Award Winning Banana Bread Recipes

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F .
2. Mash bananas.
3. Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
5. Mix in the baking soda and salt.
6. Add the flour last.
7. Pour mixture into a sprayed bread loaf pan.
8. Bake for 1 hour.
9. Cool, slice to serve.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; mix well. Add the salt, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mushed
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c brown sugar
2/3 c fat free sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c chocolate chips/chunks (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Pour into greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Bread is cooked completely when a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing (1-1 1/2 hours)

Ingredients

80z plain flour
1 t. salt
1 heaped t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
4oz sugar
1 egg
3 oz butter, melted
few drops of vanilla essence
2 1/2 oz pecan nuts, chopped
4 medium bananas, mashed

Directions

preheat your oven to whatever usually works best for you.
sift flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, stir in sugar.
mix in egg, butter and vanilla essence, but do not beat.
fold in pecans and mashed bananas, using a fork. again do not beat.
spoon into loaf tin and bake for 50-60 mins. leave for 10 mins in the tin and then cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients (makes about 10 thick slices):

250g/ 2 cups plain flour
150g/ 3/4 cups caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
115g/ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large or 4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Extra slices of bananas to garnish (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch loaf tin, or line with grease proof paper.
2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients - mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.
3. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bit by bit, just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. **IMPORTANT: Do not overmix the batter** There should still be traces of flour. Over mixing will result in tough bread.
4. Pour the batter into the loaf tin. Decorate the top with slices of bananas if desired. Bake in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly while the middle is still undercooked, place a sheet of foil across the top of the loaf and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the loaf tin. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread is easier to slice when it has cooled down.

One 9-inch cake OR
One 8 x 4 - inch cake and one 3" by 5 3/4" cake OR
Four 3 1/4" by 5 1/2" cakes

2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 cup white whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites (I used one egg and one white)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (David's directions call for 4 or 5 large bananas, but both times I made it, it took 6-7 bananas. Maybe the bananas we get in Rochester are puny. I mash bananas with a potato masher.)
(I added some chocolate chips -- maybe a cup)

Spray pan(s) with Baker's Joy, or cooking spray and a dusting of flour. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Stir together the flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to break them up, then whisk in the sugar and the brown sugar. Whisk in the butter and vanilla, followed by the mashed bananas.

Sift the flour mixture over the banana mixture and thoroughly fold it in. (Add the chocolate chips, if using.) Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about:
55-65 minutes for 9 x 5 pan,
45 -55 minutes for the smaller loaves (such as 3 1/4" by 5 1/2")

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold it and cool completely on a rack.

Storage: Keep the cake wrapped in plastic at room temperature after it has cooled. For longer storage, double wrap and freeze for up to a month.

Weight Watchers information: The Starbucks reduced-fat banana loaf cake with chocolate c hips has 8 points per serving. This recipe, if you cut the loaf/loaves into 12 pieces, has 6 points per serving if you use all whole wheat flour (instead of half and half) and the egg and egg white as directed.

Chocolate and Banana Marbled Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (ok to use all purpose flour)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Baker's sugar (ok to use granulated)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs - I found this to be better)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°.Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, egg substitute, yogurt and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.

2. Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined.

3. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack and try not to eat entire loaf in one sitting.

*Note-if you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, just use a total of 2 cups of all purpose flour.

Blueberry-Lemon Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the banana bread, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until mixture is well blended (about 1 minute). Add mashed banana, egg substitute, sour cream, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Gently fold in blueberries and lemon rind. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the bread 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove the bread from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.