Slow-Baked Banana Bread
This makes two large loaves, freezes well, and mixes up in one bowl.
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe bananas (browner than you’d want to eat) **see options below
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup canola or other neutral oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (I often use half whole wheat, half all-purpose)
Options
- Optional add-ins: 1 cup walnuts or pecans and/or 1 cup chocolate chips – I like dark chocolate but you could use milk, semi-sweet, mini chips, or chunks. Sometimes, I also add an additional banana (diced) after mashing the first four.
Instructions
- Mash bananas well in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients in order and mix well. Pour batter into 2 greased, 9×5-inch loaf pans.
- Bake for 1¾ to 2 hours at 250℉ – yes, 250 degrees! – or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean and the top is golden. (Tip for gauging perfect doneness: Internal temperature taken with a quick-read thermometer should read between 200-205℉.) Cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on a baking rack.
Notes
*Frozen and thawed bananas work well.
*I’ve used four really big bananas and average-size bananas and it always works out. If you’d like a precise measurement, figure 1½ - 1 ¾ cups or 360-420 grams.
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