Rich Banana Bread Recipe
This rich banana bread is moist, buttery, and packed with ripe bananas, toasted walnuts, and raisins for an easy homemade loaf.
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe medium bananas mashed, about 1¼ cups
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper if desired.
- Mash the bananas until mostly smooth and measure out about 1¼ cups.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together for 2 to 3 minutes, until lighter and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the raisins and toasted walnuts.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top gently.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover the loaf with foil and continue baking.
- Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least another 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Use heavily spotted, soft bananas for the strongest banana flavor.
- Measure the mashed bananas rather than relying only on the number of bananas.
- Do not overmix once the flour has been added.
- Toast the walnuts at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes and let them cool before adding them to the batter.
- If your raisins are dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, drain, and pat them completely dry.
- Store the cooled loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.