jacked-up banana bread
The list of people who know my secret are as follows: Alex, but he married me anyway; my mother-in-law, who was about to throw some old bananas out one day and I gave myself up, yelping “wait!” at the last moment; the lady at the bodega where I get my yogurt and fruit each morning, who watches me sift daily through the bright, yellow ones on top for the sordid, unlovable ones at the bottom of the pile; Molly, who I confessed my banana sin to in a moment of cream cheese-frosted camaraderie; and now you. Go easy on me, please.
My love of the spotty banana, unfortunately, conflicts with one of my other loves — banana bread. You see, exactly when the bananas hit their bread-making prime time, I don’t want to share them with anyone. I’m serious. I haven’t made it in years. But, I’m feeling generous this week, and also in need of a treat, and yes, I know so-called calorie-watching on top of my other aches and pains sounds an insult to, well, you know, but if I can’t exercise for so many weeks, something is going to have to give. Yet, seven days into this I’m itching for a little something-something, something small and tame and when I saw this recipe on Elise’s stunning site, I thought, for once, “well, maybe I could share.”
Oddly, and perhaps complimentary, enough, I found myself using Simply Recipes for this bread the way I use Epicurious: rummaging through each and every comment until I’m certain the adjustments I’m itching to make will work. And then? I jacked it up. I replaced white sugar with the light brown variety, and cut back on it, too; I added a splash of bourbon, salted butter and then doses of cinnamon, nutmeg and even cloves. And also, though it goes without saying by now, mixed it with one hand. I hope Elise’s friend’s friend doesn’t mind that I bastardized her recipe, I just couldn’t resist gilding the lily, as usual. And that one tablespoon of bourbon? This is no time to fixate on accurate measurements.
It was just what the doctor ordered. [Actually, no, the doctor this morning ordered six full weeks in the sling, but let's just talk about that another time, okay?] Let me rephrase: this is how I interpreted what the doctor ordered, and can you blame me? This is the height of banana bread perfection and all those little extras manage to add something fantastic without overwhelming the base flavor. It’s my new go-to recipe and Elise, you did my adored bananas proud.
Elise’s Friend Heidi’s Friend Mrs. Hockmeyer’s Banana Bread, As Jacked Up by Deb
Adapted from Simply Recipes
No need for a mixer for this recipe — need I say more?
3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar (depending on the level of sweetness you prefer, I always use the smaller amount)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Note: Due to my unhealthy obsession with tiny things, I split this into two mini-loaf pans. It took 45 minutes to bake two perfect halves, but of course, may run longer or shorter in your oven.
You are wrong, those bananas are NOT passed their prime. As far as I am concerned they are right in their prime for eating. Once they get passed where you have them, I will consider them for banana bread or pancakes, but right there where they are right now…they’re perfect.
So I guess I too share in your love of the unloved bananas.
Well, of course you can’t hold a tablespoon and pour bourbon at the same time with one hand. And you are so careful to tell us how you divided the batter into two mini pans and how long it took to bake. I’m sure you were equally careful to measure out exactly one tablespoon. Right. I am right about that aren’t I? I mean two would change everything. Oh, I’m sure you wouldn’t use two tablespoons and not tell us. I mean you’ve just made this dark confession. You would never do that. Right. Right!
Fun post.
Oh, a day too late! My nanners were well beyond this but I was still looking for a good recipe for them. Hubby tossed them when I wasn’t looking. I think I need to print this out and head to the store… ;)
I too love the “aged” bananas. The speckles just make them all the more fun to eat!
Bread looks delicious
=)
Six full weeks?? I’m so sorry, Deb. Bring on the bourbon. That banana bread looks like it could cure any woe.
Your stirring arm is going to have some muscle on it by the time you’re healed!
I think, according to Chiquita, that you like perfect bananas:
“I’m Chiquita banana and I’ve come to say – Bananas have to ripen in a certain way- When they are fleck’d with brown and have a golden hue – Bananas taste the best and are best for you – You can put them in a salad – You can put them in a pie-aye – Any way you want to eat them – It’s impossible to beat them – But, bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator – So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator.”
Nice banana bread!
Sigh…
Im a fan of the bright yellow-slightly green on top banana. MMMM (i want 1 now damnit) Does it count that i always buy a lot of them and make sure there are a few stragglers left for just such an occasion?
anyways.. i made the recipe thats been in my family for ages.. this 1 tho i gotta say… its gonna give it a run for its $. Bourbon seems like such a natural thing to add.. like, why didnt i think of it sooner? Its like Bananas Foster.. but in bread form.. Oh MAN… a warm slice of your bread, deb, with some vanilla ice cream? OYI
OK on a side note here… My step family is jewish and me being the goy that i am tried to make matzo ball soup for the 1st time..
Do they like a big open pan to cook in so they can fluff up? I cooked mine in like a 3qt pot and they didnt poof up. They were more like lil chewy small size golf balls.. instead of the nice light fluffy 1s my aunt makes. Shes on vacation till mid December so i figured id ask you. OO a new idea for your site.. “ask deb”
Anywhoo, suggestions or whatever would be much appreciated.
Oh MY. You know how I feel about banana baked goods, and this one is definitely going on my to-do list! I love your addition of salted butter, and the bourbon! Amen to that. Brandon, Mr. Woodford Reserve, will heartily approve. Thanks for sharing your beloved freckled bananas, Deb.
Maggie, thank you for putting up those lyrics, I would have had to google them otherwise.
Deb – Bananas and bread, great combination, but where are the nuts? Or is that a sin? Oh and finally I know that I needn’t throw out my bananas once they’ve passed the edible phase of bright yellow into the speckled baking goodness.
“bastardized” and “gilding the lily” in one sentence?! this is EXACTLY why I love your writing. you are too funny!
I think everyone has a different banana scale! I am terrified of anything other than almost-green bananas, though for my banana bread I’ll let them get brown, soft, and almost oozing. Eew. Or yum. I’m not sure. Whatever it is, it’s good for banana bread.
One of my favorite things to do to banana bread is replace the flower with oat bran that I buy in the bulk food section of my market. It really, really lightens up the bread. I have to admit I’m not good at measuring things… I usually put in around half flour/half bran, taking out a bit of butter or whatever other liquid is in there to compensate. I’ve also added yogurt to my banana bread – mmmmm.
Hi Cupcakes -
(I hope it is okay to post a reply here! I didn’t see another way to respond to this comment)
I also like soft fluffy matzoh balls. After you chill the dough, do not, I repeat, do not, apply any pressure to it (I.e., no rolling, shaping, or other perfecting-type motions). Just break off a chunk, lightly push in any large straggling bits and drop them in the pot. The less you fiddle with them, the lighter they will be. I think it all depends on preference – my brother loves them light and fluffy, whereas my dad roles them between his palms to get hard little marbles!
I too like the slightly green, no brown bananas! However, the kind you like are NOT unloved, just loved in a different form…baked in something! I’ve been making several different recipes of banana bread recently. I think one of the best I’ve found has been one that is actually for a banana cake but I morphed into bread. The post will be coming soon. Not to worry…the recipe is from a guiltless desserts class I attended, so It’s not too bad for ya!
Not a big fan of slightly green – I prefer the speckled bananas, as well.
As per all of your food shots, that banana bread looks absolutely delicious!
I buy bananas and then wait until they go that brown before I eat them. My boyfriend (transplanted to NY from Georgia) has this amazing southern tiramusu recipe with vanilla wafers, whipped cream, and bananas cooked in bourbon and brown sugar– I think your recipe is the bread version of that. Hmm, I’m working from home today; maybe I could whip this up at lunch…for lunch…
Six weeks? Yikes, I don’t know what I’d do. I’m sorry Deb! As for the bananas, my husband likes them like that too, or even blacker, or green for that matter. He just loves them. I myself like them very underripe, a hint of green. I won’t eat them after about 2 days.
The bread looks wonderful. :) I love love the smell of banana bread baking. Well who doesn’t.
Hi Deb – I commented on one of your posts earlier saying that I am a beginning cook and asked you to recommend some cookbooks for beginners. Well, this will be my husband & I’s first Thanksgiving in our home and we have decided to make dinner on our own. I found some excellent recipes on epicurious.com but most of them have serving sizes quadruple of what we need. I know how to cut the ingredients down, but then how should I adjust the cooking time? Thanks so much for your help! I am sure that I will become a regular commenter (questioner) in the next week! By the way, I hope you feel better soon!
Oh, I almost forgot to ask, have you tried any recipes for biscuits, rolls, croissants, etc. that you would recommend for Thanksgiving? Maybe something with cheese and/or garlic?
I totally agree with Cupcakes! Sensing the desperate need for an “ask Deb” section!!!!
I am completely with you on the banana thing. Really ripe and spotty is perfect, I can’t understand people who eat them none spotty.
Mmm, well I’ll have to give this recipe a go, too!
You need to check out this recipe for banana-chocolate chip muffins from epicurious.com http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/101020 I make them just as the recipe states and they are a real crowd pleaser. Next time I might add a teaspoon of strawberry jam to each muffin before cooking…kind of a banana split muffin.
YUm! i am hungry. Tim is spinning at Crobar tonight–that’s your neighborhood……
I am a speckled banana lover too, and always daring to tread on the thin line between banana perfection in speckled form, and banana wine because they have gone too far over the edge. If they don’t simply fall apart and I have to actually use my teeth to cut through it, it’s too ripe!
And yes, Banana Bread is a fav, and Elise’s recipe does look divine, but I really need to manage self control to make it in my house as well.
If you make these into muffins in a non-stick pan, then you won’t have all of that pesky one-handed slicing and wrapping of the loaf to do. I’m just saying. :o)
I need my bananas tinged with green. Freckles hit the trash every time (sorry!).
Theresa-
If you want an easy garlic cheese biscuit recipe, try the one that I made earlier this week out of the Betty Crocker catalog:
Garlic-Cheese Biscuits
2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Preheat oven to 450. Whisk bisquick, milk & cheese together in a bowl until a soft dough forms; beat vigorously 30 seconds. Drop dough by 10-12 spoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. In a small bowl, combine butter & garlic powder until well mixed; brush on warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.
I made these earlier this week with the vodka cream pasta recipe that Deb posted a few months ago and both were fantastic. These biscuits couldn’t be any easier and if you wait to cover the leftover bisuits until they have completely cooled off, they save really well (the melted butter dries and doesn’t leave them soggy). Enjoy!
Oops, that would be a Betty Crocker cookbook, not catalog. Also, I sprinkled some minced garlic into the dough before combining which further upped the garlic flavor.
Yes! I love ‘em. I have the same problem with bananna vs bannana bread…by the time they are ready I am eating them.
