JB’s Banana Bread – RecipeTin Eats

The wait is finally over! After weeks of testing, tweaking and plenty of tasting, my banana bread recipe is finally ready to share. Crispy golden top, caramelised sides, and a soft crumb with big banana flavours that slices like a dream. Let’s go!

Nagi’s Notes

JB’s Banana Bread has landed! I’ve published over 2,000 recipes and this is the one and only I haven’t tasted – because bananas and I are not friends. 🙈 But I know this is the banana bread to end all banana breads – because it’s JB’s. The feedback has been off the charts, including a big tick from the toughest critic on our team, my brother Goh. If you love banana bread, this is the one that all others aspire to be. Enjoy!

JB’s Banana Bread

“Now we can post banana bread!” Those were Nagi’s words when we agreed that I was going to start publishing recipes under my name. So, my friends, now is the time! Those spotty, forgotten bananas on your bench are about to be put to good use.

I must admit, before starting working on this recipe, I didn’t have a go-to banana bread recipe. But I’ve eaten plenty of them, so I knew exactly what I was after. I had a clear idea of the flavour, the texture and the ingredients I wanted, after that, it was just a matter of testing, tweaking and baking again (and again!) until it was just right. The RecipeTin Eats way.

My first tests turned out well, and I was happy with the results. But then we decided that it should be a taller loaf. That’s when I ran into few difficulties finishing the recipe. The centre of the loaf was taking longer to cook, which meant the sides were starting to dry out. And the more you test, the more questions you create. Can we make it better? What happens if we change this? Suddenly the list of iterations grows. Different sugars, different spices, more eggs, less flour, no butter, more oil, baking powder instead of baking soda, shorter bake, longer bake, covered, uncovered. As we always say, the last 5% is always the hardest. That’s the part that makes it perfect. But 30 something banana breads later, here we are with a great recipe I am ready to share. 😊

Ingredients

Let’s talk about the bananas! They don’t have to be very overripe. Spotty or mostly brown bananas work the best because they are sweeter, but I’ve also tested this recipe with just-ripe ones, yellow, with no brown at all, and the result was just as good.

1. Bananas

Bananas – The main character here. Use the regular bananas you see at your store every day. As I said above, I’ve tested this recipe with bananas at every stage, just-ripe and yellow, lightly spotted, heavily dotted and fully overripe, even blacker than the one shown above. They all worked well. The riper the banana, the sweeter and stronger the flavour, but even firm yellow bananas will give you a soft loaf with great banana taste.

2. Dry ingredients

• Flour – Plain flour / all-purpose flour – Gives the bread its structure.

• Baking soda – Also known as bi-carbonate of soda, it makes the loaf rise and keeps it light. Baking powder doesn’t work as well. The banana bread wouldn’t rise as much and its texture would be different.

• Cinnamon and allspice powder – My favourite spice mix for this recipe. Cinnamon brings warm sweetness, while allspice adds a gentle depth and a hint of clove and nutmeg flavour.

• Salt – cooking salt / kosher salt. It brings out the flavours of the other ingredients.

3. Wet Ingredients

• Brown sugar – I use only brown sugar for its light caramel flavour and extra moisture. It gives the bread a deeper taste and helps keep the crumb soft and tender. I did also test with a combination of white and brown sugar but found the texture and colour of the banana bread wasn’t as good.

• Eggs – 2 whole + 1 yolk, the whole eggs act as a binder and the yolk brings a little richness which was needed to give the crumb extra moisture without making it heavy. Use room temperature ones, large size (55g/2 ounces each).

• Butter – Adds the rich, buttery flavour we all love.

• Oil – Keeps the bread soft longer. It would be drier if we only use butter. Any neutral flavour oil can be used.

• Sour cream – As with the oil, the fat in sour cream helps create a soft crumb and prevent the bread from drying out. More importantly, its mild acidity is the key element needed for the baking soda to react and create the beautiful banana bread rise. Yoghurt is a great substitute. Avoid milk or buttermilk, they are thinner and can change the batter consistency, leading to a looser structure.

• Vanilla – rounds out and enhances the flavour.

How To Make Banana Bread

The method here is simple and straightforward, no special equipment needed. Just mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and combine them together gently. The key is not to overmix the batter, so the loaf stays soft and tender. Once it’s in the oven, all that is left to do is let the smell of banana bread fill your kitchen and enjoy. Unless your name is Nagi The Banana Hater.

1. Lining the pan

1. Scrunch a 40 cm / 16″ long sheet of baking / parchment paper, it becomes softer and makes it easier to press and stay in the pan.

2. Fit the paper into a loaf pan (21.5 x 11.5 x 7 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 x 2.75″). There’s no need to grease the pan to make the paper stick, just fit it in, the batter will weight it down. Leave overhang on the sides for easy lifting.

2. Making the batter and bake

1. Dry – Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice). 

2. Mash bananas – In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher until mostly smooth.

3. Wet – Then add all the wet ingredients (brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, oil, sour cream, vanilla) and whisk until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

4. Combine – Use a rubber spatula to mix until the flour is just incorporated. Having a few little flour lumps is ok, it’s better than overmixing which will make your banana bread firmer rather than soft.

5. Fill pan – Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

6. Bake – Put the banana bread into the oven preheated to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Then bake for 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean (turning the pan around halfway through cooking). While cooking, a crack will naturally appear along the top of your banana bread. The centre continues to expand, it pushes through the firm crust, creating that classic split. It’s totally normal.

7. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. The loaf should be nicely risen with a well-browned top and a crack along the centre.

