Banana bread
| Serves | 10 |
|---|---|
| Time | 1 h 15 min |
| Per serving | 248 kcal (2475 for the batch) |
| Contains | dairy, egg, wheat, gluten |
| Contributed by | Dan F. |
| Tags | baking · breakfast · quick bread |
| Calories are computed from the ingredient records. Approximate. | |
Description
A melted-butter quick bread, which makes it the friendliest recipe in the book for substitutions: oil, yogurt, honey and flax all have a place here.
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | Its job here | Swaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Bananas, very ripe, mashed | moisture | none |
| 1/2 cup | Butter, melted | melted | 5 options |
| 3/4 cup | Granulated sugar | sweet | 2 options |
| 1 | Egg | bind | 2 options |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla extract | aroma | none |
| 1 tsp | Baking soda | leaven-dry | none |
| 1/4 tsp | Kosher salt | season | none |
| 1 1/2 cups | All-purpose flour | structure | 1 option |
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas, then the sugar, egg and vanilla.
- Sprinkle over the soda and salt, then fold in the flour just until combined.
- Bake 55–65 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning out.
Substitutions for this recipe
Rules come from each ingredient's record and are resolved for the job the ingredient does in this recipe. Confidence is the community's, not a guarantee.
| Instead of | Use | How much | What changes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | Coconut oil | 1/2 cup (× 1) | One-for-one. Chill it first if the recipe creams; use refined to avoid coconut flavor. ⚠ Labeled as a tree nut by the FDA; check with anyone who avoids tree nuts. |
●●○ medium |
| Butter | Greek yogurt | replace half the butter with the same volume of yogurt | Swap half the melted butter for yogurt; the loaf stays moist and tightens slightly. ⚠ Quick breads only. Do not use in cookies, shortbread, crusts, or pans. rule for: melted |
●●○ medium |
| Butter | Margarine | 1/2 cup (× 1) | Nearly identical result. Cookies spread slightly more and taste a little flatter. | ●●● high |
| Butter | Olive oil | 3/8 cup (× 0.75) | Use ¾ the amount; mix with the wet ingredients. Moister, keeps longer. ⚠ Oil cannot be creamed. Where the recipe creams butter and sugar, the texture changes a lot. rule for: melted |
●●● high |
| Butter | Vegetable shortening | 1/2 cup (× 1) | Taller, softer cookies and flakier crusts, but no butter flavor. Add ⅛ tsp salt per ½ cup. ⚠ Flavor loss is obvious in shortbread and pound cake. |
●●● high |
| Granulated sugar | Honey | .56 cup (× 0.75) | Use ¾ the volume. Reduce other liquid by 3 tbsp per cup of honey, add ¼ tsp baking soda per cup, and lower the oven 25°F: honey browns fast. ⚠ Never for infants under one year. |
●●○ medium |
| Granulated sugar | Maple syrup | .56 cup (× 0.75) | Use ¾ the volume and reduce other liquid by 3 tbsp per cup of syrup. Milder browning than honey; flavor shows in quick breads. | ●●○ medium |
| Egg | Applesauce | ¼ cup applesauce per egg | ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce per egg. Adds moisture; the crumb tightens. ⚠ Quick breads and muffins only. |
●●○ medium |
| Egg | Ground flaxseed | 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg | Per egg: 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes. Binds well; slightly denser, faintly nutty. ⚠ Binds but does not leaven. Reliable up to two eggs; beyond that the bake goes heavy. |
●●○ medium |
| All-purpose flour | Gluten-free flour blend | 1 1/2 cups (× 1) | One-for-one with a blend that includes xanthan gum. Rest the batter 30 minutes. Crumb is more delicate; cookies are a bit sandier. ⚠ For yeast breads a blend is not enough; that needs a different recipe. |
●●○ medium |