What’s funny is my g/f eats them even further past the freckled stage! No hope for bread.
How sweet of you to assume that I was vacationing, and not that I, too, was engaged in the equivalent of throwing myself down a flight of stairs.
Dear girl, I think a vacation is a bottle of wine and a game of checkers.
Que sera, please continue picturing me someplace quiet, in a hammock, with a mountain view. *sigh* I can almost feel it. Oh, and I’ll take along a slice of that yummy homeade bread, with a wee drop o’ the brandy on the side :)
Thanks Jessica! I’m a Southern girl at heart and must have my biscuits at Thanksgiving! I will definitely be using that recipe!
Freckled and speckled is the ONLY way to eat a banana. While they’re green, there’s no flavour (at least, not a yummy ripe banana flavour). The secret is to keep DH from eating them while green so I can have some speckly ones left for me or for banana bread. I try to buy them on the verge of freckles for this reason, to his everlasting disgust. This recipe looks scrumptious… but I would have to make it muffins for easy freezing (and thus less tempation to gobble it all over the weekend).
Take it easy on your shoulder,
Sweet Potato
Christine – Well, I am glad to hear it’s not just me, and this seems the perfect time to admit that well, I could go another day on these, possibly two. I bet nobody sympathizes with me now, eh?!
Tanna – For once in my life, I actually measured the booze. I was so worried about leading you guys astray. That said, next time I’ll add another tablespoon. But, er, we already expect that from lushes like me.
Karen – I remember one we had this swarm of fruit flies in our old apartment and Alex is like “NOW can we throw them away?” I had to cave. It was pretty gross.
Birdita – Amen!
Luisa – Oh, the bourbon will be brought on. In theory. In practice even half a glass of wine is putting me to sleep while I am still hitting the Advil – bad Deb! As for the six weeks thing, yes, quite sucky. But, yesterday was coincidentally the first day I could actually say I felt better (must have been all that complaining on Wednesday that did it), so that kind of made me forgive the bad news. Six weeks of my current state, this I can handle.
Jenifer from Memphis – It had better. It’s not very coordinated yet, though. I dribbled yogurt down my shirt this morning like a toddler. So sad!
Maggie – Best comment ever. That was awesome.
Cupcakes – Ecch, no green! Sadly, I am not a matzo ball expert because my mother or Alex’s mom always makes it for us! But, I will try it this winter, promise. And report back.
An Ask Deb feature? Hm. Alex likes the idea. I find myself answering questions over e-mail a lot. Maybe I should post those too. I’ll tell you what: email me questions, I’ll see what I can answer. (I’m no expert, mind you.) We’ll consider this an informal experiment for now.
Molly – Yum, Woodford Reserve, I will have to try that again. We’re more the Basil Hayden types ourselves, but I used Knob Creek in the bread. We’ve had it for two years and barely made a dent. I know this is bourbon blasphemy, but I find it a wee harsh. Perfect for baking, though!
Kirs – I don’t mind nuts in baked goods at all, but they’re such a divider, I’ve just started skipping them. I mean, nut-likers will eat it either way, right? In addition, I’m saving the second loaf for when my parents come for dinner on Sunday, and mom can’t eat nuts. See what a good kid I am?
M – Even funnier that I spelled lily wrong and had to go back and edit it AND I’m using the new Firefox with the built-in field spell-checker. But thank you.
Rachael – My rule is that if I have to stick my nail in to start peeling the banana, it’s not ripe yet. Right now, half of you are going “gee-yewww!” I actually think a little whole wheat flour in this might be nice – I like some grit in my breakfasty foods. I might play around next time. And also, of course it’s okay to post a reply in the comments!
Claire – Sounds great. Banana bread is pretty easy to make low-fat and sugar because most of the moisture and sweetness come from the bananas themselves. Can’t wait to see yours.
Browneyedgirlie – Thank you. And you have excellent taste in bananas.
Carly – Oh my GOD that tiramisu sounds amazing. Oh share, please share!
Tammi – Six weeks brings me to Friday December 22nd. Alex says we can go ice-skating December 23rd. Not bad, right? Right?
Theresa – I hope I helped you with today’s (Friday’s) post. As for cutting recipes down, I do it all the time. Surprisingly, the baking time is rarely very different, but you should begin watching it at the halfway point, just the same. Good luck!
Married Girl – E-mail me your Qs. I’ll try my best! You guys have way too much faith in me.
Eryn – You have excellent taste. But I probably still won’t share with you, hee.
Liz – Try it! And then, let me know how it compares to that one you like more than CI. I’m curious.
Leslie – Alex would LOVE those muffins. The boy thinks you can add chocolate chips to anything. Thanks for the link.
Jocelyn – Yeah, I saw. But, we’re taking Alex’s sister out to celebrate that she passed her bar exam. And people bumping into my arm as they would at a crowded club? Makes me want to slug them with my good arm. What a sight THAT would be, right? What are doing for your birthday? I know JUST what to give you. ;)
Kate – I am thinking that to lighten this recipe up, adding another banana, dropping the sugar to ½-cup, and then replacing that 1/3 cup of butter with yogurt (with fat, I think is best), would really really work. Just a thought! I’d hate to think of anyone being deprived of banana-y goodness.
Celeste – I like the way you think, despite your affection for tinged green bananas. You must learn to love the freckle! :)
Jessica – Sounds yum. But now I have to figure out how to make Bisquik at home! (I suspect salt, flour, baking soda…)
Jezzie – I will totally eat them past the freckle state, too. I hope you get that vacation real soon!
Sweet Potato – Freezing is key! I’ve got the other loaf in there right now, awaiting a better reason to eat it than just “snacking.” Oh, the joy of mini-loaf pans.
I find your banana eating habits just a little gross, but your banana bread –FABULOUS!
So bizzare that I was hoping to come here and find a banana bread recipe because I have some freckled bananas just waiting to be used. Thanks for the share!
another thing I learned was coconut – try some dry unsweetened, or better yet, fresh grated or thawed, frozen fresh grated (chewier than the dry one) in your banana bread – it is to die for!
I can’t believe I’m just finding this post now. Bravo! I love the adjustments, especially the bourbon. Gorgeous photos!
Great recipe. But why are you all tossing those lovely ripe bananas? toss them in the freezer instead for your next batch of bread.
http://badhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-make-your-house-smell-good.html
Ode to banana bread, with a link to this page! I bow very low.
I made this exactly per recipe… except, second time substituted ALL flour with whole-wheat flour as an experiment. What with all the spices and somewhat inexact bourbon measuring (as per your recipe, of course!), even my bf, king of all things white, fried or greasy, loved it. A little darker and grittier than white flour. But I liked it better all the same. Do you think it would be de trop to use more than 3 or 4 Bananas?
I’m making this recipe right now…..I didn’t have any bourbon, just rum left over from the Christmas cakes….think that will be all right? I must say, it’s making the house smell lovely!
That’s really funny how here in America, almost everyone I know won’t eat/buy a banana that’s not mostly green.
Where I’m from (Singapore) those bananas up there would still be in their prime or not yet prime enough because there seems to still be some green on it. To each culture their own I suppose…
This looks like a good recipe to follow, although I might wait a little more on the bananas!!
Love this site! LOVE IT.
I’ve been experimenting with MANY banana bread recipes recently, and yours was among the four I tried yesterday. I really enjoyed the spices and bourbon in yours, but I think a tsp of baking powder (in addition to the baking soda) would really help lighten it up. [Your loaf came out quite a bit denser than some of the other loaves I've tried.]
Just a suggestion, but other than that, I’m a frequent lurker of your site. :)
Sweet mary mother of pearl. I don’t bake, except for banana bread and pumpkin bread, which I bake extremely well, thankyouverymuch, but after making probably a dozen different banana bread recipes (including Elise’s), this one takes the cake. Just when I thought I’d found the perfect (for me) banana bread recipe, boom! I get my hair knocked back and now I’m questioning everything.
Ok maybe not, but damn this is a great recipe. Bravo.
oh dear, i don’t think those spotty bananas are quite ripe yet.
i like them browner!
I mash my over-ripe bananas, pour each mashed banana into the individual compartments of a muffin tin and freeze them. After they are frozen, pop them out and put the “banana patties” into a freezer bag and store in your freezer. When I get the urge to make banana bread, a smoothie, whatever banana thing I want, I just get them out of my freezer.
Finally, I have done a Smitten recipe justice! Its taken years as I have been reading for longer than I can remember and now I have the excuse to drop you a comment! I had three freckled bananas calling out to me this morning, one sister staying with my for a holiday and one small toddler who loves “badas”. I didn’t have baking soda, my baking powder was out of date so I used self-raising instead. My fan assist oven always cremates anything I try to bake slowly but this time everything came together and I just tried my first slice and this loaf is heavenly. Its slightly denser looking than yours, but thats the way they like their banana bread Downunder, I know this is going to be a hit at tea this arvo, and I WON’T be disclosing the nature of that secret ingredient, no one needs to know the banana bread their toddler is devouring contains a cheeky hit of Jack Daniels!
HOLY FREAKING MOLY!
I had been craving banana bread for about 2 weeks. I had a tried and true recipe, and seeing that I really totally suck at measuring stuff, and it had worked out in the past I was set on using this recipe. Then … I thought … no way! I have been reading all the super fantabulous recipes on SK and she HAS to have a better recipe. OH EM GEE! This banana bread makes me happy in my pants! It is SO moist, SO flavorful, SO perfect.
One million times thank you … I can’t wait to be bold enough to cook another of your recipes.
I have a great banana bread recipe from Cooking Light that has rum and lime juice..,I don’t have bourbon, can I use rum?
I’ve wanted to make this ever since I came across the recipe a few months ago, but I kept eating my bananas before they got ripe enough. Whoops! Anyway, I finally managed to control myself long enough to actually get a loaf made, and man, is this recipe ever a keeper. I added some shredded coconut, which gave it great texture, and I plan on experimenting with chocolate chips if I can ever get three ripe bananas all together in one place again. Thank you!
i have to admit, i’m a bit of a banana purist. so when you mentioned that those bananas were past their prime, i was thinking to myself, oh the minute those were yellow all over, they were headed to banana bread heaven. mostly green with a touch of yellow for me.
and this banana bread recipe… it *was* heaven. i think i’ve finally found a recipe that could knock my mother-in-law’s version out of my husband’s head. at least for a day or so.
I am making this right now… I put it in a Bundt pan… I don’t know how long to bake, but I’m checking it at 40 minutes.
I tweaked it a little – whole wheat flour, oat bran, flax seed meal, light on sugar, added walnuts, used Jack Daniels because we didn’t have bourbon… but oh my, they are delicious, and I especially love that they aren’t sticky/gummy in that way that banana bread so often is. And they didn’t taste gross-healthy-uncooked in the way that wheat flour substitutions so often do.
