Two, Too Ripe Bananas

I bet there is at least one thing we all have in common. At some point during the month, we all have at least two bananas that are too ripe to peel and eat. They sit on the counter staring at us for several days. Each time I walk past them I’m reminded I need to do something with them soon. All the while, they continue to become dark and mushy.

A Snippet of Banana Bread History

During the Great Depression (the early 1930s) in America, employment was down and everyone had to be wise about not wasting the little food that was available. This included overripe bananas. It became common to create food loaves to stretch out supplies, create nutrient-dense meals, and yes, use everything they had. Some historians have claimed that it was thrifty housewives looking to use up their overripe bananas who came up with the recipes for modern banana bread. It’s more likely, however, that corporate kitchens developed and promoted the recipe, to reduce food waste and help home cooks add a nutritional boost to their baking. ^[1]The History of Banana Bread https://www.secondshistory.com/home/history-of-banana-bread.

Maybe it’s me but I think it is all of us, I strive to use all of the food I have been given. It has even become a challenge (internally) to see what I can create for a meal without running to the store. Just being grateful~

You Have Options

Eventually, I either peel and freeze the bananas or I bake if I’m feeling really energetic. The popular answer is to bake banana bread. I have a tried and true recipe that I can make really quick without a lot of thought. It is predictable and always delicious. Be sure to consider some of my ideas below for making this bread uniquely yours. Before you know it, your house will smell heavenly.

Banana bread that’s predictable and always delicious.

Just a Few Change-Ups

Even with a dependable recipe on hand, I often try to change up my go-to ingredients so that my bread is a bit healthier. I look for grass-fed, organic options for eggs and dairy. I use ghee butter or coconut oil as the fat in almost all of my baking recipes. You might also like to try substituting coconut sugar or raw honey for processed sugars. Occasionally, I change the flavor a bit by adding almond extract or coffee (see recipe notes below). What matters is that I am using those two, too ripe bananas and getting them off of my counter.

Quick Banana Bread

Kristy Dodson

This banana bread recipe will quickly become your go-to when you need to use those ripe bananas or simply want something warm and comforting. It is not too sweet and you can easily make it your own by following my simple tips.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Equipment

• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 electric mixer
• 1 9 x 5 loaf pan

Ingredients

  

• ¾ cup sugar For darker bread, brown sugar also works well. Add up to 1 cup of sugar if you want sweeter bread.
• ¼ cup Ghee clarified butter Unsalted, softened butter works great too
• 3 ripe bananas You want about 1 2/3 cups mashed banana
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt organic, plain
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour, unbleached I use King Arthur in just about everything I bake.
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or almond extract optional
• ½ cup walnuts or chocolate chips both optional, depending on your taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350. Coat a 9×5 glass loaf pan with coconut oil or cooking spray. If your coconut oil is solidified, simply place a spoonful in the pan and let it melt for one minute in your warm oven.
• Mix the sugar and ghee/butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• Add the bananas, milk, yogurt and eggs to the sugar mixture and blend uon low speedntil smooth. A few small banana lumps are okay.
• Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.
• Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until combined.
• If you are adding nuts or chocolate chips, stir them in at this time.
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
• Bake for approximately 1 hour.

Notes

Feel free to mix up what you add to your bread.

• Use raw honey in place of some of the sugar.
• Add cinnamon or nutmeg to give your bread a new twist.
• Try soaking the mashed bananas in 1 cup of brewed coffee before adding them to the batter. Simply soak for about 30 minutes (or less depending on your time), drain the coffee, and continue the recipe.

This bread freezes well. I recommend slicing the bread and freezing the slices individually. This way you can pull out exactly what you need, toast, and serve.

Keyword banana bread, breakfast, snack

Save for Later

Like me, you may find that you have part of this bread left after a day or two. I recommend slicing the bread and freezing it as individual slices. This makes it easy to pull out exactly what you need. Warm the bread in the microwave or toast it in the toaster oven and drizzle with ghee butter….so delicious!!

Breakfast Like Vacation

Make french toast with your banana bread. This unexpected twist to breakfast makes an ordinary Saturday feel like a vacation. I will warn you that this is a rich, decadent version of an old favorite and it might make you want to spend the day relaxing by the pool or simply go back to bed…it is that good!

Banana Bread French Toast

• Mix 3 eggs, cream (whole milk or whipping cream), and one teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
• Soak the banana bread slices in the egg mixture
• Cook on a griddle or in a skillet for about 2-3 minutes per side. I like mine a little crunchy on the edges so I go the full 3 minutes.
• Top the banana bread with toasted pecans and serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh strawberries, and bananas.

Go ahead and make a second pot of coffee-you’ll be glad you did.