• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Broke foodies

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact us

The Very Best Banana Bread Recipe | Lea’s Recipes

May 29, 2020 By Idriss 6 Comments

86 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
Excuse the hyperbole but I had to get your attention. I do believe that it is the very best banana bread, but it also makes me cringe saying so. So please play along so I may convince you. I’ll ask you a few questions, keep up.
What’s the best banana bread you’ve ever had? Or rather, WHEN was the last BEST banana bread you’ve ever had? For us… Last week, when we remade this recipe for the 3rd time in May. It’s that good. Even an inflexible grumpy and spice-hating taste-tester dubbed this: excellent banana bread.
Another said it was more like spice cake than banana bread, but she’s part hater-gater anyway (joke Mom, love you). So, what will you say about what I’m calling my absolute favorite Banana Bread EVER? Will you call me out on it, or love me forever for providing you with your favorite go-to banana bread recipe? There’s a mystery ingredient in here that I bet you won’t guess ahead of time (no cheating! read through).

It’s no secret that I (Lea) love cinnamon and would add a quarter cup ground cinnamon to whatever loaf I’m making (okay I’m exaggerating but the point is) — cinnamon is not the secret ingredient. It does take bold position in the flavor notes of the recipe, but the secret ingredient is actually balsamic vinegar.

*audible gasp*

“Balsamic vinegar in a baking recipe?” Yes, yes indeed.

So walk with me here: what’s one of the best fluffy pancakes in the world?

Buttermilk, right? Okay.
And who actually has buttermilk in their fridge on a regular basis? NOT ME.

(We walk our behinds to the grocery store and carry everything back by foot so I am not about to start buying 3 types of milk. Correction. Upon realization we often, indeed, buy three types of milk on a regular basis: I’m not about to add 1 more litre of buttermilk on the off chance I want to bake half-rotten bananas!!! Thus.)

What does one do when they’re out of buttermilk? They add vinegar to milk and call it a day.
Well… same concept, tastier vinegar!
I simply love how the taste of balsamic vinegar compliments certain fruits.
Haven’t we all: previously paired strawberries and figs with balsamic? Same, but prior to this recipe – I had not yet with bananas. Happy to say with spices it is pulled off quite well. I don’t believe I’ve ever come across any other baked good recipe that featured balsamic vinegar (tell me – have you??) but I’ll ask you to trust me here.

Important note:

we have collected a few different bottles of vinegar over the year and while developing this recipe I tasted each one to determine preference. I took the sweetest one (my favorites have notes of cherry & wood) and that is usually the one with more leaves.

Trick:

On the front of the label, your balsamic vinegar should have an indication of how many leaves strength that particular bottle is, that changes the taste and consistency sometimes too. Keep that in mind. Another great way to know how strong in flavor your balsamic is compared to another is by observing sugar content. Ours ranged between 12-14 g sugar per tablespoon. If yours is higher than that, you’ll have a sweeter and likely thicker vinegar. Under that, it will likely be quite tart, thinner, and/or just strong. Observe which you prefer for some culinary fun.

If you don’t like the taste of balsamic vinegar, acceptable substitutes are: white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, mirin or rice vinegar. Get creative. Taste test before adding eggs.

Importantly: Have fun!
Keep on reading if you’d like to get more in-depth in how to make this recipe or are a beginner cook making banana bread for the first time.
We got you *flex*.

How to Make Banana Bread

Making banana bread is so easy – all you need are the right ingredients and patience for your bananas to be ripe enough.

Start by preheating your oven to 350F and get your ingredients and tools out. Once you’re ready, start mixing the oil and sugar together in a large bowl — whisk violently until combined and you notice the texture of the mixture change (maybe even the color depending on your olive oil). Next step is adding wet ingredients like the fruit & other wet ingredients. There’s no right or wrong way to mush the bananas, it’s all preference, but do add them in with the wet ingredients. Add in all the wet ingredients after you think you’ve whisked enough — there’s no right or wrong amount of time really, it’s quite a simple recipe. The wet ingredients are everything except the spices and flour. Sugar usually counts as a wet ingredient and in this case, we’ve already used it up with the oil!

Note: If you like banana bread with extra banana chunks, feel free to add an extra banana or keep some of the banana chunky. You can add the extra banana at the end once you’ve mixed wet and dry so it stays separate from the batter for that chunky vibe.

Combine the wet ingredients until it seems completely well-mixed. Then, in a separate bowl (can be smaller or of equal size) dump in your dry ingredients and mix until the cinnamon is evenly dispersed. This should hopefully be an indication of how well the rest of the ingredients are mixed in too! That way we avoid overmixing once we combine wet + dry.

Combine wet + dry by folding or stirring. Do not whisk like a maniac at this point. Gentle, avoiding to over-mix.

Now, set your mix aside and prepare your baking tin: you’re looking for a big loaf pan (or two smaller ones** adjust cooking time accordingly).  Ours is 4.5″X12″ — you can use a more standard one, as long as you do not fill more than 7/8 of the tin. It’s best to make pancakes with the remaining batter if you do not have enough to fill a second smaller tin but only have smaller tins to start with. Fill the tin with parchment paper. Idriss’ favorite trick to do so easily is to crumple a piece into a ball, then straighten it out, push it in the tin, and steady it in place with clips like you see in the photo below. These can safely go in the oven, too, so no fuss at all and you can be a one-person ninja without making a mess.

If you do not have parchment paper: butter or oil your tin and then lightly flour, then proceed with the next step:

Carefully plop in your batter, and if it does not settle evenly, entice it to with the back of a spoon.

