Super Moist Classic Banana Bread (Bakery Style Recipe)

Dry banana bread can easily be transformed into several delicious treats! Make French toast, brush warm slices with melted butter, use it in bread pudding, or create a trifle with vanilla pudding and whipped cream. For everyday enjoyment, simply toast and spread with honey butter or cream cheese to add moisture back into each slice.

Dense banana bread usually happens because of overmixing the batter or using too much flour. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until they're incorporated - a few small lumps are fine. Also, make sure to measure flour correctly using the spoon and level method rather than scooping directly from the bag.

Yes! Frozen bananas work perfectly in banana bread. I always keep portioned amounts of mashed frozen bananas in the freezer that can quickly be thawed and added to the banana bread batter. If working with whole frozen bananas, let them thaw completely, then drain off any excess liquid before mashing. The natural sugars concentrate during freezing, which can actually result in more flavorful bread.

The riper, the better! Wait until your bananas are very spotty and dark brown- almost black. These super-ripe bananas are sweeter and more flavorful, creating the most delicious banana bread. If your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, see my tips above for quickly ripening them.

Store cooled banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap it tightly in wax paper, then sustainable cling film, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Individual slices can be frozen between layers of parchment paper for easy thawing.

A sunken center usually means the bread is undercooked or there's too much leavening agent. Make sure to test the center with a toothpick before removing from the oven - it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Also double-check that you're using the correct amount of baking soda (using too much can cause it to rise too much too fast, and then collapse in on itself).

Yes, you can reduce the sugar by ½ cup (100g) without significantly affecting the texture. Very ripe bananas add natural sweetness, so you may not miss the extra sugar. However, keep in mind that sugar contributes to moisture and tenderness, so reducing it too much can affect the final texture.

While both work well, I prefer butter for its rich flavor and also because in this particular recipe, it's impossibly moist anyway, so there is no need for oil. While oil can make slightly moister bread in other recipes, butter creates better flavor and a more tender crumb. If using oil, choose a neutral-flavored one like vegetable, canola, avocado oil, or grape seed oil.

Yes, but you'll need to adjust the amount. Use 2 teaspoons of baking powder to replace every ½ teaspoon of baking soda called for in the recipe. However, baking soda helps brown the bread better, so your color may be lighter if using baking powder.

A bitter taste usually means too much baking soda was used. Measure carefully - you only need 1 teaspoon per 1-2 cups of flour. Also make sure your baking soda is fresh and distributed evenly throughout the dry ingredients. With this recipe, you'll never have bitter banana banana bread!

If you're short on bananas, you can substitute the missing amount with unsweetened applesauce or mashed avocado to maintain moisture. For every ½ cup of mashed banana needed, use ½ cup of applesauce or mashed avocado.

Undercooked centers usually happen when the oven temperature is too high (causing the outside to cook faster than the inside), the pan is too small, or the batter contains too much moisture (adding too much fresh or frozen fruit for instance). Use an oven thermometer to verify temperature and make sure you're using a the right size loaf pan the recipe calls for.

A properly baked banana bread should be golden brown on the outside and light yellow with brown speckles to light caramel colored on the inside (see photos above for reference). The color comes from the bananas and sugar caramelizing during baking. If it's really yellow inside, it likely needs more time in the oven.

Don't throw out that dry or over-baked banana bread! There are several delicious ways to salvage it. My favorite rescue method is to transform it into French toast - the custard mixture helps restore moisture while creating a whole new breakfast treat. You can also warm slices and brush them with melted butter, use them as a base for bread pudding, or cube the bread to make a trifle layered with vanilla pudding and whipped cream. For a quick fix, simply toast a slice and spread it generously with honey butter or cream cheese

The best bananas to use for making banana bread run the spectrum from deeply speckled bananas with some yellow, but mostly brown color all the way to completely black/brown (my preferred banana ripeness). See the photos above so you don't have to guess!

The science behind this is simple: as bananas ripen, their starches convert to natural sugars, dramatically intensifying both the flavor and aroma. You'll be rewarded with an incredibly fragrant, naturally sweet banana bread with that perfect moist texture. Just be sure to use the bananas before any mold appears - while we want them very (overly) ripe, they should still be food-safe.

For this classic bakery-style banana bread recipe (and most recipes), you'll need 2 ½ to 3 medium sized bananas (1 cup total mashed bananas) to make banana bread. If you're a little short on bananas you can add mashed avocado or applesauce to equal the full cup.

For perfectly baked banana bread, use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature - it should register 200-206°F when inserted into the center. This takes the guesswork out of determining doneness, especially since quick breads can be tricky to test with just a toothpick. Small loaves can finish baking in 45 minutes, while larger loaves can take up to 70 minutes to bake.

Banana bread lasts up to 4 days at room temperature tightly wrapped and up to 1 week in the refrigerator, and up to 3 months in the freezer. Check out more details in the Storage section above. During hotter summer months, I don't like to let the bread go past 3 days at room temperature.