8. Lift out and place on a wire rack. Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing. If you plan storing it for later, you will need to let the banana bread cool completely, this can take up to 6 hours. If you don’t, the residual heat will make the crust soggy and create excess moisture that will affect texture and shorten the shelf life. That said, if you urgently need a slice while it’s still warm, I completely understand! Just expect it to be a little softer and more delicate. 😊

How To Serve Banana Bread

This banana bread is delicious slightly warmed or at room temperature. But the most common way and still the best way is lightly toasted with a little butter on top. It works perfectly for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a quick snack during the day. If you want to turn it into a dessert, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of Chantilly cream and some chocolate sauce.

This recipe took a lot of testing, but I’m happy with the result, a soft, tender loaf with great banana flavour that works every time. Simple ingredients, simple method, and a banana bread you can rely on.

I hope you enjoy baking and eating this one as much as I did. If you make it, please let me know how it turns out. Happy baking and bon appétit! – JB

Watch How To Make It

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JB’s Banana Bread

Author: Chef JB (RecipeTin)

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cooling: 1 hour hr

Total: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Sweet Baking

Western

Servings8 – 10

Tap or hover to scale

Recipe above video. The wait is finally over! After weeks of testing, tweaking and plenty of taste-testing, my banana bread is finally ready to share. Crispy golden top, caramelised sides, and a soft crumb with big banana flavours that slices like a dream. Let’s go!

Cook ModePrevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE

• Preheat oven and line loaf pan. Whisk dry ingredients together. In a seperate bowl, mash bananas, then mix in the rest of wet ingredients. Add dry to wet and mix gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) 70 minutes.

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Arrange the shelf so the loaf will sit in the middle of the oven.

• Prepare the pan – Scrunch a 40 cm / 16″ sheet of baking / parchment paper and press it into a loaf pan (21.5 x 11.5 x 7 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 x 2.75″), leaving overhang on the sides for easy lifting.

MAKING THE BATTER AND BAKE

• Whisk dry – Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice until well combined.

• Mash Bananas – In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher until mostly smooth. Measure out 1 3/4 cups – save the excess for your morning smoothie. (Note 4)

• Add wet – Add the brown sugar, eggs, extra yolk, sour cream, melted butter, oil and vanilla. Whisk until combined.

• Add dry – Pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold gently with a spatula until the flour is just incorporated. Having a few little flour lumps is ok, it’s better than overmixing which will make your banana bread firmer rather than soft.

• Fill pan – Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

• Bake – Put the banana bread in the oven and bake for 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean (turning the pan around halfway through cooking). While cooking, a crack will naturally appear along the top of your banana bread. The centre continues to expand, it pushes through the firm crust, creating that classic split. (Note 5)

• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out, and place on a wire rack. Let it cool for an hour before slicing. (Note 6)

• Serving – Serve banana bread slices slightly warm or at room temperature. It’s great on its own, or spread with a little butter. Perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a quick snack any time of the day.

Recipe Notes:

1. Baking Soda – Also known as bi-carbonate of soda, it makes the loaf rise and keeps it light. Baking powder doesn’t work as well. The banana bread wouldn’t rise as much and its texture would be different.
2. Banana ripeness – The riper the bananas, the stronger the flavour and sweetness, but the texture of the bread stays the same.

• Just ripe (yellow, no spots): light banana flavour, less sweetness.
• Ripe (yellow with a few brown spots): balanced flavour and sweetness.
• Overripe (lots of brown spots or mostly brown): deeper banana flavour and more natural sweetness.

All stages work well. The difference is in taste, not texture, the crumb will stay soft and moist regardless. Again, if you can’t find overripe bananas or don’t have time to let them ripen, don’t worry, ripe yellow bananas will still make a great banana bread!
3. Sour cream – A key element here, fat helps create a soft crumb and prevent the bread from drying out and its mild acidity triggers the baking soda to react and create the beautiful banana bread rise. Yoghurt is a great substitute. Avoid milk or buttermilk, they are thinner and can change the batter consistency, leading to a looser structure.
4. Mashing bananas – If you don’t have a masher, a fork will do the job just fine. It may take a little longer, but keep pressing and mashing until the bananas are mostly smooth with only small lumps left.
5. Baking – If your oven runs a little cooler and after 70 minutes the centre is still not cooked, simply loosely cover the top with foil and continue baking. This will prevent the crust from browning too much while the middle finishes cooking. Check every 5–10 minutes with a skewer until it comes out clean.
6. Cooling down – If you plan storing it for later, you will need to let the banana bread cool completely, this can take up to 6 hours. If you don’t, the residual heat will make the crust soggy and create excess moisture that will affect texture and shorten the shelf life.
Leftovers and Storage – Keeps for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container. If the weather is warm or humid, you can store it in the fridge. For longer storage, slice the loaf, wrap and freeze the pieces individually. This way, you can take out a slice whenever you need one. 
Nutrition per serving

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 328cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 44g (15%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 16g (25%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 22mg (7%)Sodium: 126mg (5%)Potassium: 73mg (2%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 22g (24%)Vitamin A: 248IU (5%)Vitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 35mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Keywords: banana, banana bread, banana bread recipe

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In Memory of Dozer

This photo was taken before I officially joined RecipeTin Eats. At the time, I was catering a team lunch for them. Just another job, or so I thought. It was one of the very first time I met Dozer. From the moment I stepped into the kitchen, he planted himself right next to me and stayed there almost the entire lunch, observing and supervising. I thought he was finding his bearings as the new sous-chef… but really, he was the head chef. 🦮 ♥️