Perfect Textured Banana Bread
Looking for the perfect textured banana bread? This banana bread sticks together with very little crumbliness and sports a beautiful domed top. The slices not only have the perfect texture but taste amazing as well.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 8 ounces or 1 cup - see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or alternately can use 325 for convection bake ovens). Grease and flour a 9X5-inch loaf pan.
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In a large bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until fluffy.
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To a medium bowl add flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda together and whisk until well mixed.
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Add a third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until no flour streaks remain. Add a third of the mashed bananas to the batter and beat with a hand mixer until well incorporated.
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Repeat with half of remaining flour and half of remaining bananas, one at a time, alternating as before.
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Repeat with remaining flour and remaining bananas, alternating one at a time again. Stir in vanilla extract.
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Add batter to prepared bread pan and bake in preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
1. Always use ripened bananas (bananas with a few brown spots are perfect). The easiest way I've found to mash them evenly is with a fork on a plate.
2. If you like a crispier crust to your banana bread, add a shallow pan of water (I use a broiler pan with 1 ½ cups of water) at the beginning of the baking time to the bottom of the oven to create steam.
3. This banana bread freezes great. Cool completely then pack the entire loaf into a freezer bag. I've also had success with slicing the bread first and then packing it into a ziplock freezer bag. It will freeze well for up to a month (or more).