Had bananas that were a BIT past the freckled stage so ready for bread. I like even smaller things than you, apparently, so made this recipe into muffins.Could not skip the nuts, so added some walnuts. Baked for about 23 minutes (checked at 18, dry toothpick at 23, a couple more minutes would have probably made the crusts just a little more crunchy). They were delicious — moist and banana-y. Made exactly one dozen perfectly sized muffins.
freckled??? I love them black. Black and potent with juicy banana goodness is the best for baking.
WOW! Deb you sure know how to bastardize a recipe! With 4 bananas not mashed to a complete mush, but still sort of chunky and not measuring the booze, this recipe is going down in the hall of banana bread fame. Nice work!
NOTHING is better than a freckled banana!
I was unaware that anyone could possibly choose to eat them any other way.
i have this friend who is emotionally scarred from bananas. When she was five, she left a banana in her kindergarten lunch bag for 3months and now cant stand the smell let alone the taste of bananas. i must admit, i take great pleasure in eating a ripe freckled banana in front of her… must be the sadistic tendencies emerging from within lol.
must try this recipe. yum :)
I almost blasphemed during Lent because of this recipe. BRAVO!
I wasn’t a banana bread freak until I made this recipe. I had three black banana peels filled with near-liquid banana.
Of course, my poor, dear husband was devastated he’d have to buy a fifth of bourbon, so I could use two tablespoons of it. The sacrifices he makes …
I doubled the bourbon. Next time, I’ll quadruple it to see if I can breathe fire.
I also like Leslie’s idea of making muffins with a dollop of strawberry jam. I might try that as well.
I just baked a gluten-free batch of this banana bread using my basic standby GF flour mix ( = 1 part rice flour, 1 part tapioca starch, & 1 part cornstarch with about 1/2 tsp. guar gum/xanthan gum added per cup of mix), and it is delicious – a moist, even crumb and fabulous flavor with the spice blend + bourbon! I make banana bread often, and I will definitely use this recipe (with gluten-free adaptation) again.
Getting ready to hit the sack..one last click on smitten..just to drool over the pics if nothing else. Viola! Hit the surprise me link (*love it*) and of all coincidences, I have a bunch of brown bananas on my counter and this is so lovely. And a nice reason to buy a bottle of bourbon. And I’m going to bread, bed with good thoughts.
Added medjool dates that were left over from x-mas and a big hand full of chopped pecans. Like the others I was also very liberal with the bourbon. can’t wait to cut into them. I have also tried the Jamaican Banana bread from one of those food magazines, having rum, coconut, nuts and lime, it came with a coconut/lime glaze topping, it too, was delish. You could put bourbon in almost any thing and it would taste great.
Love the blog, wish I had time to do one too.
i made this today and um…jacked it up again. just a tiny bit of crumble topping. love it!!! can definitely see why this one is a winner. :)
mine is here: http://www.shimelle.com/kitchendiaries/457/sunday-sweets-banana-bread/
I’m not sure what I’m looking for but I often try different banana bread recipes- usually I just find them online and the only deciding factor is whether or not I have all of the ingredients du jour. I tried this recipe today for the 2nd time and WOW, I think it’s the best recipe I’ve ever had. I pretty much follow the recipe, however I give it the California twist of about 1/4 C oat bran and 1/4 C ground flax seed. Since I don’t have bourbon, I replace it with spiced rum (I bet dark rum would be good, too!) and I keep accidentally splashing in more than the recipe calls for. This recipe’s a keeper, thanks!
Deb: I want to thank you for not just this receipe, but all the other ones you post. I have made several of your receipes and they have never let me down. I love all of your comments, feedback, tips, pics and notes – they are most helpful! I know that if I follow your directions, everything will turn out yummy. I have a loaf of banana bread baking in the oven and it already smells delicious. Thanks for all your hard-work. I truly appreciate it!
Just want to let you know, you’re the first place I go searching for a particular recipe and, sure enough, you’ve got this banana bread recipe than I need to try! I made your Jewish Apple Cake recipe and it’s a favorite!! I also love bananas ripened just as you do… these babies are also great frozen for fruit smoothies…Yum!!
OK, I have started searching your website first when I am looking for a recipe… before Cook’s Illustrated!!! I know– wow, right? Their recipe called for buttermilk which I didn’t have, so yours won. And I am so glad it did. It is, hands down, the best banana bread I have ever made (or eaten) in my entire life. Everyone loves it. It is so incredibly moist! I’ve made three loaves in as many days (everyone’s been leaving with a big chunk of it, but I have eaten my fair share). Yaaay, Deb! Thank you thank you thank you!
Just baked this on friday, and blogged about it this morning. didn’t have the right sized loaf pan, but it worked out perfectly anyway. So good!!
Hi….
I just finished making this bread for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. Great recipe. I just came across your blog and am quickly falling in love with it. Your recipes are tempting, simple and approachable, yet very appealing for us die hard culinary fans. Very tough to do. Well done. I also have your graham crackers in my oven right now. Thanks for sharing.
For the bread, I added walnuts, used 3/4 cup sugar, used rum instead of bourbon as that is what I had on hand. Baked for 45 minutes as suggested in one large loaf. Perfect!
just done some midnight baking…had some super old ‘nanas in the bowl and was mulling over recipes til this one :D 8x super mini loaf tins later, bite-size yums!
i really like this recipe. i’ve been adding 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to it. it’s a lot of chips but i like my banana bread to be quite chocolaty. i also added 3/4c of oats when the bananas have been a bit bigger.
also, i was craving this bread (which i’ve made once a week for 4 weeks now) a couple of days ago and i didn’t have bananas. so i decided to try making it with about 1 1/3 c. unsweetened apple sauce and 1 finely diced royal gala apple. i added a little extra brown sugar since the sauce was much less sweet than ripe bananas. it turned out really really well.
anyhow. long story short: this is a great recipe and i’m looking forward to trying different flavours. next up is mango puree, still, of course, 1 cup chocolate chips.
thanks so much for posting it. i had been looking for a good banana bread recipe for a while now. this is a keeper and i’m writing it in my recipe book as soon as i post this (now really long) comment.
Just made this with my brown spotty bananas and some makers mark. Delish! Another winning recipe.
I made these into muffins (substituting the bourbon for Cap’n Morgan’s) and put the Baileys frosting (from the former ‘Irish Bomb’ recipe) on top. Seriously good. I loved how the clovey-ness of the muffin contrasted with the Baileys frosting.
This makes an amazing banana bread – really light, but moist, and delicious without any topping. The first time I made this, I loaded it with chocolate chips. I regret that a bit, because I didn’t realize just how good the banana bread would be (and the chocolate I was using wasn’t especially good, but I don’t think any chocolate can really fit with this cake). I just made it again, and I love it. I replaced bourbon with a healthy splash of rum, since I never measure alcohol or vanilla in batters unless it’s really necessary. It gave it a wonderful warm flavor, but I’m curious about what other liquors might do – next time I might add cachaca instead (and lighten up the sugar), or some armagnac if I can get my hands on it. I actually think that this recipe could work with a splash of good dark beer or stout – I can’t wait to try!
I made this with a 1/2 cup of agave nectar in place of the sugar and it was delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
mmmmm! made this yesterday and it was so good!
I’ve made banana bread muffins before, but the loaf turned out way better.
it was gone before I got a second slice!
thanks!
My 4 year old is gobbling it up (I made it without booze but will have to give it a try next time) and my 7 year old is eating it(he’s picky about baked goods). Thanks for a yummy revised recipe.
Question!!!
I want to make this bread, but I was wondering whether I should add lemon or vinegar to the baking soda. Or are the bananas acidic enough? (I’ve never made banana bread before so I don’t know how they work in baking).
Also, I only have a 5 by 9 loaf pan. Do I have to make more batter to accumulate it or will the recipe quantity be enough to fill one?
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your loaf pan will be fine. I don’t know why you’re looking to add acid but if you think it would make it more to your taste, go for it.
Thank you very much for the prompt reply, Deb!
The reason I asked about acid is because my understanding is that soda needs to react with an acidic compound in order to release carbon dioxide, which makes the dough rise. I wasn’t sure whether bananas are considered such compounds.
Cannot wait to try the recipe tomorrow.
Thank you!
Hm, I wasn’t aware of that but as you can see from the pictures, I had no shortage of rise on this recipe, sans acidity. Hope you enjoy.
thanks for a fabulous recipe! i just needed a boost to the old fashioned kind, and this was the ticket.
i also store my blackened bananas in the freezer until i’m ready to make bread. that way i keep the straglers until ii finally have 3-5 ‘nanas ready.
Girl you should see the bananas we use for our bread! Not spotted but down right black, my mother says, the riper the better.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I love your website! It’s a great source of inspiration. You are awwwwesome.
Yummm-O! I woke up this morning with a craving for that warm, spicy-sweet flavor of banana bread and I remembered your “jacked-up” version from the last time I was studying your website looking at what my friends and I call, food porn. It was surprisingly simple! I didn’t have salted butter, but I read somewhere that it’s like 3/4 tsp/stick, so I just added 3 healthy pinches of kosher salt to my melted butter- just right. The aroma filling my house was almost too much to bare for the hour it was in the oven. The brown sugar makes the crust so crunchy and lovely when it first comes out of the oven. Even the next day it is still very moist, but not chewy-an excellent balance. I will make this again, maybe with some toasted walnuts, as I gravitate to the ripe banana table at the supermarket more often these days :)
Hmmm I made this last night with extra cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and Scotch whisky instead of Bourbon – it smelt and tastes delicious but I think the whisky adds a slightly odd aftertaste that I can’t quite put my finger on and am not sure I’m a big fan of. I think I’ll try it again wihtout the alcohol but maybe with the chocolate chips, and perhaps using veg oil instead of butter…and maybe even cutting back on the sugar a little more (makes me feel sooo smug when I do that!). This bread has a lovely colour, crust and texture and is definitely breadier rather than cakier, which is what I look for in a banana-themed baked good.
Thank you Deb! I made a loaf last night with a few modifications: to compensate for the chopped semisweet chocolate bits I added, I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and used 1/3 cup of brummel yogurt spread in place of the butter. It came out perfectly, and the spices were just right. I’ll definitely be making another loaf again soon! Oh, the variations…
Congratulations on your most recent recipe!
As for this one, I had all of these things in my house (minus two of the bananas for which the recipes calls – I used 2 bananas, but I made up for it with double… ok triple the bourbon) and I whipped these up into some mighty tasty muffins.
