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grandmas banana bread main recipe photo
grandmas banana bread main recipe photo
Recipes

Grandma’s Banana Bread Recipe Is the Only Banana Bread Recipe You Need

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Harvard chapter.

I may be biased because I grew up on my grandma’s delectable banana bread, but I promise this will be the best and only banana bread recipe you will ever need. Ever. It only takes about 15-30 to prepare and a little over an hour to bake. It usually takes me longer if you include my dancing in the kitchen and eating chocolate chips as I go. 

The secret ingredient that my grandma uses is sour cream. I know what you’re thinking: WTF sour cream in a sweet, delicious banana bread?! Trust me on this one, you won’t regret it. Also, check out this delicious recipe for vegan banana bread

The key to the recipe is using VERY over-ripe bananas (the mushy ones with the black dots all over them). They might look unappetizing for your morning cereal topping, but the extra ripe bananas add awesome flavor, color, and texture that can’t be beat. 

Grandma’s Banana Bread

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time:1 hour 10 minutesTotal time:1 hour 40 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

  2. Bennie Weber

    Soften 1/4 cup of butter, but try not to melt it all the way! I do this by microwaving the half stick of butter, flipping it every 20 seconds until it is soft but not totally melted. Usually takes about 3 flips. Combine in bowl with 1 cup of sugar and mix until it kind of looks/feels like snow and is light and fluffy.

  3. Bennie Weber

    Mash up the bananas (I usually do this with a fork) and add to the mix along with the milk, sour cream, and egg whites. Pro tip: to get your bananas very ripe, just let them sit out for a few days and voila!

  4. Bennie Weber

    Next, add flour, baking soda, and salt to the batter.

  5. Bennie Weber

    You can choose to add chocolate chips, nuts, or anything your heart desires. I opt for the chocolate chips and put in about 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

  6. Bennie Weber

    Now all the ingredients are in the bowl! YAY!

  7. Bennie Weber

    Mix well and pour into a 9×5 loaf pan. Before pouring, spray the pan with cooking spray and/or cover it with parchment paper. Going with parchment paper makes the cleaning after math MUCH easier!

  8. Bennie Weber

    Bake in oven on 350˚F for 1 hr 10 min (give or take 7ish min) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  9. Bennie Weber

    TADA time to indulge and enjoy!!

Bennie Weber

Harvard '22