Classic banana bread
A moist, golden loaf that turns your spottiest bananas into a week of breakfast slices, best toasted with a smear of butter.
- 85 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $0.46 a serving
- 290 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount, and tomorrow’s breakfast is already done.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 6 tbsp butter, plus a little for the pan
- 3 bananas, very ripe and spotty
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
Each serving has about 290 calories, 5 g protein, 46 g carbs and 10 g fat, and costs about $0.46 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 350°F. Rub a little butter over the inside of a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the rest of the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, about 40 seconds, and let it cool a few minutes.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 40 sec
Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork until mostly smooth.
in the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Sprinkle the baking soda, salt and cinnamon over the top and them in, then in the flour with a spatula just until no dry flour shows.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
the walnuts if you’re using them, then scrape the batter into the pan.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
55 to 65 minutes, until deep and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 60 min
Dolly’s tip: If the top browns fast before the middle is done, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack. once it’s cool, and keep it wrapped up to 4 days.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 15 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop plans your breakfasts along with the week’s dinners, puts what you need on the same grocery list, and walks you through each step.