My dad is also a fan of the freckle. He spent many years in the Army in South America, and he says a banana isn’t truly ripe until it’s brown and spotty. His problem is that he can’t eat them fast enough once they’re that way, so he’s been looking for a banana bread recipe. I’ll definitely be sharing this with him. Thank you!
I’ve had banana bread in the past and always loved it, but have never made it myself. After having an intense craving for it for two days straight (currently in the 9th month of my pregnancy) I started scouring the internet for recipes. After browsing through handfuls of recipes, I thought to myself – “I should try Smitten Kitchen — every recipe I’ve tried from there has turned out good,” so I came here and found this one, and then proceeded to ask my husband to accompany me to the store at midnight. I whipped up one loaf without the bourbon right when we got home. It was well worth it, though my husband did think I was a bit crazy to be baking in the middle of the night he kindly bit his tongue knowing that he wouldn’t get any if he criticized too much. This is the best banana bread ever. I don’t think I’ll need to look any further for a “better” one. It turned out super moist and since I’ve been thinking about it ever since, I picked up some more “over-ripe” marked down bananas from the store today so that I could make two more loaves tomorrow…if I can make it that long.
Congratulations on your new addition!!
Another total winner! I was essentially trying to folow this recipe to a T, with the exception of adding a chopped Scharfenberger dark chocolate bar, but realised after I got it in the oven I had forgotten the egg. It was still fantastic! This may be because I used the larger number of bananas – in my frantic searching on the internet while my presumed doomed loaf was baking, I discovered that bananas are sometimes used as egg replacer in vegan recipes. Who knew? Anyway, fantastic. Thanks! And congrats on that gorgeous little pookie you have there. Enjoy every minute, they grow so fast!
I had 3 blackened and shriveled bananas wasting away on my counter, and now they have been transformed into glorious morning muffins! I have to admit that I, too, can never quite “gild the lily” as you so aptly put it! So I added 2/3 c. shredded unsweetened coconut and 1/3 c. hemp seeds (going for texture and a little extra fat) and used just a little less flour. I was also out of nutmeg, so used 1 1/4 t. cinnamon. I baked the 12 muffins on the “speed bake” setting (i.e. convection) for 30 minutes. My 2 1/2 year old daughter said “we baked great muffins, Mommy!”. Always a great way to start the weekend. Thanks for the great recipe!
No! The speckly bananas are the ripe ones! If they’re plain yellow, they’re underripe. And that bread looks and sounds delicious—I’m dying to try making it!
Thanks for a terrific recipe! I made a double batch of this yesterday and baked up half of it into a dozen muffins that were done in 30 minutes while the other half baked in a loaf took an hour and a half (or more).
I’m in sorta high altitude Mexico City but didn’t make any changes to the recipe (except using the smaller amt of sugar) and it turned out fine (although they are a leetle on the flat side, but the flavor is great, so I don’t care). I’m thinking I might reduce the sugar even more when I make these again because they are SUPER sweet (maybe because of the ripeness of the bananas).
I’ll be sharing the loaf this weekend for a Halloween gathering…wrapped it and popped it in the freezer…hoping it will be fantastic after a little toasting…
That recipe is, as usual regarding SK, fantastic! Thank you so much for that.
So fluffy and so rich. Just perfect.
Try adding 2 tbs of honey to the recipe. I did and I can tell you it gets even better.
i just made this… it is my favorite banana bread i’ve ever used 9and i’ve made a lot!). thank you so much, love your blog.
My boys and I made a loaf of this on Saturday. We admittedly added 3/4 cup of semi sweet choc chips too. I also used King Arthur 100% white whole wheat flour (it made it healthier right??) It was SO YUMMY! I have 3 boys–ages 7, 11 and 13. The first loaf was gone in less than 3 hours! I made the biggest offender (my oldest son) whip up another batch on Sunday. That one was gone in about 4 hours. Today is Monday and my youngest son just whipped up another loaf (totally satisfied our math requirement for homeschooling today!)…there’s still 3/4 of it left so I have to run now to make sure I get my fair share! Thanks for the recipe Deb!
if i use unsalted butter, about how much salt do you think i should add? 1/2 tsp?
Most sticks of butter have 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt in them, so yes, 1/2 teaspoon would be fine.
I’ve used this recipe a lot within the last few months-I made a few and wrapped them in pretty cellophane as Christmas gifts. I really love this recipe. I add a 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, as well as some extra on top.
I want to try making mini banana bread muffins and have a few questions!
How I should adjust the baking time, or even the temperature? Also wondering if I should half the recipe..and if not, and have extra dough left over, would it freeze well?
Thank you!
I have been lurking on this blog (and Simply Recipes too) for awhile and loving the recipes (oh, the photos) but this one has taken the cake. Faced with the prospect of 20 frozen bananas, I made one loaf hesitantly…bourbon? cloves? thinking I would just fall back on the original recipe. I should have known better, it was devoured in 10 minutes with the only complaint being “it needs more bourbon”. Lovely recipe, lovely blog. Thank you.
Awesome! I just got a loaf pan for Christmas and needed to make something with it and this was exactly what I had in mind! I added a little less than 3/4 c sugar, added 1/2 c oatmeal along with the flour, and sprinkled in blueberries at the end to make it breakfast-y.
can i put white sugar instead?
I just made this because I was really starving and there was nothing in my house but overripe bananas and the ingredients for banana bread! Lucky me- right?
I was short one banana, but they were huge. I put some peanut butter in there to make up for it- hopefully that will be successful. I also put a teaspoon of cocoa and a tablespoon of really strongly brewed coffee. Bananas and coffee are both tropical and you wouldn’t BELIEVE how delicious they are together. But you probably knew that, amirite?
Anywhoozle. As an 18 year old aspiring baker- I gotta say your site has come in handy for me all of the time :D It’s so hard to find reliably delicious recipes online, but all of your recipes give me a great spring board with which I can mess around and put my own twist on things! Thanks a bazillion.
I always have over-ripened bananas in the freezer. I used a couple to make this recipe (my husband was happy to see a few less in my collection). Wow, this was some of the best banana bread I ever tasted. I did add some toasted walnuts. I’m going to make another batch into mini-muffins w/cream cheese frosting to take to work. I’m sure everyone on their post-holiday diet will hate and love me :-). Thanks for this very excellent recipe, Deb.
OMG!!!I have made banana bread before, but my husband has never raved about it like this recipe!! He said it tasted like the one his Aunt made for him when he was a young boy. The texture and taste were perfect!! Made 3 little loafs yesterday and now have only have one slice of one loaf left!! Put nuts on the top of the loafs to make it look pretty!! Did not use the alcohol because we didn’t have any (it sounded good) but still tasted great.
I made this tonight and it was SO GOOD. I just so happened to have four almost blackened bananas in our freezer (I couldn’t just throw them away!) and they were the perfect ones for this. Super moist, uber flavorful — I loved it (and so did my fiancee)! Thanks, Deb!
I have made a million banana bread recipes in my life…but honestly…this one was the one that will make me stop trying others! My husband said “this is the best banana bread I’ve ever had!” Thanks!!
Oh my goodness, this recipe was heavenly. I followed the recipe exactly and am so happy I did. I will be using this one consistently from now on.
Also I am so thankful to have happened upon your blog! Its quickly becoming a permanent fixture in my life.
I second everything Dara said! And how funny that I just tried this for the first time on the same day that she did!
the perfect recipe to make while buried under 2 and a half feet of snow!! thank you, this was the best banana bread i’ve ever made. :):)
The banana bread recipe I typically use is the one from Elise. I just made the jacked-up version and really like it. I normally add some cinnamon to mine, but really liked the flavor of the nutmeg and cloves. I added one tsp of instant espresso and instead of 1 tbsp bourbon I used 1 tbsp of my rum vanilla extract. I really liked the flavors you recommended. Thanks for a great adaptation to a wonderful recipe. :)
These were good, but I think my bananas werent quite ripe enough. I made them with 2/3 whole wheat flour… and of course, doubled the recipe. They’ll be school lunch bound for the next few weeks. I’m sure I’ll make them again.
Just made your banan bread recipe and it did not rise at all. I don’t know what’s wron, except that I’ve made other babana bread recipes before and the only thing different this time is that you also have to add a teaspoon of baking powder, in addition to the teaspoon of baking soda. I think that it is simply difficult for that many bananas to rise otherwise.
So at around 1:30AM I realized that if those 4 spotty bananas on the counter will not be eaten today (which they will now, cause I’m not a big banana fan and my husband goes with the slightly green phase) They’ll have to be tossed out. It’s almost 3:00 AM now and the house smells like heaven.
We didn’t have any pan suitable for this so I baked it in 4 coffee cups and got banana rolls. We are about to eat one before we go to sleep.
Thanks! this recipe is lovely!
I’m about to make this for the second time, and just read all the comments. Last time I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and added some walnuts and (unintentionally) forgot the cloves … what’s my plan today? I’m thinking about that 2nd T of bourbon, but actually one of the things I loved about the last one was that it didn’t taste like bourbon, the little bit just made it taste more … wow! A great recipe.
When I was a kid in the 50s, Chiquita had an ad campaign with, and a contest for, little pieces of doggeral they called Bananagrams. The one that always got quoted in my house was “Bananas are best/With freckles on their vest!”
And I, too, have started to come to SK the way I go to Epicurious. Thanks for all your great work!
My boyfriend and I made this on Saturday, and it came out OH so delightful!! I tossed in some pecans I had lying around for an extra-jacked up. :) Needless to say, the banana bread did not live to see the next day.
PS- I discovered this site about a month ago, and I adore it! So many wonderful ideas and advice for this fledgling of a cook.
My kids eat so many bananas that I rarely have any that get to the brown, or even freckled stage. My husband bought something like five huge bunches of bananas a week ago, and I had exactly 3 1/2 bananas that reached the freckled stage. I made banana muffins with them this morning, using this recipe (substitutions: half whole wheat flour, and no bourbon). For whoever it was asking about time/temp to cook muffins, I baked them at 350 for about 25 minutes. Delicious!
Had I read through the comments before making them, I would have subbed yogurt for the butter, as my husband has been having weight issues lately, that seem to have coincided with my finding this website several months back. Oops!
i didn’t put in the bourbon. i did put in 3 T. of golden rum. oh yeah. no regrets.
A reviewer suggested adding blueberries to this recipe. After having a successful loaf following the original recipe, decided to mix things up with the addition of blueberries. This added too much moisture and resulted in a loaf doughey on the inside and burnt on the outside. Stick with the original!
