Banana bread
A moist, easy banana bread made with very ripe bananas and optional walnuts — simple mix-and-bake loaf for tea, lunchboxes or smug brunches.
This banana bread is the sort that makes people think you’ve been baking all morning when really you just waited for the bananas to over-ripen. It’s a straightforward, forgiving mix-and-bake loaf — perfect for using up bananas and feeding a small crowd.
The walnuts add a pleasing crunch but the loaf is perfectly good without them. Slice thick for pudding with a knob of butter or keep it neat for lunchboxes and picnic boxes.
Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter — melted and cooled
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 2 eggs — large
- 3 ripe bananas — about 350–400g peeled; very ripe, freckled skins
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 225 g plain flour
- 5 ml baking powder
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
- 5 ml fine salt
- 30 ml milk — use more only if batter seems very thick
- 75 g chopped walnuts — optional
Equipment
- 900g loaf tin
- cooling rack
- electric whisk (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line the base and long sides with baking paper, leaving a little overhang for lifting the loaf out.
Place the ripe bananas in a large bowl and mash with a fork until mostly smooth with a little texture remaining (about 30 seconds).
Whisk the melted, cooled unsalted butter with the light brown sugar until combined, then beat in the eggs one at a time and stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
Add the mashed bananas to the wet mixture and stir to combine.
Sift together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and fine salt into a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture gently — stop as soon as you can no longer see streaks of flour.
Fold in the chopped walnuts if using. If the batter seems very stiff, stir in an extra 10–20 ml of milk — the batter should be fairly thick but spoonable.
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin, level the top with the back of a spoon and give the tin a gentle tap on the worktop to remove large air pockets. Scatter a few walnut pieces on top for presentation if liked.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Begin checking at 50 minutes: insert a skewer into the centre — it should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
Remove the tin from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
Use the baking paper overhang to lift the loaf from the tin and transfer to a cooling rack to cool for a further 30 minutes before slicing.
Tips
- Use very ripe bananas with brown speckles — the riper, the sweeter and more banana-ey the loaf.
- Do not overmix after adding the flour; stir until just combined to keep the crumb tender.
- If you want a glossy top, brush the top with a little melted butter as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Make ahead: the loaf keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for 5 days; warm gently to serve.
- Freeze in slices for up to 3 months; defrost in a sandwich bag at room temperature or pop straight into a toaster.
Substitutions
unsalted butter → mild vegetable oil, 90 ml
Stays closelight brown sugar → granulated sugar, 150 g (less moist, slightly crisper crust)
Noticeably differentchopped walnuts → chocolate chips, 75 g
Stays closeplain flour → gluten-free plain flour blend, 225 g (ensure blend contains xanthan gum)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 330
- Calories
- 4 g
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
- Sugar
- 220 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
My loaf is risen in the middle then sank — why?
Usually the oven was too hot, or the batter was overmixed. Also opening the oven door during the first 30 minutes can cause a collapse. Check oven temperature with a thermometer and handle the batter gently.
Can I make this without eggs?
Yes — replace 2 eggs with 120 g mashed banana plus 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 45 ml water (leave 5 minutes). Texture will be a touch denser but still tasty.
How do I know when the loaf is done?
Insert a skewer into the centre: it should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. The top should be golden and spring back slightly when touched.
Can I halve the recipe and bake in a smaller tin?
Yes; reduce bake time and start checking at 30–35 minutes. Bake time varies with tin size and oven performance.
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