Banana Bread

  • Prep 15 min
  • Total 2 hr 20 min
  • Ingredients 10
  • Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium)
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps

  • 1
    Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9x5- or 8x4-inch loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat sugar and butter with spoon until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in bananas, milk and vanilla until well blended.
  • 2
    In small bowl, mix flour, nuts, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into pan.
  • 3
    Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

  • It’s important to grease just the bottom of the loaf pan, so the batter can climb evenly up the pan's sides to create a nicely rounded top crust. And remember to mix up the batter until the dry ingredients are moistened—a few streaks of flour are okay. Overmixing will cause the loaf to be dense, with tunnels running through it.
  • To ripen bananas quickly, place them in a brown paper bag at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
  • When the loaf is fully baked, the top should crack—that’s a hallmark of moist-crumbed quick bread.
  • Applesauce Bread: Substitute 1 cup applesauce for the mashed bananas and stir 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the flour mixture.
  • Berry-Banana Bread: Stir in 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries into the flour mixture.
  • Banana-Chocolate Chunk Bread: Stir 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate bar into the flour mixture, skipping the nuts.
  • Use this base recipe as a starting point for other snack loaves.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Slice
Calories
170
Calories from Fat
60
Total Fat
7g
10%
Saturated Fat
3g
16%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
40mg
14%
Sodium
200mg
8%
Potassium
90mg
3%
Total Carbohydrate
25g
8%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
11g
Protein
3g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
6%
6%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
4%
4%
Exchanges:
1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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