Mama's Banana Bread Recipe

Prepare oven and pan

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper leaving an overhang for easy removal.

Mash bananas

Peel and mash about 3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl until mostly smooth with some small lumps — you should have roughly 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups mashed, which is represented here as 3 cups by volume mashed.

Combine wet ingredients

To the mashed bananas add 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup melted cooled unsalted butter. Mix until combined. Add 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup buttermilk; whisk until smooth and homogenous.

Whisk dry ingredients

In a separate bowl whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if using) until evenly distributed.

Combine wet and dry

Add the dry ingredients to the wet banana mixture in two additions, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; a few streaks of flour are okay. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans if using.

Transfer to pan

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. If using topping, arrange the sliced banana on top, brush lightly with 1/2 teaspoon melted butter and sprinkle 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar evenly across the surface.

Bake

Bake in the preheated oven for 55–70 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking after 30–35 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes: a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the remaining bake time.

Cool and remove

Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan edges, then lift the loaf out using the parchment overhang. Cool completely on the rack before slicing, about 1–1.5 hours, to ensure clean slices.

Slice the cooled banana bread into 10–12 slices. Serve plain, or spread with butter, cream cheese, or a drizzle of honey. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 7 days. To freeze, wrap in plastic and foil and freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.