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Classic Moist Banana Bread

Classic moist banana bread made with ripe mashed bananas and melted butter for a tender, golden loaf. Baked until a toothpick comes out clean, then cooled briefly for a soft, buttery crumb.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 57 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 7 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread base
  • 3 ripe bananas Use very ripe, heavily spotted bananas.
  • 0.33 cup melted butter
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt Use a pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp).
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
  2. Mash the ripe bananas in a large bowl, then stir in the melted butter until smooth.
Mix the batter
  1. Stir in the sugar, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
  2. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture, then stir to distribute evenly.
  3. Add the all-purpose flour and fold just until no dry flour remains.
Bake and cool
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
  2. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  3. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

For the best texture, use very ripe bananas and stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears—overmixing makes banana bread tough. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days; freeze yes (slice, wrap well, freeze up to 2-3 months). For a lighter version, you can use melted unsalted butter and reduce sugar by 2 tbsp without changing the bake time.