Ultimate Banana Bread
This single loaf of banana bread is packed with FIVE bananas(!), brown sugar, butter, chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of sugar on top. It bakes up high, dense, and supremely moist. Ultimate indeed!
I stared at this recipe for years -YEARS – before making it. I saved it from a Cook’s Illustrated magazine, but it took until I had an entire bunch of bananas that had gone black on me to finally dive in and give it a try.
Why had I dismissed it all those years? Quite simply, I always felt like banana bread should be, well, simple. A quick remedy to overripe bananas on the counter that could be in the oven before the first commercial break of your grandma’s favorite soap opera. Spoiler alert: this is not your grandma’s banana bread. The preparation methods seemed over the top to me, so I ignored it for years. Finally, I had some free time on my hands, along with the black bananas, so I decided to give it a try.
Yes, there were more preparation steps and additional preparation time, but this is most definitely the best banana bread I’ve ever made.
The banana flavor is dramatically intensified and the loaf baked up nice and high (all of the banana bread recipes I’ve made over the years have been short and squat). Not that I ever complained; it was all I’d ever known, but I do love a high loaf of bread, be it yeasted or quick. Tall is where it’s at!
Now, let’s talk about the texture. I love, love, loved it. The bread is supremely dense and very moist; while previous attempts at banana bread have all been moist, the dense texture was new to me. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to crumble apart when you handle it; the slices are heavy and substantial.
I also love the sprinkling of granulated sugar on top of the loaf before putting it in the oven – it gives the finished bread a little bit of a sweet crunch on top.
How to Make the Ultimate Banana Bread
Okay here we go, the banana bread that’s a little high maintenance in preparation, but pays off in dividends with the final product… this is how we do it!
- Microwave the bananas, then strain over a bowl to capture all of the juices that have been released.
- Reduce the banana juice in a saucepan to get super concentrated banana flavor without needing to add a ton of extra liquid.
- Mash together the bananas and reduced liquid – ultimate banana flavor!
The rest of the recipe is pretty run-of-the-mill with whisking melted butter (no oil!), eggs, brown sugar (moister and more flavorful than white!), and vanilla into the mashed bananas, then stirring together with the flour mixture.
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All that’s left is to sprinkle the top with sugar and bake away.
Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe Notes
- It’s important that the bananas are not just speckled, but are full-on browning or even black so they can release those delicious juices.
- You can use thawed frozen bananas; if you do so, you do not need to microwave them, simply go to placing them over a fine-mesh strainer (they will release a lot of liquid naturally).
- If you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes sooner than the recipe states.
- You can substitute other chopped nuts for the walnuts; use what you love (or omit them completely)!
- This banana bread can be frozen by wrapping in plastic wrap, then foil, and placing it in a freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months.
If you’re itching to try a new banana bread recipe and you’re not opposed to a few extra steps, give this one a try – I guarantee you’ll love the end result!
If You Like This Ultimate Banana Bread, Try These Recipes:
- Grandma’s Banana Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
- Zucchini-Banana Bread
- Banana-Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
Watch the Recipe Video:
Four years ago: DIY: Homemade Flour Tortillas
Five years ago: Doggie Pupcakes with Yogurt-Peanut Butter Frosting
Six years ago: Snickers Rice Krispie Treats
Nine years ago: Dog Birthday Cake
Ultimate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 5 large very ripe bananas, about 1¾ to 2 pounds, peeled
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup (149 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (57 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degres F. Spray an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Place the bananas in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with a paring knife. Microwave on high power until the bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bananas to a fine-mesh strainer placed over a medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, or 15 minutes (there should be ½ to ¾ cup liquid).
- Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir the reduced liquid into the bananas, and mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in the butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined, with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in the walnuts, if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the top of the loaf.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen (the wrapped loaf should then be placed in an resealable freezer bag or double-wrapped with foil) for up to 2 months.
Notes
- It’s important that the bananas are not just speckled, but are full-on browning or even black so they can release those delicious juices.
