Banana Bread
I have no idea why I haven’t shared this recipe for banana bread yet. It’s my go-to recipe for those weeks when you dumpster an entire case of bananas so ripe their peels are turning black. If you know me, chances are I’ve brought a loaf of banana bread to your house at least once. And chances are, I did not buy the bananas. Oops.
Anyway, this recipe is awesome and I get asked for it all the time. I usually pack as many bananas into it as possible because I’m trying to use up as much fruity goodness as I can, so that I may be able to close the door of my freezer. If you like breadier banana bread, use the lesser amount; more will mean a denser, gooier product. If I’m making them in sheet cake form, I like to thinly slice a few extra bananas, lay them over the top of the batter before baking, and sprinkle with a little sugar; it’ll caramelize while baking and leave you with pretty, presentable squares.
I’ve quadrupled this recipe time and time again to no ill effect, which makes it great for Food Not Bombs or baking in advance. The muffins freeze and thaw well, so I often have a ready-made batch on hand.
You can also make these fat-free in a jif — just sub out the oil for applesauce, and there you are. Approach add-ins as you will; this is really a no-fail recipe.
Banana Bread
yields 1 loaf or 12 muffins
5 medium-large ripe bananas, mashed
¼ c vegetable oil or applesauce
¾ c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
½ c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp allspice
pinch cloves
1 c add-ins (chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, or chocolate chips), optional
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan (or muffin pan, or 9×13″ pan if doubling). In a large bowl, beat together bananas, oil or applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flours, spices, and soda. Add wet ingredients to dry; stir ’til just moistened. Fold in add-ins, if using. Pour into prepared pan. If desired, layer banana slices on top and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake ~30-40 min or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out pretty clean.
Oh, and hey — if banana cake is more your style, check this out!
Tags: veganmofo 2009
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I don’t know why I didn’t ask you to begin with, since you’re the one who gave me this recipe, but can you use bananas whose peels have started getting white mold? Or, is this the point of no return? If you use it, will it change the flavor?
I LOVE this recipe and will never make “regular” banana bread again.
PS: I bought vinegar to try pickling okra soon
The peel protects the fruit, so as long as the mold isn’t on the fruit itself, you’re all good. If part of the banana is exposed, just trim that piece off. Even bananas with the beginnings of fermentation will be fine since you’re baking them. The riper your bananas, the bolder the banana flavor.
Glad you like it, Lizz
I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe for next time I have black bananas!
Sounds lovely and looks divine!
looks great!
hell yeah it’s the dumpster banana harvest season!
i’m definitly going to muffin youre recipe, thank you very much!!!
ohhhhhh, no fail !!!
This is SO calling my name !!!
Is it obscene, that I bought an extra bunch of bananas, though the one I already have has just turned golden yellow?
But the bread made me do!!!!
Is there a trick to get the bananas bron and spotting sooner ?
You can make bananas get ripe faster by putting them in a closed paper bag in a cool, dry place. The more bananas in the bag, the faster they’ll ripen. If you have an apple or tomato on hand, you can also put one in the bag with them to make the process quicker.
woah! 5 bananas?? that’s some serious shit!!! Banana bread is always a staple in my house too. my frezer will at any given time have at least 4 black bananas waiting to be given new life. when I lived near a GOOD dumpster there were always banaynays ‘ripe’ for the taking. now i just wait until my housemates forget they bought some and scoop them up before they end up in the bin. i’ll give this mondo recipe a try when i’ve collected enough specimens
hello, i like this blog very much. i don’t really do sugar, can you sub honey/sorghum/maple syrup with good results? thanks.
Hi Amy, I haven’t tried this with other sweeteners, though I’m sure turbinado, sucanat, or date sugar would work great. You might be able to use a half cup of maple syrup instead of the sugar and use one less banana to compensate for the added liquid or something like that. If you do, let me know how it turns out!
CLARYYYYNNN!!!!!
Being as sick as we are, we are kind of living off your wonderful banana bread!
Jonas is lost to it and I am afraid, Jakob will go the same way lol
Since our bananas, due to lack of appetite for a few days, were more black than brown (and of course I didn’t think of freezing them, – what with me freezing under a pile of blankets?), this time I used less sugar (actually I had no more left than a scarce 1/2 c lol, – I need to go shopping!!!) and guess what, – it’s still good *drool*
and chocoholic Jonas doesn’t even want the offered choc chips in it, – ” I love it just the way it is”, he said. And I say it’s even better than the one I used to make following a friend’s friend’s friend ’s recipe, back in ole omni days!!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! (why, yes, I love my exclamation marks!!!!!!!)
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