Oh my, this was such a delight. Took less than an hour to whip up, and I took a shower and did a load of laundry while it was baking…what a successful/productive Friday night!!! I left out the bourbon (not a fan of boozies in my baked goods) and cloves (had none) but added some chocolate chips and boy, am I ever pleased with myself. Had to bake it in an 8×8 pan because I had no loaf pan, but I imagine it’s just as good as a brownie-esque batch as it is a loaf…only baked it for 40min to compensate. This is my second recipe I’ve made with SK and I’m already hooked…last week was Martha’s Mac & Cheese, which was just unbelievable.
Hello! This is the first recipe I have tried here and I would like to report that it smells delicious! Tastes just how it smells, too. It was nice and bready, not too sweet and full of banana flavor. Thanks!
Just made this with some alterations to make it just a bit more health conscious….and it turned out DELISH!! Less sweet than my own personal recipe but much more complex flavors.
I used 1/2 c. white flour, 1/2 c. cake flour and 1/2 c. wheat flour. I also only used a beaten egg white (instead of a whole egg). Instead of using the 1/3 c. butter I only used 2 tablespoons and supplemented with some home made apple sauce.
Love this recipe! Especially the addition of the bourbon and all that nutmeg!
This was wonderful! I made it tonight, and used Ener-G Replacer instead of egg which made no difference I don’t think. My batter was too flour-y, which might be because my bananas weren’t ripe enough, so I added two tablespoon water and about a 1/2 cup of soymilk. The end result was marvelous and the spices were just perfect. Very moist bread too. I might add a bit more sugar next time, and less flour. Also, nuts and chocolate chips would be good in this bread too.
I made 2 of these using this fabulous recipe! And it was my first time making this type of baked treat. They came out fabulous, not overly sweet and very moist. And damn, these loafs are *really* dense!
Fabulous!
I actually followed the recipe this time (with the exception of a white whole wheat and whole wheat flour mix)… YUM! I used the full cup of brown sugar. SOO good.
My favorite version of this is as written but no cloves, subbed butterscotch schnapps and added walnuts, best banana bread ever.
This was delightful. I’m ashmed to admit how long it’s been since I’ve baked without my Kichen-Aid stand mixer, which made this such a lovely low-tech endeavor. Seriously, one small bowl for melting butter and then beating the egg, and then one larger bowl for mixing everything up…easy as pie. Except, actually, much easier. I only had white suger, so I added a heaping spoonful of molasses to the mix and used closer to two tablespoons of bourbon (Makers’ Mark, yum!) Also mixed in about a cup of semi-sweet choc chips at the end, and sprinkled a handful of pecans and a bit of course maple sugar over the top before putting it in the oven. Perfect, easy, delicious.
I think I just found a new favorite banana bread recipe. This recipe was so easy. One large bowl, one small bowl, a fork and a muffin pan. Just 30-minutes in my covection oven and viola! One thing I changed for lack of bourbon…I used whiskey. What a wonderful recipe!
Another banana recipe to add to my collection. Yay! I love bananas. Thanks for posting and sharing! Do you think I could substitute whole wheat flour for plain flour? Would it still be as moist?
Hi Elisabeth — If you scroll up in the comments, commenters 52, 95, 111, 114, 116, and 124 all have made partial or whole whole wheat flour substitutions and reported their results. Most seemed to like it, at least as a partial swap.
If I add nuts or (gasp) chocolate chips, should I increase the baking time? By how long do you think? Tx!
Love, love this blog.
Also, I freeze my old bananas, but I assume thawed mushy bananas are ok here, right? Or does the water content change or something? tx tx
Frozen bananas should not be an issue.
Thank you, Deb. Dorkily enough, I feel cool that you responded to my query. You are like a baking rock star in my book! :)
I had freckly bananas sitting on my counter, and was looking for a banana bread recipe. My go to website thses days is yours…nothing has let me down yet! I didn’t have light brown sugar, or loaf pans. So, I used 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar. I also added in some chocolate chips, and baked in muffin tinsl The backing time was shorter– about 30 minutes. They rose beautifully. Breaksfast food for the next 2 weeks! Can’t wait.
Lovely! I added chocolate chips. With my 9 x 5 pan, it only took 45 minutes. Thanks again, Deb!
This was fantastic! I used four bananas and dialed the brown sugar back to 1/2 cup since I wanted to avoid a super sweet bread. I used 1 c. white flour, 1/2 cup wheat bran, a handful of oats just for kicks, and about 2/3 cup. pecans I had leftover from something else. I love the spice combo you suggest here–great :)
Our favorite non-farmer’s-market produce place (had to specify) had 10 over-ripe bananas in one of their $.99 bags. Huge bananas, too. So my 4-year-old and I decided we should stock ou rfreezer for the summer smoothie season! Then, got home and I thought: we definitely have enough for Banana Bread. Where would I look for a recipe? Smitten Kitchen, of course!
It was SO good, as you know. Carmelized around the edges, incredibly moist…
My subs: Wheat-free, so I used a semi-random combo of whole-grain spelt flour, brown rice flour, and some chick-pea flour. Plus about a teaspoon of xanthan gum to make all of that hold. And I had only dark brown sugar, so I used a combo of that and unbleached organic sugar. Used the bourbon, too, though a “scant” tablespoon ’cause kids are eating it.
My mini-loaf pans are smaller than yours, so I got 3 loaves! BTW, I bought them immediately after making your Honey Cake…
I think I’d next time I’ll dial back both the sugar and the butter just a teensy bit, but that’s really the only change. You’re awesome!!!
I add blueberries to this all the time and we love it. I use frozen ones (formerly fresh that I’ve stashed in my freezer.) Makin’ it that way today, in fact. Can’t wait to dig in!
Great, great recipe! I tried it yesterday and the only thing I did was differently was that I added some mini chocolate chips, and I made the six mini loafs rather than one large one. I am definitely making this again!!
OMG Deb! This experience was amaaaaaaaazing! I had the exact bananas you were describing in my fruit bowl. I came on here because you’ve become my go to for delish recipes! I loved how stupidly simple this one was (mash, mix, dump, bake). When my husband bit into his first piece he simultaneously let out an “Oh…WOW”. And to boot, my kitchen smelled wonderful all evening! Thank you!
This looks to be a really great recipe…I have an eternal fondness for banana bread. My favorite thus far is a basic banana bread like this one with walnuts and chocolate chips added :) One can never go wrong with banana and chocolate!
Just wanted to say that I am making this again with my 3 boys (minus the burbon of course) for the 10th time this year! It is such a basic, yummy, fool-proof recipe and I just wanted to thank you for giving it to us!
Hi, Deb Yes – delish. Very moist…but I’m thinking I actually could have let it go for an entire hour. Next time I will. BTW- perhaps it was so moist because I replaced the butter with 1/2 apple sauce; 1/2 yogurt. Still…yummy. Loved the spices and bourbon. Thank you. P.S. Chinatown’s got 3 lbs of bananas for a buck! Whadda deal. )
OK, Deb – I figured it out. Gosh only knows you really can’t mess with baking. Sooo…I think between the vanilla, bourbon (yum)…and the very wet ingredients of applesauce & yogurt…I shoulda added another 1/2 cup of flour. (I went to Elise’s site…I love the 2 of you). Funny…I’m going to be over by Chinatown today. I hope they have some very brown bananas…I can’t wait!
hey Deb. I’m a sucker for new banana bread recipes, can’t wait to try. I have 6 frozen ones and another 6 on the counter. FYI — when you freeze bananas and then let them thaw, they create the best banana liqueur ever! Also, if you’re ever looking for small gift-sized loafs — short yam cans are perfect. Fill to the last line before the top and you’re good to go.
I made these with Bob’s red mill gluten-free flour mix and they were fantastic. Thanks!
YUM. I just finished a hot out of the oven muffin version of this. I didn’t have bourbon so I actually added 2 tspns of irish cream. Also added a hardy handful of toasted walnut crumbles, and substituted half of the ap flour for whole wheat flour. Accidentally doubled the nutmeg. They came out awesome. Thanks you Deb for your inspiring recipes!
Hi Deb!
I love your website (:
I’ve made your banana bread a few times but on all occasions it has failed to rise. Unfortunately, it looks a little sad haha
The baking soda isn’t old and I was just wondering why it keeps coming out so flat?
I used a 10×20cm loaf pan (approx. 4×8inch) and a 23cm round cake tin and it really doesn’t rise at all.
Although the taste is wonderful, I would like to know how to get it to rise and look like a lovely loaf of bread
thanks so much (:
Hilda
Yaaay!! Unfortunately I’m a one armed baker for now. I thought I had to give up baking until my arm is better but no, Smitten Kitchen comes to my rescue again! LOL! I can whip this up with one arm???? Oh let me run and get the over ripe bananas today! I cant imagine a week going by without baking something…anything! Thanks Deb!
Freezer, yes. Just the other day, I took some bananas out of the freezer for my banana nut bread. I think the color of the bread is darker, and it looks so much more appetizing when you use over-ripe bananas. This recipe looks great! I’m going to try it the next time I make one.
I’m new here, but already thoroughly smitten. Sad to say, I apparently od’ed on bananas at a very young age and since then their taste and texture when fresh (no matter their relative ripeness) has always turned my stomach. BUT! my early passion abides in other forms. Strangely, I love artificial banana flavor in candy and pudding. Less strangely, I love good banana bread. And this is great banana bread. You had me at bourbon.
I made slightly oversized muffins, which became cupcakes with the addition of chocolate chips, and adjusted the cooking time downward (25-30 min). Amazing. I included two cakes and the recipe (with your website address) in the Bennington Potters’ batter bowl (blue) I gave two friends last night in celebration of their marriage. Thanks!!
Sorry, I should have omitted the bowl reference– not trying to plug, just to conjure an image (’cause the muffins looked so snug and lovely, and I was so pleased with how everything came together!).
No banana is safe. This recipe is amazing! I used cupcake tins, to avoid running the oven for an hour in my 112 degree heat. Only took 20 minutes, and they are the perfect size. (Well, the perfect size for me to have 3 before bedtime last night…)
Oh, and I used homemade Amaretto in place of the Bourbon. Mmmmmm
I am not a fan of spotted bananas (unless they’re in pb& banana sandwiches.) Which works well for having bananas available to make bread with since the window I’ll eat them plain is so small (its a texture thing I think.) Often our grocery store will have past-their-prime-bananas for really cheap (40 cents for a large bunch) so I’ll buy some just to make bread with. We have some baking in the oven right now.
