I know. I know that is a bold claim. I know that everyone thinks that their own, their mother’s or their grandmother’s banana bread is the best. Banana bread is one of those foods that everyone’s family has a recipe for, but, unlike chocolate chip cookies, there is rarely room for improvement. Yours is always chocolaty-er, gooey-er, heartier or “er” than the other recipes out there.
I was one of these banana bread bakers for a very long time. No one could improve on the recipe that my mother had taught me when I was little. It was filling, warm, and the best breakfast/snack that I could imagine. Who could have thought (and it pains me to say this) that I was wrong?
This banana bread comes from a family recipe, but not mine. And I can say, without a doubt in my mind and with a unanimous opinion from everyone who has ever tasted it, it is the best banana bread in the world. It’s also the easiest to make.
You may be curious about where this magical recipe comes from. Well, it originated in the wonderful city of Hamilton, Ontario. (That is lie for anyone wondering, that city is neither lovely nor wonderful.) This recipe has been passed down from a grandmother to her daughters, to one of their nannies (me) and to all of their daughters. And everyone, I mean everyone, who eats this banana bread asks for the recipe.
Here’s the special part: I don’t normally give out this recipe. But I lost a bet and now I am sharing this fantastic recipe with the world. If you follow this recipe your banana bread will always be gooey, banana-ey, chocolatey, or “ey” as you like.
Tips: Only use rotten bananas. As they start to speckle black put them in the freezer for a couple of days before baking, they’ll be sweeter and mushier. Read: yummier and easier to bake with. You don’t have to use baking soda or powder if you don’t have any.
World’s Best Banana Bread
Ingredients:
3 Large Bananas (frozen)
¾ cup of sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ salt
Chocolate, raisins, nuts (optional)
Method:
Step 1: Take your frozen bananas out of the freezer and defrost them in the microwave. Use a knife to slice the peel off. Mash up your peeled bananas in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the melted butter. Mix bananas and butter together. Add everything else and mix together.
Step 3: Now for the best part. I personally like chocolate. It is a food group in my world. So I put in A LOT of chocolate. But you can add any of the standard additions to banana bread in as large or as small of a quantity as you like.
Step 4: This is the tricky part. Depending on your oven and the size of the bananas, the cooking time will vary. The key is that when you put a knife into the loaf it should be pretty clean. The top should be golden brown. Pour the batter into a standard loaf pan (or muffin tins) and bake at 375F for 20 minutes (or until knife is clean).