Banana Bread Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray and line with parchment leaving a 1-inch overhang for easy removal.

Place ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth with some small lumps — you should have about 1 1/2 cups.

To the mashed bananas, add the melted and cooled butter. Whisk to combine so the mixture loosens and becomes glossy.

Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt (or sour cream) to the banana-butter mixture. Whisk until homogenous and slightly airy, about 30–45 seconds.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon (if using) until evenly distributed.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture into it. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined. Stop folding when no large streaks of flour remain; the batter should be slightly thick and lumpy. Overmixing will make the bread dense.

If using nuts or chocolate chips, fold in 1/2 cup now, reserving a small handful for sprinkling on top.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with an angled spatula. Sprinkle reserved nuts or chocolate chips and place sliced banana on top if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50–65 minutes. Begin checking at 50 minutes: insert a toothpick into the center — it should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 30–35 minutes.

Once a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Using the parchment overhang, lift the loaf out and transfer to the wire rack. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing for best texture (longer cooling yields cleaner slices).

Slice and serve at room temperature. Store any leftovers wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze slices up to 3 months.