Donna Hay Banana Bread is a moist, sweet one-bowl bread made with mashed, ripe bananas and an ample dose of brown sugar. You can mix it in a bowl with a spatula, no electric mixer required.
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This no-yeast bread is one of those basic recipes that every household should have.
Toasted banana bread slathered with butter is a comforting start to a brisk morning.
Another comforting dessert is Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars.
Donna Hay’s Banana Bread recipe is a classic for a reason and one of those basic recipes that every household should have.
Also, her recipe is very similar to my mother’s–albeit with more sugar.
Banana bread is perfect for fall or winter or even spring or when you've just got bananas that are too ripe to eat as is.
If you like breakfast pastry recipes, try Mini Pumpkin Spice Scones.
Another good brunch pastry is St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (aka The Cake You Won't Stop Eating).
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You can mix up this banana bread by hand--with a spatula or a sturdy wooden spoon-no electric mixer required.
- Banana bread is frugal and reduces food waste because you're baking with bananas that might be too ripe for someone to eat out of hand.
- It's quick to mix up. If you're efficient, this bread can be in the oven in under 15 minutes.
- However, it does take an hour and 15 minutes to bake so pick a time to bake this maybe on the weekend or when you're home early from the day.
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Ingredients
- Ripe bananas
- Oil (Vegetable, canola or grapeseed)
- All purpose flour or self raising flour
- Baking powder if using all-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground cinnamon (I like Vietnamese cinnamon)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F
- Grease a 9-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- Mash 2 to 3 ripe bananas with a large fork or meat mallet.
- Add oil, lightly beaten eggs and vanilla and stir.
- Measure dry ingredients and add to the bowl—flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon.
- Mix until just combined with a spatula.
- Pour into loaf pan.
- Bake for 75 minutes.
- Check if after an hour by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the break is done.
- Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.
- Slice and serve with spreadable butter.
Hint: Use a toothpick to stick in the middle of the loaf, all the way down if possible to test for doneness. If the toothpick is still sticky, the bread needs more time. If the toothpick comes out clean or with just a very few crumbs, the bread is done baking.
Substitutions
- Oil - If you don't have oil, you could use an equal amount of melted butter.
- Eggs - If you're out of eggs, you could try swapping them for a half-cup of apple sauce. Be aware that this will result in a denser loaf of bread.
- Gluten-free - Try this recipe for Low-Carb Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Variations
- Spices - you could add a teaspoon of pumpkin spice in place of or in addition to the cinnamon. Or you could add a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Or grate a bit of fresh nutmeg to the batter.
- Chocolate - add ½ cup of chocolate chips--whatever you have, milk or semi-sweet or dark.
- Nutty - add ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the mixture before you bake it for banana nut bread.
Equipment
Use a decent loaf pan for this recipe so your bread doesn't burn.
" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">This one is my favorite because it's sturdy and non-stick.Storage
Store bread in an airtight container for up to five days.
Banana bread freezes well.
I like to slice the bread, wrap individually and then freeze in a freezer-safe container for quick weekday breakfasts. Freeze up to three months.
It takes just a couple minutes to toast a slice of frozen banana bread and slather with butter or almond butter.
Top tip
Make sure you use ripe bananas. Ripe bananas smell sweet and are covered thoroughly in brown spots and or black streaks. The riper your bananas, the sweeter and moister your bread will turn out.
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Recipe
Donna Hay Banana Bread
Donna Hay Banana Bread is a moist, sweet bread thanks to mashed bananas and an ample dose of brown sugar.
This no-yeast bread is one of those basic recipes that every household should have.
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe bananas, peeled, chopped and mashed
- ½ cup oil, use vegetable or canola or grapeseed
- 3 eggs, large, lightly beaten
- 1-½ cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ cups all purpose flour with
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Prepare a nine-inch loaf pan by spraying it with a baking spray like Pam or Baker’s Secret.
Line pan with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Peel, chop and mash bananas in a medium bowl.
In another bowl, measure flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Do you know how to measure flour accurately? FLOUR BOX
Break eggs one at a time and pour into a bowl. Beat eggs lightly using a fork or a whisk–until the yolks (the colored part) are broken and combined together.
Add mashed banana, oil and brown sugar.
Whisk until combined, maybe 20 strokes.
Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
Stir until just combined–no white streaks remain.
Pour the banana bread batter into the load pan.
Bake at 325 for an hour and 15 minutes.
Pay attention to how the bread smells.
The top of the bread will be a dark brown. If the bread looks like it’s getting too dark but it still isn’t done, you can cover the top with foil.
To check for doneness, stick a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. If there are crumbs clinging to the tooth pick, the bread isn’t done yet.
Once finished baking, remove the bread from the oven and let rest on a wire rack for an hour.
Notes
Make sure your bananas are ripe. That means they are littered with brown spots and black spots.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 287Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 70mgSodium 156mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 2gSugar 17gProtein 4g
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