When life gives you overripe bananas…. make banana bread!
How did banana bread become popular?
The exact origins of this bread are somewhat disputed, but it is widely believed to have its roots in the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s. During this period of economic hardship, banana bread became a solution for frugal households seeking creative ways to use ingredients.
Overripe bananas, often too mushy to eat on their own, became the perfect candidate. Banana bread recipes quickly gained traction as people discovered how to incorporate mashed bananas into a bread recipe.
While traditional banana bread remains a classic favorite, there are numerous variations to explore. People started to add various ingredients to this dessert to create more than 5 variations:
- Banana and blueberry bread
- Banana chocolate chip loaf
- Peanut butter banana bread
- Zucchini banana bread
- Pumpkin banana bread
- Fruit-infused banana bread (with apples or raspberries)
There are even special versions like:
- Healthy banana bread using almond flour, low-carb ingredients, or Greek yogurt or applesauce
- Vegan recipe (substituting dairy with plant-based alternatives and eggs with flax eggs or applesauce)
- Vegan gluten-free variant.
Easy banana bread recipe
Inspired by Nigel Slater’s tip to “never throw away black bananas – use them in baking,” I used some overripe bananas that had been sitting around. I opted for a simpler recipe than Nigel’s because baking should be easy, especially when it’s just about using up old fruit.
The simple recipe worked wonderfully – the muscavado sugar gives a good depth of flavor and the sweetness of the bananas lifts the cake, balanced by the crunchy, nuttiness of the walnuts. It even tastes better with these favorite toast toppings here.
Banana bread pairs well with a variety of drinks, such as milk, tea, or banana latte. If you want to try it yourself, here’s how to make banana bread:
Ingredients
- 2 over-ripe bananas, mashed
- 100 g caster sugar
- 50 g dark muscavado sugar
- 125 g margarine
- 200 g plain flour, gluten-free
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg beaten
- 50 ml milk
- Vanilla essence
- Dash of mixed spice
- 25 g walnuts, chopped.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170oC (150oC if fan assisted)
- Grease and line a loaf tin.
- Cream the sugar and margarine together in a bowl.
- Add the mashed bananas, beaten egg, milk, and a few drops of vanilla essence. Mix well.
- Fold in the flour, bicarb, and mixed spice, then stir in the walnuts.
- Pour mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown.
- Take out of the oven and leave for a few mins, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Because of the high moisture content, banana bread tends to develop mold after approximately 4-5 days when you leave it at room temperature. To keep it fresh, you can tightly wrap it and place it in the refrigerator to eat within 7-10 days. If you want to make it last longer, freeze it for up to 3 months.
Banana bread
Ingredients
- 2 over-ripe bananas mashed
- 100 g caster sugar
- 50 g dark muscavado sugar
- 125 g margarine
- 200 g plain flour gluten free
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg beaten
- 50 ml milk
- Vanilla essence
- Dash of mixed spice
- 25 g walnuts chopped.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170oC (150oC if fan assisted)
- Grease and line a loaf tin.
- Cream the sugar and margarine together in a bowl.
- Add the mashed bananas, beaten egg, milk and a few drops of vanilla essence. Mix well.
- Fold in the flour, bicarb and mixed spice, then stir in the walnuts.
- Pour mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 mins until golden-brown.
- Take out of oven and leave for a few mins, then turn onto wire rack to cool.
Notes
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