Paula Deen Banana Bread

Paula Deen Banana Bread calls for four ripe bananas, melted butter, and a handful of pantry staples. The loaf bakes in about an hour, feeds eight, and belongs at breakfast, a church potluck, or on the counter for after-school snacking. Every Southern kitchen keeps a recipe like this on hand.

The bananas are everything here. They need to be fully ripe, with dark spots all over the skin. Under-ripe bananas give you dry bread with barely any flavor. Paula folds the wet mixture into the dry just until combined, and stopping early is better than going too far.

Let the melted butter cool before adding it to the eggs, or you will scramble them. The loaf needs a full 10 minutes in the pan before turning out. Wrap it tight once it cools and it keeps for three days at room temperature.

Paula Deen Banana Bread

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

400

kcal

A tender, moist loaf made by folding mashed ripe bananas and melted butter into a simple flour and sugar base, then baking low at 325 degrees until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups All-purpose flour, sifted
  

• 1 cup sugar
  

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
  

• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  

• 2 large eggs
  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Prepare the pan: Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
• Mix the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together banana, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Fold banana mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Bake and cool: Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Tools for this recipe

• USA Pan 1-pound loaf pan, Checkered Chef cooling racks, OXO Good Grips nylon potato masher, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I add walnuts or chocolate chips?

Fold in about a cup of either one right after you combine the wet and dry mixtures. Walnuts add crunch that holds up through baking. Chocolate chips make it sweeter and richer. The bake time stays the same either way.

How long does this banana bread last?

Wrapped tightly at room temperature, it stays moist for about three days. After that the texture dries out. You can refrigerate it for up to five days, but let slices come to room temperature before eating for better flavor.

Can I freeze banana bread?

Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then in foil, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw on the counter still wrapped so the moisture stays inside the bread instead of condensing on the outside.

Why did my banana bread sink in the middle?

Opening the oven door too early or pulling it out before it is fully set are the usual reasons. Test with a wooden pick in the very center. Over-mixing the batter can also cause the loaf to rise fast and then collapse.

Do I need to sift the flour?

Paula calls for sifted flour in this recipe, and it matters. Sifting removes clumps and aerates the flour so you measure more accurately. Skipping this step risks packing in too much flour, which makes the bread dense and dry.