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5 from 4 votes

Banana Bread Recipe

An easy, old-fashioned banana bread recipe. Better than Donna Hay Banana Bread!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Australian
Keyword: banana bread
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Libby Hakim

Equipment

  • 24 x 14cm loaf tin

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup SR flour (or 1 ¾ cup plain/all purpose flour + 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarb soda
  • 60 grams butter (chopped into cubes)
  • ¾ cup brown or castor sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from approx ½ lemon)
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • ¾ cup mashed banana (from approx 2 medium or 3 small bananas)
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

  • Grease a loaf tin (24 x 14cm) and line with baking paper.
  • Pre-heat oven to moderate, 180 degrees celsius/355 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced).
  • Sift flour, salt, bicarb soda and cinnamon (if adding) into a mixing bowl. Rub butter into this mixture.
  • Add sugar, lemon rind and walnuts (if adding) and stir through until combined.
  • Add beaten egg, mashed bananas and milk. Stir through until just combined. Do not overmix or beat the mixture.
  • Pour mixture into tin and smooth out the top a little.
  • Bake for 35 minutes or until a golden brown colour.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Notes

Storing:
Allow to cool completely and then wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature. It should last a few days.
Freezing:
Banana Bread freezes well. Slice it up, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in portions. It can then be thawed out, piece by piece, and enjoyed over a few months.
Baking time:
The baking time is 35 minutes or until the loaf is a lovely golden brown colour.
Do not open the oven door until you're fairly certain the Banana Bread is cooked. Opening the door too early can result in a loaf that dips in the middle.
Also resist the temptation to stick a skewer in the loaf to see if it's done – unless you want to risk seeing your loaf sink in a few seconds. Instead, lightly tough the top to feel for firmness – it should keep its shape and bounce back.
The best way to gauge whether your loaf is cooked is by looking at the time and the colour of the loaf.
Nutrition:
The nutrition information is an automatically generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Tips:
The most important thing about the ingredients is to make sure you use VERY RIPE bananas. The riper the better! You can also freeze your overripe bananas and then thaw them out to use in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 163IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg