Best old fashioned banana bread recipe for beginners

This banana bread is easy to make by using your over-ripe bananas and common ingredients in your kitchen. It is the simplest and best old fashioned banana bread recipe I have tried. It turns out moister and denser and with more banana taste than making it from a boxed mix. Plus, this banana bread gets that slight banana crispiness just on the edge of the crust that takes the whole loaf to the next level. The top of the loaf gets banana-y, moist, and slightly crispy all at the same time. It’s hard to explain. You’ll just have to taste it. This recipe is from my grandma. Our family has been eating this for almost 100 years! I consider this banana bread “retro comfort food.”

Now a little bit about over-ripe bananas

Bananas are ripe enough for banana bread when they are a bit beyond when you would peel and eat them. I usually throw my over-ripe bananas in the freezer when they are soft and mostly covered with spots. If they are totally black and almost oozing, I put them in a sealed baggie in the freezer.

When I’m ready to make banana bread, I take out three bananas and let them unthaw a bit. I then peel and break them into a small bowl or peel and let them ooze into a small bowl. It’s a weird sensation to take out a totally black banana, unthaw it, and then slit open the side of the peel lengthwise and let the banana slither out into the bowl.

Once I have my bananas in a small bowl, I take a fork and mash them up so they are almost a gelatinous consistency. I like to take care of my bananas first since they are the most important ingredient in any banana bread recipe. I want to make sure I have sufficient and good, over-ripe bananas before I start measuring out the other ingredients. Three medium sized bananas provide a good consistency and taste. You can get by with two, but I think three is better. It’s just my thing.

Best old fashioned banana bread recipe directions (detailed instructions for beginners)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F if you are using a metal loaf pan and to 325 degrees F if you are using a glass loaf pan.

Grease your loaf pan. I use Crisco shortening and a piece of paper towel wrapped around my four fingers and held in place with my thumb. Dip your paper towel fingers in the Crisco and scoop out a small dab. Apply to bottom of loaf pan and up the sides. It can just be a thin coat. Make sure to get it into the corners and bottom edges. This will help the banana bread release from the pan after cooking and cooling.

Next, cream together 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter (softened) in a large bowl. For those new to baking, cream together means to stir/chop the butter and sugar until they are combined. So it looks like smooth sugary whipped butter. I like to use a long handled wooden spoon for this since it helps cut into and control the butter.

Now, beat in one egg to the sugar/butter mixture. I usually take the egg out of the refrigerator when I first start creaming the butter and sugar so it can warm up just a bit. I try to use a farm fresh egg or pasture-raised egg.

In a separate small mixing bowl (you don’t have to use a separate bowl, but I prefer to) measure out 2 cups of unbleached white flour and 1 teaspoon baking soda. I stir the baking soda into the flour just to spread it out evenly.

Add the flour/baking soda mix to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Add a little of the flour mix at a time and stir with a wooden spoon. Repeat until all flour/baking soda mix has been combined into the butter/sugar/egg mixture. It will resemble coarse meal. This means it will look dry and crumbly.

Banana Time

Finally, stir the mashed bananas in to the above mixture. Stir carefully until combined. It may take a little muscle and batter will be thick.

Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. I use a rubbler spatula to help guide the batter into the loaf pan and smooth it. I try to spread the batter out evenly in the pan and push it down into the corners.

Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. When you can really smell banana bread is when it is close to done. Check by inserting a sharp metal knife into center of the loaf all the way down to bottom and withdraw it straight up. If knife comes out clean, the bread is done.

Place hot pan of your best old fashioned banana bread on a cooling rack to cool. When bread is almost completely cool, run a metal butter knife around the edges of the pan to separate the bread from the pan and turn upside down onto the cooling rack so the bread falls out. Once the bread is safely out of pan, turn it rightside up on the cooling rack and let it cool completely.

After baking tips

Try to get your pan into nice warm soapy water to soak it so it is easier to clean.

Once the bread is cool, slice into it and enjoy. Hint: I prefer banana bread cold, so I wrap mine in foil and put it in refrigerator. It tastes even better after af few hours in the fridge. The top of this bread is dense/moist/crispy (if that can be a thing) and is the most amazing part.

Enjoy this old fashioned banana bread that Grandma used to make. It is exactly how it would have tasted 100 years ago! Once you’ve tried it, I am sure you will agree that this is the best old fashioned banana bread recipe ever.