Banana Bread Recipe (Bulk Recipe

I had some bananas in the freezer (OK, rather a few) so I thought it was time I used them so I made a banana bread recipe from my favorite bread cookbook (affiliate link), Secrets of a Jewish Baker. In the future I will make one big adjustment – I will add either chopped semi-sweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips.

While this banana bread is good, it just needs that bit of chocolate to make it great. For now I am melting a little with some butter and drizzling a little over each piece when I eat it. When I pull the other loaves from the freezer I will do a big drizzle over the whole loaf before cutting. It’s always nice when you can find a fix, right?

The recipe makes three loaves so it’s perfect to use up those “mature” bananas. The bread freezes very well and once it thaws you would never know it had been in the freezer.

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Table of Contents

Simple Banana Bread

Makes 3 loaves

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1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups mashed, ripe banana – about 6 bananas
6 eggs, beaten
6 cups cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 TBS pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (optional but suggested)
sugar in the raw for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350
Grease 3 9″ loaf pans
Melt the butter and let cool.

two bowls; one with wet and one with dry ingredients

In a medium bowl mix together the cooled, melted butter and sugars.
Add the banana and stir in the eggs, one at a time.
In a separate, large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
If adding the chocolate chips add them now to the flour mixture. Stir to coat.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine. Do not overmix.

Add the batter evenly to the three pans. (I weigh them so that they are evenly distributed for better baking)
If desired, sprinkle some sugar in the raw over the top of the batter
Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 45 – 60 minutes. (I realize that is a huge margin. Look at 45 minutes. If the bread is not ready just check again every five minutes. If a tester comes out clean it is done. )

Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes then remove from the pans to cool completely.

How Was the Banana Bread?

It is a very moist bread with a delightful banana flavor. I do think that it does need the addition of the chocolate to make this the best it can be. There is just something missing without it. I also think adding something like chopped strawberries would do the trick as well.

Or chocolate AND strawberries. Mmmmm, like an ice cream sundae in a bread.

A contrast of some kind is needed in the bread. At least in my opinion. Now that I have thrown that strawberry idea out there….hmmmm. Perhaps I will try that next time. If I do, I will share the results.