Do you ever just have a pile of rotting bananas lying around and don’t know what to do with them? Chances are, you or your parents might have gone to Costco in the past week and bought one too many bundles of bananas. Since there’s only so much you can make with fresh, ripe bananas, you may likely be left with a lot of their browning and unappealing counterparts. While most people might throw them away, every baker knows that those tragically wilting bananas are the hidden key to the tastiest banana bread ever. It’s actually a scientific thing– the complex starches in the banana break down into simple sugars like fructose as it ripens, delivering a sweeter, heartier banana flavor. Additionally, as the starches are broken down, the banana becomes softer and easier to incorporate into the batter, resulting in a moister loaf. So if you’re looking for a yummy way to get rid of those sad-looking bananas, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 overripe bananas
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup browned, cooled, and unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: chocolate chips/chunks
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Prepare a loaf pan of your desired size by either oiling the edges with a high-smoke-point oil or lining the edges with sheets of parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, melt your butter over a medium-low heat until brown solids start forming at the bottom. Make sure to stir constantly, and immediately take off the stove once slightly brown. The solids will continue to darken even when off the heat, so make sure not to burn your browned butter. Let it cool until room temperature.
- In a large bowl, mash 2 bananas and sugar together until mixed well.
- Add the room-temperature browned butter, eggs, and vanilla to the banana-sugar mixture, whisking until homogenous.
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt, making sure not to over-mix the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, mash the rest of the bananas and add them to the batter.
- *Optional: mix in your desired amount of chocolate into the batter.
- Pour the banana bread batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the loaf and check if it comes out dry. If there is still wet batter clinging to the toothpick, bake the loaf for a few minutes longer.
- Let your banana bread cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, and enjoy!
So whenever you have leftover bananas lying around your house, do yourself a favor and make this delicious recipe. And as people say, when life gives you bananas, make banana bread!
