Not-so-perfect Banana Bread

There is nothing better than using up super ripe bananas in banana bread. It’s one of my favorites, along with banana muffins, for a quick breakfast (once cooked of course).

So after finding every excuse to not bake (too tired, too late, it has to be in the oven for an hour and I want to go to bed) I finally realized that if I waited any longer the bananas wouldn’t be good for anything.

I pulled out my trusty Joy of Cooking for their recipe to confirm my 3 bananas would be enough and fantastic! Then came the moment of truth – were the bananas still okay? Without even checking the recipe steps I just plopped the bananas into my mixer’s bowl.

Why did the recipe steps matter? Well, I was supposed to cream the sugar and butter first, THEN add the banana and other wet ingredients. Instead I just opted to do both of those steps together. And well, it kinda worked.

It worked in that everything got mixed. But in my haste, the butter was still really cold so didn’t fully incorporate/cream with the sugar so the batter was lumpy at the end. It was the end of a long day so I just said “f*** it” and put it in the pan to bake.

The final result? Not so risen bread. Super buttery. Super delicious. But not a great loaf by any standards.

It’s just a little flat. It barely rose. Now, banana bread doesn’t require a rising time like most breads, hence the name “quick bread,” but it should still rise a bit while it bakes. The bread was a bit dense and the bottom just didn’t look great. Not sure how to explain that.

Did I still eat it and enjoy it? HECK YES!

Was it perfect? Nope.

So pro tip: always check the recipe first. Follow the directions. I’ll talk later about which ones I fudge a little bit, but the creaming on butter and sugar before adding other stuff? Pretty good one to always follow.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter softened/at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2-3 bananas

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. 

2. Cream the sugar and butter together in a stand mixer until creamy.

3. Beat in the eggs and bananas.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add gradually to the wet ingredients. 

5. Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake the bread for 1 hour, or until a toothpick or fork inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, then unmold.