I know I’m a late comer to the party, but I had to comment. This is my first official Smitten recipe, though I’ve lost many hours clicking “surprise me” since I discovered you. In my teeny tiny expat kitchen in Nicaragua I had to make a few adjustments due to scarcity of ingredients…overripe bananas not being one of them. There are mounds of ripe bananas in the store as they’re fried in butter and served in all their crispy-caramely-ripe-banana goodness with the standard beans and rice and eggs breakfast. I had only white sugar, cinnamon, Flor de Cana, and baking powder on hand and even though the temperature settings on my gas oven are “1…2…3…4….5″ the recipe came out beautifully. I attribute this to your “jacked up” view on life. Flor de Cana is the incredible Nicaraguan rum, best sipped on the rocks with a teeny bit of lime, which added the most incredible flavor to the bananaey goodness that is this bread. Thank you again, I’ll soon be testing out more of your recipes in my little kitchen on the surface of the sun!
No one even wants to wait for the bread to cool! It smells so good! Added a 1/4 cup of buttermilk, because I had it on hand. Also used 1 cup flour and 1/2 whole wheat, so I thought the buttermilk would keep it moist. One of my favorite cooking sites always.
Definitely with you on the banana thing: if there’s any green on them — ANY — I won’t touch them. I rely on the fruit flies to tell me when they’re ripe!
Trying this with dark rum (no bourbon) and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios on top…
Yummy. Made this yesterday; only had rye whisky and whole wheat flour and two bananas; but added 2/3 a bag of dark chocolate chips and it’s the most blazing banana bread ever. Delicious.
I stumbled upon this site as I was looking for my favorite banana bread recipe that I somehow misplaced. I no longer need to look for the lost recipe- this is the BEST banana bread by far! I doubled the recipe and substituted brandy for the bourbon. Maybe next time I might add a few pecans or walnuts. I like my bananas just yellow for fresh eating. When the bananas begin to freckle I’ll let them darken some more and pop them in the freezer-peel and all. When the urge for banana bread overtakes me, I simply take them out of the freezer and let them partially thaw and “squeeze” them out of their peelings- hardly any mashing needs to be done. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It is my new favorite and I will put it in a “safe” place. I’m thinking I’ll probably even have it memorized before long : )
Hi Deb – I’m from Sri Lanka and I just started following your blog. I think it’s absolutely fab! Tried out my first recipe from your blog – this one – and was highly thrilled with the end result. My friends who came over finished the entire thing – and honestly, the beauty of it was the speed with which you could throw it together. Fabulous. Thanks so much – you are gifted! Bless you.
hm. I seem to be having the same issue as Hilda #148. It’s rising, but in a flat, flat plane. And I only used 3 bananas, so I’m not sure why it’s not rising. Maybe I need more baking soda? Or add some baking powder for extra lift?
Thank you for a delicious recipe! I’ve made it a few times, usually with my 4 year old helping. It always turns out scrumptious. Again, thank you for sharing!
Wonderful recipe! Even though my friend and I didn’t have any vanilla extract, bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves (don’t even ask – we weren’t at home…), this was wonderful. We did add chocolate chips (figues). Such a moist cake – many thanks! xK
I must say, this is my first recipe from Smitten Kitchen and apparently first post.
I always try to make a recipe once before I start tweaking with it. Unfortunately, being above the 49th parallel, I had only Rye Whiskey instead of Bourbon Whiskey.
All I must say is that without any nuts or chocolate, I didn’t think a banana bread could be so satisfying! Thank you for this amazing site.
How do you think this would fare as cupcakes? I have a baby shower request, and I can’t get my fingers on a good banana muffin/cupcake recipe.
Liz — You should use the banana cake I posted here.
I just made this with gluten free flour for my mom and it is AMAZING! I think that I will have to bake a regular batch for us to keep at our house once my mom takes the rest of this loaf home. Delish, as usual.
So delicious!
I didn’t have any bourbun and wanted to make sure it was still moist, so I substituted ~1 tablespoon low fat sour cream. Also threw in some chopped up semi-sweet chocolate bar, after being cornered at work and talked in to it :)
The mini-loaves have flown; already gone and I haven’t even been at work for an hour.
Success!
I substituted a the lovely Glenlivet scotch (aged in French Oak) for the bourbon and this made some mighty fine banana bread.
I just made this – I made them into muffins, and couldn’t resist adding chocolate chips. I put a few pieces of pecans on top, looks pretty. This is my new go-to banana recipe. So moist and flavorful! 10/10! Thanks.
OMG, this is the best banana bread I have ever, EVER tasted! Thanks for the recipe, it’s going in the book!
This banana bread was such a hit that I had to bake it two weeks in a row. I always thought that banana bread was just okay, but the addition of spices, brown sugar and burbon change just okay to craving banana bread. Thanks for all the fabulous recipes. I use to bake all the time, but stopped for many years, your site has inspired me again. Thanks!!!!
Just pulled my banana bread out the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. I couldn’t even wait any longer before I cut a slice. This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had. I added toasted walnuts to mine. I’ve tried so many different recipes, to the point where I was losing all hope for THAT one recipe….this is IT!!!! Thank you so much!!!!
oops….I did tweek it just a little bit. I roasted my bananas and i browned my butter….ok THE END =)
Made this a few days ago and stashed most of it in the freezer. Had a hankering for a decadent dessert just now, so I took out a slice (it can be sliced from the frozen state if you’re careful) and put it on a plate. Then caramelized a couple of spoonfuls of white sugar to make a little sauce, stirring in a few pieces of salted cashew at the end. Poured the sauce over the aforementioned slice. Sliced half a fresh banana over that, and finished with a squirt of whipped cream. Looked and tasted like something you’d have to pay 7.50 for at a fancy restaurant.
my ski team bought waayyy to many bananas at fall camp this year so naturally ( since were all a little picky about ripeness) I have been nominated to bake chocolate chip banana bread. Actuallly… i could have nominated myself… and suggested it… maybe because i absolutely LOVE banana bread…. and chocolate(:
anywho everyones always starved after a long day on the hill so hopefully this will fill up their bellies!!
thanks for another fabulous recipe (i love the spices)!
This is the best banana bread recipe ever!!
I did tweek it just a bit (thanks Cayla for the idea :-)…I browned the butter and then added the bananas and the brown sugar to the browned butter and let it all cook together for a few minutes. The house smelled heavenly at this point and I was tempted to skip making the bread and just pour that over ice-cream…but since I had already measure everything else out I stuck with it :-) Needless to say best banana bread ever :-) Thanks for recipe and ideas!
This is fantastic. With half whole wheat flour, it’s rugged enough for breakfast but still delicious enough to have warm, with fresh whipped cream, for dessert. I cooked the butter, brown sugar and bananas ahead of time until a little thicker and used only 1/2 cup of sugar (plus a little turbinado on top). It baked for exactly 50 minutes in a 5×9 (?) loaf pan. Definitely my new go-to banana bread recipe. Thanks Deb!
New comments are probably not necessary at this point, but I have some useful gushing to do about this recipe. I have gone as far as 3 tbsp bourbon, and I think that’s the magic number: noticeable kick, but not overly boozy, and not too much extra liquid. Also, last time I made this, I used all whole wheat pastry flour, and the texture held up fine (and it’s, like, healthy!). A cup of pecans adds excellent crunch & flavor. And like many others, I brown my butter, because, hell, why not?
As good as the banana bread is, I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted anything more ambrosial than the batter.
Julia, thanks for your thoughts on the increased amount of bourbon and the browned butter. I, too, made this bread tonight — in fact, a double batch, most of which is baking right now — and I browned my butter, but used two tablespoons of Korbel brandy instead of bourbon, which we don’t have. Oh! And I used one-third white whole wheat flour to two-thirds AP.
The big change, though, was that I used my new blend of cinnamon sugar, which I made for gifts this year. I whisked up a big batch of sugar with white and brown sugars, Vietnamese cinnamon, cassia, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and I used this instead of the brown sugar and all the spices. So, it’ll probably be either awesome or a dud.
Deb, what I love about this recipe is that it makes the large amount of banana do the work of some of the sugar and fat. SO many banana bread recipes rely heavily on too much white sugar and plain oil, which add nothing special. This is most certainly a banana-forward formulation. Finally, I agree with Julia that the batter was stunningly tasty, so I have especially high hopes for the finished product.
Thanks for this, Deb.
I made this last night with all whole wheat flour, brown rice syrup for sweetening, 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and no bourbon. Yum! Myself and my housemates have devoured most of it less than 24 hrs later. Thanks!!
My first time commenting- I love Smitten Kitchen… your webwsite is my hobby, and my point of relaxation throughtout hectic days. The batter of this banana bread is amazing, it’s baking right now! I can’t believe you only have three “bananas” recipes in all your archives (I already made the “monkey cake” for my daughter’s b-day party). Why?
Awaiting your cookbook, an avid fan in Israel!
After folowing this recipe to the tee for about 10 times, I decided to get crazy and add some golden raisins to the mix. I coated them in flour before I mixed them in so they didn’t sink to the bottom. My loaf is cooking right now and I can’t wait to try it! My house smells soo good! Thank you for the inspirational and fun approach to coking.
I swapped the bourbon with some freshly-brewed espresso and the result was sublime. I love this site. Your writing and recipes are lovely and lip-smacking.
I made some this morning, swapped bourbon for brandy (because that’s all we had), and added some chocolate chips. I also made some honey-butter. Delicious! Especially when it’s still slightly warm from the oven.
I’ve been using your website as my go-to place for recipes for a while now, but this is the first time I’ve felt I had to post. I don’t think my apartment has ever smelled this good before! I made muffins from this recipe (perfectly filled a 12-cup muffin pan) with 2/3 whole wheat flour, and subbed ground cardamom for the cloves. Delicious, and I can’t wait to take them to work this week! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this, raved to all my friends that it was the best and went to make it again today and noticed that I forgot the spices last time… BUT it was by far the BEST banana bread that I have ever had. So if you forget or want to leave out the cinnamon, etc. it will still be fantastic… LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!!!
I make this almost every week with our extra bananas that are past OUR ideal for eating, and freeze the loaf if we don’t eat it that day. It’s lovely to have these gold bars in my freezer, ready for any occasion. I make it with only half a cup of sugar, and all KA white whole wheat flour, and usually add toasted pecans and/or chocolate chips. And today, I was out of vanilla and had an inspiration so I used Buttershots (butterscotch schnapps) for both the vanilla & the bourbon – YUM! This is absolutely my go-to recipe along with your sour cream choc-chip coffee cake. You’re the best!!
This is absolutely amazing! I made muffins instead of a loaf so that I could eat it faster. (23 minutes was the cooking time for me.) I used a little less bourbon and one banana that wasn’t truly ripe enough to be used for bread, and it was still awesome. My boyfriend couldn’t restrain himself and ate three muffins in a sitting. I may never look for another banana bread recipe again.