- You can use thawed frozen bananas; if you do so, you do not need to microwave them, simply go to placing them over a fine-mesh strainer (they will release a lot of liquid naturally).
- If you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes sooner than the recipe states.
- You can substitute other chopped nuts for the walnuts; use what you love (or omit them completely)!
- This banana bread can be frozen by wrapping in plastic wrap, then foil, and placing it in a freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in August 2014.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
Really excellent banana bread recipe. I also found it was really versatile – I had a little bit leftover that went a little stale so I made it into pain perdu (a bit like french toast but with caramel crunch on the outside). It was FANTASTIC! Here’s the recipe if you like http://timedeating.co.uk/dessert-egg-soldiers/ (just subsititute bread for banana bread)
This sounds SUPERB! As I live in a banana producing area I have no excuse now not to make it. I would never have thought to prepare the bananas this way, can’t wait for my current bananas to over ripen. Thank U again for a new exciting recipe. Love and hugs to Duke and Einstein.
In case you are wondering, I am a family nurse practitioner and have researched this area a lot, especially after my mom had a recent episode of diverticulitis! (who also loves cooking and baking and this website)
Just to ease all of those fears about nuts and seeds including popcorn, etc. for those with a history of diverticulitis….that is definitely old school!!! Nuts and seeds are great for fiber and are no longer restricted for those who have a history of diverticulitis and are very much encouraged as they add fiber to your diet (which is great as they taste so good :-) (despite the many fears and misconceptions out there)
This recipe sounds great with or without!
i swear i have about ten different banana bread recipes, but i definitely will be adding this one to my collection! im always on the hunt for the perfect banana bread – and yours looks pretty damn good!
They had another banana recipe in their Cooks Illustrated magazine a few years back. The butter was melted too and it called for 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. I received a lot of compliments with that recipe.
Wow, this is sure intense! I love the concentration of banana! The most I’ve ever used is 4. Wanna try this!
Lol about the fruit flies — I’m having my own problems with them, too! The bananas are becoming overripe so fast, so I have several that I need to use up. This bread sounds perfect, and I’ll give it a try. :)
I absolutely adore my mom’s banana bread – it’s the best I’ve ever eaten! But this recipe looks really phenomenal! Just pinned it and I can’t wait to try it!
What would put me off from this recipe is that I rarely have 5 overripe bananas. I use 3 in my “go-to” recipe, and I usually have 3 bananas to be used.
I have a couple of go-to recipes for banana bread. I love my one bowl Mennonite Banana Bread recipe, which only requires two bananas. I bump up the favor with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Adding the cinnamon makes the bread take on a truly amazing favor.
Thanks for sharing this I’m going to give it a whirl too.
(I also was diagnosed with diverticulitis in June and my belly hasn’t been the same since. I had to give up my popcorn, which hasn’t been easy! :-( )
Hi Cathy, I’m so sorry about your diverticulitis bout! My husband also had to give up popcorn, which has killed him. We had a little tradition of making a big bowl of popcorn and setting it between us when we watched a movie or one of our favorite shows at home :(
I love this banana bread recipe! Yes, it has a few extra steps, but it still has simple ingredients. Simple and delicious!
Hey BEB. Looks great. My favorite banana bread that I found while eating a vegan diet for 2 years (for health reasons) is a chocolate chip banana bread. It is wonderful with dark chocolate chips. I still bake it. It freezes great to pull out when an unexpected guest shows up. Yum. Can’t wait for fall/winter baking!
I love a good banana bread! This one looks great!
I make this all of the time but another thing is to slice banana and layer overlapping along edges of loaf pan after sprinkling with sugar. This will carmeliize and keep loaf moist and is pretty.
Man, that looks great!
if you have any left – try turning a couple of pieces into French Toast – and let us know what you think! I saw this done on “The Kitchen” on Food Network on Saturday. Looked YUMMMMMMY! They did it with zucchini bread.
