Our best basic banana bread is made with buttermilk! So easy to make 2 loaves with one recipe.
Ingredients
½cupunsalted butter, room temperature, OR 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup canola or coconut oil
1 ½cupsgranulated sugar OR 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3ripe bananas, mashed
1teaspoonvanilla
2eggs, beaten
½cupbuttermilk
2 1/4cupsAll purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking soda
¾teaspoonsalt, if using salted butter, 1/2 teaspoon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 medium size loaf pans.
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs, and beat mixture until smooth.
Mash banana, add to the butter/sugar egg mixture. If the bananas are very soft, just add to the bowl, the paddle or beaters will mash the banana.
Mix in buttermilk and vanilla until blended well. Turn off mixer.
Combine all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, and pour all at once into the wet mixture.
Fold together, just until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Don’t over mix. I use a large spoon or spatula for this step. No need to use the mixer. See notes.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Notes
If you like "Hawaiian" Banana Bread, substitute 1/2 cup drained, crushed pineapple and use 2 bananas.
I don't use a mixer after the wet ingredients are mixed. The best quick breads are made without using a mixer. Over mixing this batter will result in a spongy texture instead of a quick bread with a tender crumb.
I like using 1/4 butter and 1/4 oil in this recipe instead of all butter. I think the texture of the banana bread is a little more moist and it doesn't seem quite as heavy.
In Spain, I have made this banana bread recipe many times. Through much trial and error, I have found the following alterations to work the best at sea level in a very humid environment: