Super Easy Banana Bread

This best ever SUPER EASY BANANA BREAD recipe is absolutely moist and delicious! Just a few easy steps combining overripe bananas with the secret ingredient of sour cream and you’ll be devouring this amazing bread in no time. The best part is that it’s freezer friendly and perfect to give as a gift!

Banana Bread is a gift-giving staple. I’ve given and received so many delicious loaves over the years so I knew I needed to perfect the recipe to make it the best. Not only does it need to be over-the-top delicious, but I knew it had to be easy to make with just a few simple steps. I DID IT! Seriously, it’s the very best banana bread I have ever eaten and I know you will love it too!

HOW TO MAKE IT

To summarize, all you have to do is:

CREAM– butter and sugar together. I think that using softened butter as apposed to melted then makes the bread much fluffier.

ADD– eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas.

FOLD– in sour cream

ADD– flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and until JUST combined. This is important. Overmixing the batter can cause it to be too dense so I recommend just barely mixing it together slowly until you don’t see any more dry ingredients. Then you’ll know it’s ready.

BAKE– 40-50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the middle doesn’t jiggle, a toothpick comes out clean, and the edges start pulling away from the side of the pan.

STORE– covered at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.

INGREDIENTS

BUTTER: salted and unsalted will work for this recipe. If you decide to use unsalted butter, you may want to add more salt. Salt will add balance to sweet flavors and actually enhance the sweetness. Sounds strange but it actually works!

MASHED BANANAS: 1 cup is needed which usually turns out to be 3 small bananas or 2 large ones.

SOUR CREAM: this is what makes the banana bread so moist and flavorful. It seems strange but it’s crucial. I do think that both regular and lite do equally well.

CINNAMON: this is optional but I think it gives it a good flavor.

BUDGET/TIME-SAVING IDEAS

I am always looking for ideas to save money or time. Here are a couple of ways this could help you if this recipe is out of budget or you are on a time crunch:

• margarine could be used in place of butter
• freeze bananas ahead of time. Peel the bananas, freeze them, and allow to thaw completely before using them.

IS BANANA BREAD FREEZER FRIENDLY?

This Super Easy Banana Bread recipe is very freezer friendly! Tightly wrap banana bread with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag removing as much air as possible. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, allow bread to that at room temperature or place a slice of bread on a microwave a piece of bread on high for approximately 15-25 seconds.

HELPFUL TIPS

If the top is getting too brown while baking, move the bread lower one rack in the oven. Or try making an aluminum foil “hat”, which just means to place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the pan without pinching the sides down. This will allow the heat to escape and reduce the possibility of a soggy top.

Over-baking will lead to dry bread.

The batter is thick. This is totally normal.

Do not use more than 3 bananas or it may cause the bread to be too dense.

Try not to over-mix the batter. Combine dry ingredients JUST until you do not see any more dry ingredients in the bowl.

If you’re looking for healthy alternatives, try using lite sour cream in place of regular. Or use margarine instead of butter. Just be sure the margarine is good for baking.

SUPER EASY BANANA BREAD HIGHLIGHTS

It really is super easy- almost no fail!

Extremely moist!

Freezer friendly!

Addictively delicious!