Awesome idea! I will definitely do that next time :)
Have been making Flour Bakery’s banana bread as my go-to fave banana bread for several years (plenty of extra steps and ingredients there too) but this looks amazing. My only issue is that the recipe calls for “large” bananas – any idea how many cups of mashed banana you wind up with? I always seem to have a different idea of what is “medium” or “large.”
Hi Wendy, I need to try Flour’s recipe! I have their cookbook, I assume it’s in there? Haven’t opened it in awhile :( I included the weights for the bananas in the recipe above, I hope that helps!
Michelle, yep it’s in there! I got to try it in person several years ago when visiting Boston and got hooked. A little bit of a PITA but worth it although it’s not a tall loaf. Can’t wait to try this one though – my taste testers are not-so-patiently waiting!
For those of us who don’t own kitchen scales…does anyone have a rough estimate on the # of cups? Thanks!
I don’t have a microwave. Any alternative suggestions? Would love to try this recipe as I have bananas at home now.
I just discovered Cook’s Country on CreateTV and that’s the one thing I don’t like about the show – they never offer an alternative to using a microwave – I even sent them an email about it!
Hi Allison, You could probably place the covered bowl in an oven set to a low temperature. You’re basically pre-cooking the bananas a bit and getting them to release some liquid.
Thanks Michelle – the oven thing did work. My daughter made this over the weekend – she’s the baker and 12 yo – very good!
Cook’s Illustrated said this in their online article about microwaving:
Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar.
Thanks for this post! I always freeze my overripe bananas specifically for banana bread and I was wondering how to make this recipe work. Not sure about what you mean about step four but I will just bypass the microwaving step and use the liquid from the thawed bananas how the microwaved liquid would be used. I’ll let you know how it works out. :)
This is our family’s favorite banana bread recipe! The extra steps are totally worth it!
I love Mark Bittman’s banana bread recipe as well, one thing I like to do is add bourbon to my banana bread. It adds a subtle sweetening to it and who doesn’t like bourbon?
I haven’t tried Mark Bittman’s recipe; I have to add that one to the list!
I have the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook and love all the research and testing they put into developing the perfect recipes! I thought the same thing about all the extra steps, but I’ll have to try this because it simply looks delicious! If only their cookbook used your photos, I think I’d be more inclined to take the effort to try more of their recipes!
I have a pile of overly ripe bananas on my counter and I love banana bread! I can’t wait to try your recipe, it looks delicious :-)
I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time too and i felt like you that banana bread should be simple. But im way more open now, since i discovered roasting bananas. Im definetly gonna finally give this recipe a try and if you are still feeling adventurous about banana bread you should definetly try roasting a few bananas before using them in your bread. Its amazing. You get the sweet, carmelized banana flavor in your loaf.
Roasted bananas sounds amazing, I will definitely give that a try!
Michelle, I am going to have to put this one in the rotation. Cooks Illustrated is my go to guide. Their recipes are usually keepers.
The more bananas, the better!! This bread is fabulous!
Well, my long-time favorite recipe has been the one you shared that was your grandma’s recipe. Soooo, if you say so, I must try this one! I don’t usually have that many leftover bananas, I might have to buy some specifically for the purpose of this recipe!!
Their recipe is truly the ultimate! I still ate gluten when I made if the first few [often] times and I’m happy to say it works well with gluten-free flour, too. It’s my go-to food gift – everyone loves it!
Hi Louanne, Thanks for the tip on this being gluten-free friendly!
Do you follow the recipe exactly when you make it GF? I have a friend I have just discovered needs to avoid gluten and I would like to make something for her.
Well now I’m conflicted because like you, I’ve always felt banana bread should be quick and easy, but if it’s the best you’ve ever made I’ll have to try it, even with all those steps!
I cannot wait to try this. Banana bread is my favorite and this new to me recipe is so exciting!
I have a 6-banana banana bread recipe and I have always wanted to try this C.I. recipe. I’ve seen them make it on re-runs of the show and it you’re right it does look like more steps than usual but I totally trust you when you say it’s the best you’ve ever made! Pinned :)