananas and stir.
Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir only just to combine. Over stirring the mixture will develop too much gluten and result in a rubbery consistency and denser bread.
If adding chocolate chips or blueberries, fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the centre of the oven at 350°F for 55-60 minutes. Insert a tooth pick into the centre of the loaf. If it comes out clean it is done. Cool completely before slicing.
If icing the bread, combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Ice the banana bread when it is completely cooled.
Notes
Always use only one cup of mashed bananas. If you add more than this, the bread will be too moist. If you mash the bananas and end up just shy of a cup, you can add one tablespoon of buttermilk to the wet mixture before adding it to the dry.