Recipes

Bake the Perfect Banana Bread With Betty Crocker's Secret Recipe

Shai Cohen

Written by Shai Cohen

Edited by Sue Jutkowitz
— 3 min read
Sliced Betty Crocker's banana bread with fresh bananas
Sliced Betty Crocker's banana bread with fresh bananas (stock image; for illustration only).

The brand Betty Crocker, or the First Lady of America, is perhaps one of the most popular cooking brands out there, thanks to its practical and versatile recipes. This banana bread recipe by Betty Crocker is not only simple and effective, but it also tastes so good that you just end up craving more. It’s also a fairly customizable one, which means you get to choose what to add and what to omit. This banana bread recipe’s success doesn’t come as a surprise, considering how much we loved Betty Crocker's recipes.

Ingredients

  • Granulated sugar — 1 ¼ cup.
  • Ripe bananas — 1 cup, mashed.
  • Eggs — 2 pcs.
  • Milk — ⅓ cup.
  • Buttermilk — ½ cup.
  • All-purpose flour — 2 ½ cups.
  • Butter — ½ cup.
  • Vanilla extract — 1 tsp.
  • Salt — ½ tsp.
  • Baking soda — 1 tsp.
Sliced Betty Crocker's banana bread with fresh bananas
Sliced Betty Crocker's banana bread with fresh bananas (stock image; for illustration only).

Instructions

  1. Grease the bottom of a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.
  2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Combine the sugar and butter in a bowl, and then stir in the eggs.
  4. Add the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and buttermilk. Mix until there are no visible lumps.
  5. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda.
  6. Transfer the batter to the greased loaf pan.
  7. If you’re making an 8-inch loaf, bake it for an hour. If you’re making a 9-inch loaf, bake it for 75 minutes.
  8. Let it cool for some time.

Substitutions

  • All-purpose flour — It’s not your only option. Whole wheat flour does a good job of replacing all-purpose flour, though it has a stronger flavor. If you’re looking for a bit of sweetness in your banana bread, oat flour is a possibility too.
  • Buttermilk — If you don’t bake regularly, there is a good chance that you might be out of buttermilk. Sour cream will do well, just like plain yogurt. Though keep in mind that these two will provide a tangy flavor. A simple mix of milk and cream of tartar does a fine job too.
  • Vanilla extract — We don’t recommend swapping vanilla extract for anything else in this banana bread recipe by Betty Crocker. If you must, almond extract can replace vanilla extract with a 1/1 ratio. You can also use fruit zest from lemons or oranges.
Betty Crocker's banana bread with sesame seeds
Betty Crocker's banana bread with sesame seeds (stock image; for illustration only).

Variations

  • Richer — If you’re looking for some creative options to enrich the flavor of your banana bread, you might try adding some peanut butter to the mix. Or why not try your luck with Nutella.

    For meatier banana bread, you can use chocolate chips. Another healthier option would be adding blueberries.

Equipment

  • Measuring spoons and cups.
  • 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.
  • Mixing bowl.
  • Oven.

Storage

  • If you think you’ll be having the leftover banana bread within the coming days, just wrap it with foil and store it at room temperature. It is likely to last for a few days.
  • If not, storing the leftover banana bread in an airtight container in your fridge will keep it for up to a week.
  • If you’d rather store your banana bread for longer, you can freeze it for 3-5 months.

Tips

  • The bananas — Ripe bananas are always better, as they are sweeter and more flavorful. Pay attention to the bananas when mashing them. Properly mashed bananas can make the difference between a fine banana bread and an average one.
  • The batter — This one’s another important point. Do not overmix the batter, and just mix it until it’s combined.

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