1930s-present - Depression-era home economists and thrifty American bakers

Banana Bread

Name: Banana Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients: 3 very ripe bananas, mashed; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional; 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

A classic banana bread made with mashed ripe bananas, butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, and optional walnuts.

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Difficulty

Easy

Prep time

15 minutes

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 minutes

Servings

1 loaf

Region

United States home kitchens and coffee shops

Era introduced

1930s-present

Introduced by

Depression-era home economists and thrifty American bakers

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The Story

Banana bread became a fixture of American baking in the 1930s, when chemical leaveners were common, bananas were widely available, and thrifty cooks had good reason to save overripe fruit. It later moved through community cookbooks, lunchboxes, coffee shops, and pandemic-era baking. The formula remains durable because it is forgiving: ripe bananas, a quick-bread batter, and one loaf pan.

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Equipment

Loaf pan
Oven
Cutting board
Chef's knife
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Measuring cups and spoons

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
Mash bananas in a large bowl.
Whisk in melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Stir flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together.
Fold dry ingredients into banana mixture just until combined.
Fold in nuts if using.
Scrape into the loaf pan.
Bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out and cool before slicing.

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Banana Bread

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The Story

Ingredients

Equipment

Directions

Community Recipes

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