About This Recipe

What is banana bread?

Banana bread is a type of sweet baked bread made with overripe, mashed bananas, which provide a natural moisture and sweetness to the bread. It is popular in North America, but has become a classic and beloved recipe in many households across the world.

What I love about this recipe:

The ingredients in this recipe really help this bread come together flawlessly, with the perfect moisture content and texture. The use of cream cheese and softened butter in the base of this recipe contribute to a beautiful richness and depth of flavor. In addition, I love that this recipe perfectly fits into my bundt pan, making it easy to slice for breakfast and snack.

Why this recipe works

Overripe Bananas

Bananas can really never get too old. As bananas ripen, their starches are converted into sugars, contributing to the overall sweetness of the bread. In addition, the increased moisture content in ripe bananas helps with the overall moisture of the bread.

Cream Cheese

Most quick breads contain a base made of two sticks of softened butter. Others add yogurt or sour cream. While this can be good, in my opinion, cream cheese is better. Though this recipe still contains butter, which is necessary for moisture retention, cream cheese brings a unique richness, texture, and even more moisture to the final bake. The final, overall flavor and consistency is elevated significantly with this method.

Leavening

This recipe uses a balance of baking powder and baking soda to leaven the bread, rather than the sourdough discard. This means the bread will puff up beautifully in the oven, and you can bake it right away. For a long-fermented loaf, add the leavening just before baking and let the dough sit in the fridge for up to three days or on the counter for up to twelve hours.

FAQs

Why is my loaf crumbly when I cut into it?

There are two culprits that might cause your banana bread to turn out crumbly. The first is using too much flour. Maybe it’s because you didn’t measure correctly or misread the recipe. Or, maybe it’s because your bananas were fairly small in size, and the balance of wet/dry ingredients was broken. (If you know your bananas are small in size, try adding an extra half-banana or reducing the flour to 2 1/4 cup, or 270 g.) The second common mistake would be cutting into the bread before it has cooled completely. It should cool for five to ten minutes in the pan, and then several hours on the counter before slicing.

My loaf tastes dry. Why is that?

While adding too much flour (as mentioned above) could also be the culprit here, the more likely answer is that the loaf was over-baked. Start with the minimum baking time (60 minutes) and only add extra time if a toothpick inserted does not come out clean.

Can I long-ferment this recipe?

Of course! To long-ferment this recipe, skip the baking powder and soda during the initial mix of ingredients. Let the dough rest in the fridge for up to three days, or on the counter for up to twelve hours. Add the baking soda and powder just before baking.

Banana Bread

Recipe by Caitlin VincentCourse: Breakfast, Dessert, SnackCuisine: UniversalDifficulty: Beginner

Prep time

minutes

Baking Time

minutes

Yield

loaf

Ingredients

1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (or coconut cream, if cream cheese doesn't work for you)
1 cup sugar (240 g)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened (57 g)
1/2 cup sourdough discard (100-113 g)
3 overripe, mashed bananas (I use bananas that are medium to large in size)
2 whole, large eggs (100 g)
2 1/2 cups flour (320 g)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnut (or pecan) pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease a bundt pan and set aside. (You could also make this into muffins or mini loaves. See notes for baking modifications.)
To a large bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, and butter. Mix until smooth.
To the same bowl, add sourdough discard, mashed bananas, and eggs. Mix, again, until everything is incorporated. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir until almost completely incorporated.
Work in chocolate chips and nuts. Mix until everything is just incorporated.
Add all the batter to your bundt pan. Smooth the top out nicely, so that everything bakes evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!

Watch the Video

Notes

You can use all chocolate chips or all nuts if you prefer.
If using coconut cream, be sure you are just using the cream and not any coconut milk/water/oil that may have come in your can. Your batter will be slightly wetter than if using cream cheese, but it will still bake up perfectly.
For muffins: Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes about 24 muffins.
For mini loaves: Bake at 350 F for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes four mini loaves.