Many people seem to like banana bread. I tried out four different recipes so you don’t have to.
I did not include banana bread with add-ins like nuts or chocolate. All of them contain three bananas. Click on the links to find the full recipes.
1. To start, there’s a recipe from Mr. Breakfast. Please note that I did not make this recipe at the same time as the others.
This banana bread surprised me. It was very soft, almost fluffy. This may be because this one contained less flour than other recipes. I baked it in a square pan (larger than a loaf pan), which is why it isn’t very tall in the image.
If you’ve baked banana bread before, you may have noticed that it tasted better the second day. This one tasted great from the first day. The flavour didn’t seem to improve on the second day. However, it definitely did not worsen. Overall, this is a very good recipe for a banana bread with classic flavour.
Next, I baked three different breads on the same day to be able to compare them with each other.
2. First, I baked a banana bread from Jamie Oliver’s website. I was intrigued because this recipe contains apple juice and honey, but I was also skeptical, especially since there were mixed reviews in the comments. Maybe my skepticism set this recipe up for failure, but it did not turn out great. The bread didn’t rise (it was baked in a loaf pan), and it was very dense. It’s possible that I did not properly convert 250 g of flour to cups and added too much. While it was sweet, the flavour was a bit bland, probably since this recipe does not call for white sugar. Also, it was very oily. It seems like 40 minutes is not enough baking time for this banana bread, although this may be different with different ovens. The only redeeming quality was that it smelled fantastic, but this doesn’t make up for the fact that it isn’t very fun to eat.
3. Next was Bobby Flay’s banana bread. This one contains both white and brown sugar. The blogger who posted this recipe mentions that they omitted cinnamon but doesn’t say how much is supposed to be added, so I put in about ¼ tsp of cinnamon.
The result of this recipe is something that doesn’t really belong in the direct banana bread family but is more of a cousin. The brown sugar adds a different kind of sweetness to it, and it lacks that characteristic banana bread flavour. However, it’s not a bad different. It’s soft and rises nicely (this one was baked in a square pan, not a loaf pan). This is a good dessert that I recommend trying out.
4. Finally, I baked my go-to banana bread recipe that I got years ago. I love this one because it has a very nice taste that only gets better on the second day. However, this one also contains the most amount of sugar, which is why it tastes so good. The middle may take a bit longer to bake through, but be careful not to burn it.
The recipe says to use two bowls and to start with a large bowl. You will end up pouring the contents of the first bowl into the second bowl, so the larger bowl should be the second one.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a good banana bread recipe with classic taste, I suggest going with the first or fourth recipe listed above. The third recipe is a good dessert, but doesn’t exactly taste like banana bread. I will likely not be trying the second recipe again.
Tips:
- If the banana bread has been in the oven for the maximum baking time but it isn’t baked through yet, turn off the oven and leave it inside. This minimizes the risk of it getting burnt.
- A shallower pan will lead to more even baking.
- Baking banana bread in a Bundt pan gives it a fun shape and supposedly distributes heat more evenly. I recommend trying it out if you have one.
- Put bananas that are brown and mushy in the freezer. Unfreeze them when you are ready to make banana bread. They are perfect to use in baking.
Have fun baking!
All images are my own