Dear Deb,
I have made this recipe into muffins EVERY WEEK for the last 3 weeks, and I see no end in sight. They are ridiculously easy, and ridiculously yummy! My husband takes 3 muffins to school each day, and comes home looking for the crispy-chewy chocolate-chip cookies from your site as well! And NOW I have the raspberry buttermilk everyday cake in the oven! And on Saturday, I’m making your lemon bars!!! Look what you’ve done! Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. You’ve turned a kitchen-shy college wife into a bonafide smittenkitchen cook :).
I’ve just taken this out of the oven and it smells incredible!
It only took 40 minutes to bake in a large loaf tin but seems to be done. Am planning to try it with caramel sauce and vanilla ice-cream later. Yum!
I love this bread. I like to add a little more bourbon, and walnuts. It tastes delicious. My favorite banana bread! Thank you.
I never cook anything, but I just made this and its so amazing! YUM
I was referred to your site by another friend and I can’t wait to try your recipes..
Absolutely delicious. Awesome recipe. Thanks a lot for posting.
I had some free time and bananas that were almost over-ripe and finally was able to use this recipe today. The bread tastes as delicious as it smells while baking. It was also unbelievably easy. I think next time I will try adding some walnuts. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Loved showing up at synagogue committee meeting at 9 a.m. and announcing the muffins had bourbon in them. Moreover, loooooved how easy this recipe was. As noted, I made muffins (came out with 12 using almost filled ice cream scoop method) and they cooked up pretty quickly – just over 20 minutes. I used the toothpick test and texture was perfect. Not surprising, another winner!
I haven’t tried it yet, but wow does it smell delicious!! :D I can never really leave a recipe alone, so I added and changed up some things: 1/2c honey {fresh from a hive upstate}, a handful of oats, a couple dashes of ground ginger, 1/2 as much butter {unsalted}, with some walnut oil to compensate, and some extra burbon. :] I also topped it with oats and some chopped dark montgomery cherries soaked in burbon {and boiled in them for a couple of minutes}. I didn’t realize the cherries would burn, but some of them were fine and it ended up looking more balanced after picking out the casualties… I gnoshed on some and they were VERY burbony… and tasty! :D Finally, I made some almost-vegan caramel sauce with some arrowroot, vanilla soy milk, 2 pats of butter, 1c of cane sugar, and some extra dark maple syrup and drizzled it all over the top. It looks so good!!! I can’t wait to try it in the morning! Let me know if you’d like a photo! I’m going to be taking some anyway to play with my external flash. ^_^
I made this banana bread twice in 3 days, and I have eaten almost all of it. The first time I made it without the cinnamon and it was incredible although I could have put slightly less than 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg in, it was quite strong. Today I made it with the cinnamon, and its good, but I liked the first batch more, I can hardly taste the bananas today. Could be that spanish bananas, which take weeks to ripen are not as flavourful as american ones? Great recipe though, it´s replaced the sour cream one I have been using for years!
another sleep deprived groupie saying thanks for this recipe. can’t wait to bake this baby, but i’m going to do it the alex way with chocolate chips. sinfully delish.
First, I’d like to tell you that I adore this website. The pictures of everything are all so fantastic, and everything that I’ve made has turned out wonderfully.
I made this banana bread last night (my bananas were even more ripe than yours!!) I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and added a little bit of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Its fantastic! Thanks for sharing!! :)
My first batch is baking. The bourbon smells heavenly. Fan-freaking-tastic. I can’t wait to eat them! I have serious doubts that my dozen muffins will last long enough for my toddler to get any for breakfast. Ah, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right? Besides, kids shouldn’t have bourbon anyway. Mostly.
I made this banana bread last week for an office party, it was gone within minutes! I’ll admit I ate two slices just myself. It is my new favorite recipe right now- it’s one of the best banana breads I’ve ever had. I plan to make it again already tomorrow! I used four bananas and left out the bourbon.
Making this for the 632nd time…not really, but probably close! SOOO love this recipe, it’ll become one of those passed down to the kids and grandkids!
I have made this three times now in the past three weeks and my fiance and I love it. We add raisins and I use Bushmill’s Irish whiskey but I think I’m going to have to the mini pans so I can make one with chocolate chips too!
Made this for Easter brunch, it was awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
one of the best recipes of all-time. i always come back to it. soooooooopa easy, to boot! :)
Made these yesterday, but I forgot to add the baking soda! Banana discs.
I just found your blog yesterday and upon waking this morning to find some browned ba-nay-nays on my kitchen table, went straight to the computer to see what recipes you had on the subject.
And don’t feel guilty about your weird love of mature bananas. On Friday, a coworker was trying to get rid of hers when I piped up, “You could just make banana bread!”
She tossed the bananas on my desk with a roll of her eyes, “Oh honey, I don’t have time for that!”
Well I do and I am trying your recipe this morning, sans the bourbon, only because I don’t have any!. But next time…
What?!? Those bananas are perfect! Perhaps still a bit too ripe, even! There’s nothing wrong with you, I say! Must make banana bread now….
I made this today with my friend, and we were in awe of how amazing it smelt and looked. I am going to tell people to use this recipe for sure!
Thanks
These are amazing!! I made them for the kids to eat for breakfast through the week. They aren’t going to last the day because they are going so fast. Great recipe.
i made this as a loaf and as muffins and i must say, i prefer the muffins! it is too gooey of a bread to cook all the way through (without over-doing the edges). SO YUMMY though. it’s now on permanent rotation in my house. thank you!
I’m new to the site and am set on making your banana bread and homemade oreos tonight!! What an incredible site!! I’m so glad I found it and can’t wait to start reading my very first blog!
I love, love, love this recipe!! I love how it comes out super moist and yummy!! Today was my fourth time making this bread and I accidentally added way too much flour! I didn’t know how to fix it so I added one more banana and an extra egg. I was so scared it would be so nasty but it still came out good!!! I love adding walnuts to the top of the loaf. So yummy!! Thanks for the great recipes!! Can’t wait for your book!
This is such an awesome recipe!! I’ve made banana bread before using an online recipe, and it came out too moist. This time it came out perfect! I added some chopped walnuts to the batter and also sprinkled some on top for decoration. I’ll definitely keep this recipe on hand whenever i have spare bananas. I cant wait to check out your other recipes. the pictures make everything look so yummy and the directions seem easy to follow.
Normally banana bread is quite dense, but this was light and fluffy. I added 2 handfuls of mixed, broken nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews) to the mixture. A one-bowl wonder, so a doddle to clean when it’s all over.
I made this bread twice. Once as written and the second time with mango and rum subbed for the banana and bourbon. Excellent recipe!
Mmm. This time I used all KA white whole wheat flour and added 2 cups of plump juicy blueberries (from last year’s harvest in the freezer). YUM! (I always use frozen bananas too).
I LOVE this recipe! I am a BIG FAN of freckles. Actually it’s the only way I buy bananas now that I found the “Re-Wraps”… I buy trees of freckled wonders(the clerk always asks if I am making banana bread and I tell her I own a monkey, “It’s my own ritual of getting these treasures home”)… You see we are BIG FANS of hot cereals, Oatmeal, etc…AND there is NOTHING so delicious as a ripe banana in it…We even eat baked or broiled oatmeal as desserts, with those ripe bananas hidden within like buried treasures…Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe…My banana basket mountain of bananas is a BIT TOO HIGH today and begging to be pruned… It’s nice a cool here in CT today SO let the baking begin!!!
This is now THE banana bread recipe in our house–and believe me, we have tried many. I substituted Captain Morgan Spiced Rum for the bourbon, because that’s what I had, and then tripled the recipe. Four kids (two are teens) just demolished an entire loaf before it was even completely cooled. It never stood a chance. Thank you for yet another remarkable recipe.
This is an excellent banana bread recipe!! I’ve made it twice and skip the bourbon, add a healthy pour of molasses (which gives it a nice dark, rich colour) and a handful or two of walnuts. It’s perfect! Thanks so much for sharing :o)
Can you substitute or have an alternative recipe if you want to use honey? Please advise.
Thank you Deb for another terrific recipe! It’s one of the most delicious banana breads I ever made. I did add a tsp. of baking soda as per someone’s suggestion in previous comments and I didn’t have/use the bourbon. It came out moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious! Next time I’m going to double or triple the recipe since there is almost nothing left and it’s out of the oven for less then 2 hrs.
I used The Kraken dark spiced rum in place of the whiskey – highly recommend it when ’spicing’ things up a bit (or, like me, out of whiskey. Which happens far too often in my household.) Cheers!
I saw a recipe from (gasp) America’s Test Kitchen where they took unripened bananas ( I believe 4…maybe 5???), microwaved them to extract the juices and age them, then took the juices and reduced them to a syrup, and added that back in with the wet ingredients.
I haven’t tried their recipe but for some reason I felt the need to throw that out thereif in the event someone wanted to attempt one of those little tips that push this recipe further.
Absolutely my family’s favorite banana bread… and I have made many over the years. Didn’t add the booze this time, but the bread was just incredible without it… and loved the melted butter mixed with the bananas in the beginning of the recipe. Usually have remnants of a loaf around for a few days, but this one was gone in a matter of hours. Thanks for the new and delicious pig-out, comfort food addition to my family!
Made this on Sunday morning along with the perfect blueberry muffins. Froze the loaf to take camping with us on Labor Day. My husband couldn’t help stealing a piece before I froze it and said it was really good. I used Maker’s Mark, his favorite bourbon. Thank you for this recipe!
Just tried this with salted brown butter – not sure if that flavor beat out the spices, but it was delicious and rich and moist. Yum!
Tried this recipe tonight with a few substitutions based on what I had available. I couldn’t help but lick the bowl clean after I threw it in the oven! So I was surprised when, after baking, it tasted like something was missing. Perhaps the number of changes I made were too many, but I also felt like it just didn’t rise much at all, which could be due to the possibility that my baking soda has expired. Still, this is one of the most delicious-sounding banana bread recipes I have come across, and look forward to trying it in the future with less alterations.
A colleague asked me to bake this for her with walnuts. I do not have loaf pans, but she offered to buy me some in exchange for baking her the bread. I do not have the pans yet, but I could not resist. This recipe and the freckled bananas on my counter called me. I just pulled this (in muffin form) from the oven, and I had to get a fresh bite.
Mmmm.
I made this fabulousness yesterday, and I think it’s my new favorite banana bread recipe (though I did leave out the bourbon). Just wanted to say thanks for sharing! I’m looking forward to trying about 8 thousand more of your recipes.
Made these for my daughter this week. Baked them in a muffin pan. Then I put one in her lunch, accompanied by a little butter & honey in a separate container. She gets to “jack-up” the bread herself. Huge success!
