Aha, the quarantine special. I saw something the other day that someone posted and it said, “Don’t you miss the ‘banana bread’ phase of quarantine?” And it got me in a weird state of mind. I do remember that. While there was a lot of uncertainty, there was still a little hope. Now that everyone’s sick of each other and of the situation, it feels like a lot of that kindness has just vanished.

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banana bread slices with bananas behind the loaf and knife in front this recipe

But you know what? I’m not giving up mine. I refuse to let my banana bread phase end.

Even before quarantine, this was one of my favorite things to make. Just like my recipe for cinnamon friendship bread, it bakes up in a standard sized loaf pan in just over an hour and the kitchen smells dreamy for hours afterwards.

Gather your dry ingredients

Everything you would expect in a sweet bread recipe. All purpose flour gives the loaf structure while still keeping the crumb tender, and a sparkle of cinnamon really makes that banana flavor pop. So good.

Add sweetener and moisture

The best thing about banana bread is that it’s characteristically moist and tender. It gets that way because of a few key ingredients. Brown sugar has more moisture than white sugar, plus it offers a richer, more deeply sweet taste. Crème fraiche brings more fat, even more moisture and structure to the batter. If you can’t get creme fraiche, substitute sour cream. The acid (what makes sour cream sour!) reacts with the leavening to create more of a lift and spring in the oven.

Because of this, I don’t recommend substituting anything for the brown sugar or sour cream/crème fraiche when making this recipe.

jar of creme fraiche with a spoonful of cream on top of the lid

Add the BANANA, of course!

Just a gentle reminder to use ripe bananas for the best flavor, and don’t forget that vanilla and sparkle of cinnamon!

It’s almost like a cake! But instead of frosting, (although you definitely could spread some on there) just enjoying a thick, warm slice of this banana bread with some butter is the LIMIT. If you want to, you can certainly add in a small amount of chocolate chips or nuts (1 cup of total mix ins is a good starting place) for some crunch and added flavor.

loaf of banana bread in a parchment paper lined loaf pan
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stack of banana bread slices

Banana Bread

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  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour + 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour + 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices 1x
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Moist and absolutely delicious, this quarantine staple ticks all those comfort food boxes.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
  • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 large bananas)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease the inside of a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Alternatively, you can line the pan with wide strips of parchment paper. Set the prepared pan aside.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. In another large mixing bowl (this bowl will be the one all of the batter comes together in, so make sure it’s big enough) cream the butter and brown sugar together for about 5 minutes until fluffy and creamy. Add one egg at a time, beating to incorporate after each one. Scrape down the bowl before adding the mashed banana, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.
  3. Add the sifted and mixed dry ingredients to the banana mixture and beat just until no flour streaks remain. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes.
  4. Allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.

Notes

If you want to add the long-sliced bananas like I did for mine, slice a banana (any ripeness) lengthwise and arrange cut side up on top of the batter. I highly recommend this, since the bananas will caramelize somewhat and add a deeper banana flavor to the loaf!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 300
  • Sugar: 20.2 g
  • Sodium: 148 mg
  • Fat: 11.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.8 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 45.3 g
  • Fiber: 1.9 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Cholesterol: 64.3 mg

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