Last and optional step: split a banana in two with the careful assistance of a small knife, and lay it down as we have below. If you’re feeling extra, sprinkle the top with sugar.

There you go: it’s now ready to go in the oven. Let’s put it in.

Depending on what size tin you have at home and with our different ovens, you may end up with a different cooking times.

This is my ultimate baking advice: keep an eye like a hawk on your oven once you start to smell it.

Truly truly smell it, not just a whiff of it rising. It’s usually almost ready around this time. The top should look cooked and if you shake the tin around, it should not jiggle. The top should look and sound crispy to the touch, and a toothpick or chopstick poked in the center till about halfway in should come out clean : no wet batter and only few crumbs.

Take it out of the oven, and turn off your oven. If your stove-top is hot, move your tin to an area that isn’t (to avoid that the banana bread continue cooking).

Another trick: if a recipe says to bake one hour, I always check on it 3/4 of the way in. That way, if the recipe is horribly off for cooking times for you, you will have still caught it early.

It should look like this:

More questions?

If you have any questions, the best way to get an answer ASAP is reaching us through Instagram at: @Broke_Foodies
Simply type Broke Foodies in the search and find us: Lea & Idriss! Or click this direct link, because you know we got you.
Looking forward to connect and hear what you have to say about this one!
Take care & with love,
Lea
Banana Bread in Baking Pan
Print Pin
5 from 6 votes

The Very Best Banana Bread

This is it friends. This easy banana bread recipe comes after years and years of practice. This is my favorite coffee break cake, and I hope that you will love it too.
Course Baked Good
Cuisine American, Canadian
Keyword Banana, Best, Bread, Easy, recipe, Spiced
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 242kcal
Author Idriss

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • 3/4 c white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 extra ripe black bananas
  • 1 normal banana optional, for topping
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cup white flour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F
  • Mix olive oil and white sugar together. Add in eggs. Add in bananas, Balsamic vinegar and vanilla.
  • Add in spices, salt and baking powder + soda, mix and then follow with the flour, progressively.
  • Mix until almost all combined then stop and fold the remainder of the mixture to avoid over mixing.
  • While your oven finishes preheating, prepare your loaf pan with butter and flour. (Spread the butter thinly with your fingers in the pan all around and all the way to the top. Then add 1 tbsp flour into the pan, place yourself above the sink and tap each side of the pan while rotating it to evenly coat all sides with flour, turn over the pan to discard the rest of the flour). Alternately, use parchment paper as suggested in the post.
  • Carefully pour in batter, cook in the middle of the oven for 50-60 minutes. To check if your banana bread is ready, stick a toothpick right in the middle of it. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready. If not, bake a little longer.
  • Once ready, take your banana bread out of the oven and set it on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve with hot steamy cup of joe. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Sugar: 18.7gFiber: 2gCalories: 242kcalFat: 9.5gProtein: 3.5gCarbohydrates: 38.4g
Tried this recipe?Mention @broke_foodies to be featured on our page!

The Very Best Spiced Banana Bread | This simple recipe calls for a perfect blend of spices and a generous dose of bananas to make what is quite simply the best banana bread I've ever had. #bananabread #banana #bread #spice #easy #recipe #baking #cake

86 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Autumn, Coffee Cake, Cold Weather, Desserts, Recipe Index

Previous Post: « Weeknight Beans on Toast – Eggs Anytime
Next Post: Keto Chicken Salad »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denise

    November 3, 2020 at 00:39

    5 stars
    This recipe is really good! Never knew you could add balsamic vinegar to banana bread! but the picture says it all! it looks really good! would love to try this recipe 💕

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Spring favorites

Keto Chicken Salad served in a large white bowl

Keto Chicken Salad

2 Comments

Lebanese Falafel Served on Platter with Hummus and Tahini Sauce

Super Fluffy Lebanese-Style Falafel | Vegan Recipe

Leave a Comment

Soudough Pancakes Served with Butter and Maple Syrup

Mind-blowing Sourdough Pancakes | Sourdough Recipe Ideas

Leave a Comment

Apple Crumb Cake

The Very Best Apple Crumb Cake

8 Comments

Salmon Aflredo Pasta in a skillet

Super Creamy Salmon Alfredo Pasta

Leave a Comment

Vegan Jamaican Patties- Get your bake on, not bacon, with this easy recipe for vegan Jamaican patties.

The Best Vegan Jamaican Patties

86 Comments

Marinated Beef Tacos served on wooden block

Marinated Beef Tacos

Leave a Comment

Hi there!

I'm Idriss. I'm a full-time student and foodie. My wife Lea and I live in Montreal and we love to make and share simple and mostly healthy recipes that fit within a reasonable budget. All foodies are welcome! Read more about us ...

Follow us on Social!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Popular Right Now

Weeknight Beans and Toast served in a skillet

Weeknight Beans on Toast – Eggs Anytime

Leave a Comment

West African Peanut Stew served with naan

West African Peanut Stew | Step by Step

Leave a Comment

Low Carb Chicken Parmesan with Basil in a skillet

Keto Chicken Parmesan | Easy & Quick Keto Dinner

25 Comments

Vegan Tourtiere | Quebec’s Vegan Meat Pie

Leave a Comment

Keto Chicken Meatballs served with tomato sauce

Succulent Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Meatballs

2 Comments

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

Broke Foodies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Broke Foodies © 2023 powered by WordPress and built on Genesis Framework

 

Loading Comments...