Banana Soft Recipe

Prepare oven and pan

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan or 9x5-inch pan with 1 tablespoon butter, then line with parchment paper leaving an overhang for easy removal.

Mash bananas

Peel and place very ripe bananas in a large bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth with a few small lumps remaining (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups mashed per medium banana; total ~2 cups).

Combine wet ingredients

To the mashed bananas add the melted butter, both sugars, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until combined and slightly glossy, about 30–45 seconds.

Mix dry ingredients

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon (if using) until evenly distributed.

Fold wet into dry

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two additions, folding gently with a spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Avoid overmixing to keep the loaf soft and tender.

Add mix-ins

Fold in the nuts and/or chocolate chips if using, reserving a small handful to sprinkle on top.

Transfer to pan and top

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle reserved mix-ins and turbinado sugar evenly over the surface for a slight crunch.

Bake

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 50–65 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). If the top browns too quickly after ~30 minutes, tent loosely with foil.

Rest and cool

Remove the loaf from the oven and let rest in the pan on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes. Then use the parchment overhang to lift the loaf out of the pan and continue cooling on the rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. This finishing time helps the crumb set so slices are soft but not gummy.

Serve

Slice with a serrated knife and serve warm or at room temperature. Optionally spread butter or cream cheese on slices. Store cooled leftovers wrapped at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated up to 5 days; warm briefly before serving.