Banana Bread (The Good One)

I have made a lot of banana bread over the years — particularly a great deal of it during the period when everyone on earth suddenly started baking — and this is the version I keep coming back to. It is deeply moist, not too sweet, and has a slightly crisp crust on top that gives way to a soft, dense crumb. It is also extremely forgiving, which is good because it tends to get made with bananas that have been forgotten on the bench for several days too long.

The browner the bananas, the better. Black is ideal. A banana with no brown spots has no business in banana bread. The browning converts the starch to sugar, which is what gives the bread its natural sweetness and that characteristic banana intensity.

A slice is excellent plain, genuinely excellent with butter, and almost indecently good toasted with butter. My household goes through a loaf in two days. I've started making two at once and freezing one, which is either very efficient or evidence that I don't learn from experience. Probably both.

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas (about 300g peeled)
• 175g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 130g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 80ml neutral oil or melted butter
• 60ml buttermilk or plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g walnuts or choc chips (optional)

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Grease a standard loaf tin (23 × 13cm) and line with baking paper. Mash the bananas thoroughly with a fork until almost smooth — a few lumps are fine.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. Add the mashed banana and stir to combine.

Step 3

Sift over the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold gently until just combined — do not overmix. Fold through the walnuts or choc chips if using. A few streaks of flour are fine.

Step 4

Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 55–65 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out. Slice when warm or wait if you can manage it.