World’s Greatest Banana Bread
Some of my most favorite memories are sitting in my Grandma’s little kitchen in Illinois, baking Belgian waffle cookies, cupcakes, her famous crescent rolls, and banana bread. My great-grandma was an INCREDIBLE baker according to my family who were lucky enough to know her. I feel honored to have her name as my middle name, Augusta, and feel that I get my passion for baking from her.
I am so lucky that over the course of my life I have gotten to know my Grandma so well and spend months of my summers in her home playing card games and baking the days away. One of my favorite things we ever bake together is her banana bread recipe which I am now gifting to you. Giving is one of the ways I express love, so what better way to share some affection during dark times than with an amazing banana bread recipe.
This recipe is the cure for everything. I baked this for my friends constantly through high school. Mid-terms coming up? Banana bread. Relationship problems? Banana bread. Fight with a friend? Banana bread. Banana bread is in some of my most treasured moments that seem so simple, but I think back to often.
In the mornings when my friends and I would pull into the parking lot around 7:15 AM as the sun was rising against the side of the main building, we often found ourselves sitting in the car without any intention of leaving. Especially on days where the workload was too much or there was some test or project we were avoiding, I would crack open that container of banana bread and we would FEAST. I hope this banana bread carries you through those times too.
If you want to see a quick video of me making the banana bread, my TikTok is linked here.
Makes: 2 loaves
Baking Time: 45-60 minutes (varies!)
Ingredients
1/2 cup melted and cooled butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk (I personally love oat or almond milk in this, but I always make sure it’s unsweetened so the bread isn’t too sweet)
3 bananas (I freeze mine for at least a week so they’re black, just make sure to run some warm water over the skin for a minute then put the banana in a bowl to mash. The darker the banana, the better the flavor!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
** optional extra banana for topping
Instructions
Mash bananas in a small bowl until there are no, for lack of a better word, chunks. Add your milk and vanilla into the bowl until fully incorporated.
Cream the butter and add sugars in a separate bowl. You don’t make to use a stand or hand mixer, but make sure its fully incorporated and fluffy.
Fold banana mixture into the butter mixture.
Fold in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt in.
Fold in the flour until fully incorporated.
Add the batter into your loaf bans. If you want to top with banana slices it looks really rustic and pretty on top. Be creative here.
Let it cool and enjoy! Store in an air tight container at room temperature. You can keep in the fridge, but it will dry out a lot faster that way! It also tastes best when the bread sits for a few hours before enjoying.