Recipes that use over-ripe and/ or frozen bananas become known as banana ‘witness relocation programs in our kitchen. This one tops the list!
Amazing! My favorite banana bread thus far!
Oh wow. Just used this recipe to make muffins and they are amazing. I used Gentleman Jack and maaaybe used a little more than a tablespoon and used half whole wheat for the flour and had just 3 ripe bananas that worked perfectly. Might add some nuts next time for a little crunch but there’s no denying that this is the best banana bread recipe I’ve tried, thanks!
Wow.. I just felt like a Chopped competitor in the desert round. In twenty minutes I through together my batter and tossed it in the oven. I added a cup of yogurt to mine and replaced the cloves with all spice.. I also added some honey… hmm…
Hi Tanya (and Deb)–
It’s actually the brown sugar that serves as the acid in the baking soda + acid leavening combination. More specifically, it’s the molasses in the brown sugar. I suspect that if you substituted all of the brown sugar out for white sugar, you’d get a flat banana bread.
If you want to skip the brown sugar, you’d have to substitute baking powder instead. Baking powder always works because it has the baking powder and an additional acid for it to react with.
loved this! i made this recipe with my two year old and it was perfect! the lack of fancy equipment (we used 1 bowl + wooden spoon) was very kid friendly. we tweaked it a bit to fit what we had in our kitchen and added chocolate chips. it was delicious and moist even though we only had 1/4 cup butter!
Hi Deb,
I’ve read your blog for years but never comment. I’m giving birth to twins in November and am trying to plan what I can bake/freeze in advance so I can bring the L&D nurses some treats. Will this banana bread freeze well once baked? What else do you recommend making and freezing ahead of time (cookie dough I have down, and will make a couple of different kinds of cookies to bake at the very end).
Thanks!
Hi Amanda — It freezes well. How about some snickerdoodles, granola bars (for you and yours at the hospital) and lasagna (for life after you get home)?
LOVE IT…my favorite banana bread recipe and my kids can’t get enough of it!
Thanks for the recipe! I’d been meaning to try it for a while and finally did. The flavor was amazing. We sat down and had it with tea (and beer) as soon as it was out of the oven. Next time I’ll add the real Bourbon, but this time I just used Bourbon Vanilla. :) Any other good ideas for “tea time” cakes and baked goods perhaps in mini form?
Holy smokes! This bread is roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head kind of good! I’m not sure if I can resist its call while it’s cooling…
Thanks for this, Deb!
I’ve been meaning to try this one for awhile, but like you I always eat the bananas instead ;-). Finally I sacrificed my uber-ripe bananas this morning and it was SO worth it! My recipe is further jacked up by subbing maple syrup for brown sugar and plopping the batter into a muffin pan. Result: adorable, tasty, portable little mini-loaves! muy delicioso. Thanks!
Just made this and it was declicious! I have a lot of bananas (thank you Costco), so I put in 4 where I probably should have only used 3, so it was a little on the heavy side. Next time I’ll use 3 and hopefully it should be a little fluffier… But I’m about to go for my third slice now! Thanks!
I love banana bread and this looks like another keeper. I like to leave bananas on the counter until they are really browned then I just chuck them in the freezer peel and all. When I need them I just pull out the amount I need and by the time they defrost they are basically in the mushy shape you need them anyways.
Also, I have an absolutely decadent recipe for roasted banana ice cream. Yum – more brown bananas needed and then roasted. Wouldn’t the bourbon be great in this as well? Next time I’ll make it with bourbon.
I halved the sugar (substituted with maple syrup) and replaced the butter with peanut butter. YUM. still supremely moist and gorgeous slathered with more peanut butter.
Just made this recipe :) This was the second time Ive made it- first time was phenomenal. The boyfriend took it to the office and it was gone in a cinch! This batch is for my mom, who heard that I made it earlier and purposely left two bananas on the counter for the past few days. I wont lie, Ive checked other recipes, but strangely they dont call for cinnamon or nutmeg- two key ingredients I was looking for!
Thanks for this!
Awesome recipe.
Worked well with scotch (didn’t have bourbon in the house) and dark brown sugar.
Thanks!
Mmmm…. I doubled the recipe (if you are going to have the oven on for an hour, you might as well get two loaves instead of one) and poured in a generous glugg of Gentleman Jack. Delish…! Thanks for another great recipe….
Have made this mutiple times after scribbling the recipe down into a notebook that I could bring into the kitchen (have a very strict don’t bring the laptop into the kitchen policy ‘cos I’d end up dropping it into the sink or something). Two years later, after making it multiple times, I needed to check the ingredients online while I was in work to make sure I had everything on my shopping list that I needed. And for the first time noticed that it says baking SODA and not baking POWDER. Oops, that’ll teach me to try and write quickly and not check what I’ve written afterwards. Not really knowing what banana bread is supposed to be like, I never noticed there was anything wrong, although I did wonder why it was called banana bread when it was obviously cake. Still love it – in cake or bun form it’s delicious. Now that I’ve read through the comments I can even see that the question I had (about what acid will react with the baking soda for leavening purposes) is answered and someone mentioned something intriguing about maple syrup. I may just have to make it again tonight just to try that variation out.
After forgetting that we had bought bananas, I suddenly had a surplus on my hands and decided to whip up some banana bread (as you do.) I normally search through this site, Serious Eats, and The Kitchn first when looking for a recipe, and then came across this bad boy and had to try it out. These are in muffin form, as I somehow do not have loaf pans (?!). (~25 min @ 350 for 6 muffins.)
I’m not even finished eating the first muffin I pulled from the tin, piping hot from the oven. I HAD to exclaim about these. SO GOOD. There was no bourbon in the house, but somehow a bottle of peach brandy (?!) so that went in as a replacement, otherwise it’s faithful to the recipe. The one thing that’s killing me, though, is that these taste exactly like the “buttermilk spice” muffins I would LUST AFTER that were served at a chain restaurant called Mimi’s Cafe. These are bringing back childhood (well, teenagerhood) memories. I am in love.
My boyfriend just housed two of these while I was typing this out, by the way.
this banana bread has changed my life. well, i mean, not the way my husband or children changed my life, but the way a new pair of boots can change your life. only better.
but. i added some roasted walnuts. who knew this banana bread could be better?
I made this recipe today as mini muffin sized for my toddler to eat as snacks, minus the bourbon but plus nuts – scrumptious!! It made exactly 50 mini muffins, baked for 12 min. Quick & yummy, plus I can freeze the ones we haven’t already gobbled up warm. Win-win-win
just added raspberries! delicious!!
Have tried MANY banana bread recipes over the years – this one is by far the BEST! THX. Bourbon and the spices really transform this banana bread into something special. I also added chopped walnuts.
I have six weeks in a cast and deciding I wanted a treat, I went looking for banana bread! I am excited about the Bourbon addition!
This was the BEST banana bread I’ve ever eaten. Amazingly moist and the taste was out of this world! My banana bread-obsessed husband is in full agreement. Fabulous!
Delicious! My house smells amazing and the loaf tastes even better. Used dark brown sugar, mixed spices and rum because that’s all I had. The banana skins were 75% black so made a great flavour for the bread. This recpe is a keeper! Thank you!
Hi there, I made this banana bread this weekend and it was AMAAAZZZIINNNGGG. walnuts are a really great addition. so amazing that I wrote about it in my blog. check it out! http://exceptfortripe.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/foolproof-banana-bread/ :) thanks!
This should be obvious from all the rest of the comments saying the same thing, but this is the best banana bread recipe that exists. With or without bourbon, with or without extras like walnuts or fruit (I’ve done blueberries or chopped strawberries) or chocolate chips, this is just the best. I’ve made it more times than I can count. The only constructive advice I can give is that it’s better to err on the side of four bananas rather than three. Thank you, Deb, for another perfect recipe!
Hey Deb! I’m a long time lurker and love your site but this time is the first time I thought I’d actually comment! I was craving banana bread today so made this, and it was SO yummy…I put chopped strawberries in with the batter so they turned all gooey and yummy on the inside.
Just one question, though – what kind of flour did you use? I used plain (thinking that there was baking powder involved so no need for self-raising!) and it turned out really heavy…don’t get me wrong, it was delish. And I do LOVE a heavy cake (guilty!). But I was surprised that it wasn’t as light as I was expecting! Having never made it before I’m not sure where I went wrong…any ideas?
Thanks again for the recipes! I love this site xx
Ooh, p.s., I used ladyfingers bananas instead of normal big ones, but I used 5 instead of 4…would that have been an issue?! x
I have been using your site for awhile now, a friend had recommended, and I am definitely “Smitten” by it! ;-) I go to your site first now when I’m looking for a recipe. So, THANK YOU!
This recipe was fantastic! I like banana bread, make it almost every time I have overly ripe bananas, but had yet to find a recipe that wasn’t just another banana bread. The last time I tried a recipe it was too dry and bleh. I had yet to reuse one of those recipes…until now. I admit though, I did tweak it slightly. I used white whole wheat flour, and didn’t have bourbon. However, my vanilla is the good stuff, from Mexico, so it’s made with alcohol. Since I was using the WWW flour, I added about 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. I also decided I wanted muffins instead of a full loaf of bread, and baked them @375 degrees for about 18min. The result? Oh so delicious and moist muffins! Fabulous!
Well..I had terrible luck with this recipe. I questioned the amount of flour in it because others I’ve read use 1.75 – 2.00 cups mostly, but I used the amount in the list. Then I also added a generous tbsp of rum (no bourbon on hand). It was doughy in the center after 1.33 hrs of baking. The flavor is devine. It is most likely my oven as it didn’t feel hot enough to me when I put in the pan and I didn’t take the time to hunt for my oven thermometer. ( I’ve been playing with baguette recipes and I think I might have done some damage to the element splashing water in it to create steam. Shoot! I worried that this might come back to bite me) Well..everyone else here seems pleased with the recipe, so I’m blaming the oven because your recipes always work for me. I’ve been lusting after your banana bread crepes, but seem unable to tolerate milk products lately..so I went for this instead because I had the freckled bananas. I am bummed.
This is my absolute go to recipe for banana bread. Every time I make it everyone says its the BEST banana bread they’ve ever had. And I have to agree.
This is the first time commenting in your website, but it’s my favorite for sure. I’ve been following you for over three years now and cant wait for your cookbook!
I have made your apple sharlotka several times already with great success. I have one in the oven now and will bake the banana bread right after. Thank you for such lovely recipes. Between yours and Elise’s recipes my family thinks I’m a STAR baker :) Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks again for another great recipe! I switched the bourbon for rum and it was amazing!
My first banana bread (with a dab of nutella) is in the oven baking as I type this. Thanks Deb!