Moist Tender Banana Bread

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed

02 - 2 large eggs

03 - ½ cup (120 ml) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

04 - ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

05 - ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar

06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour

08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda

09 - ½ teaspoon salt

10 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

→ Add-ins (optional)

11 - ½ cup (80 g) chopped walnuts or pecans

12 - ½ cup (70 g) chocolate chips

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and well incorporated.

03 - In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon if using.

04 - Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, taking care not to overmix.

05 - Fold in the chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips if desired.

06 - Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface evenly.

07 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

08 - Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

The bread stays impossibly moist for days, tasting even better as it sits because the flavors deepen.
There's zero pretension here—just ripe bananas and pantry staples that come together in less than twenty minutes of actual work.
It's forgiving enough for a lazy Sunday but impressive enough to wrap up and gift to someone.

02 -

Don't slice into the bread while it's warm or even hot, no matter how tempting—the crumb needs time to set or it'll crumble apart on the knife.
If your banana bread comes out dense, you likely overmixed the batter; folding gently is the single most important technique here.
Overly ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots actually make better bread than ones that are just barely yellow, so don't hesitate to use those slightly aged ones.

03 -