Super Moist Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
• ½ cup plain or Greek yogurt (low fat is fine, or substitute with buttermilk or sour cream)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, very soft (salted or unsalted)
• ¾ cup brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)

Optional Add-ins:

½ cup (87g) chocolate chips, toffee bits, pecans, walnuts, or raisins

Directions:

Preheat the oven: Heat oven to 350°F (176.7°C). Crumple a piece of parchment paper into a ball, smooth it out, and use it to line a 9×5 inch (23×13 cm) or 4×8 inch (20×10 cm) loaf pan. Alternatively, spray the loaf pan with oil or line with aluminum foil.

Prepare the banana mixture (Bowl #1): In a small bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, yogurt, and baking soda with a fork or spoon. Set aside.

Prepare the dry ingredients (Bowl #2): In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt (if using). Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar (Bowl #3): In a large bowl, use a spoon or whisk to combine the softened butter and brown sugar until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla, whisking until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the banana-yogurt mixture and mix until well combined.

Combine the mixtures: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three parts, gently mixing between each addition. Be careful not to overmix the batter; mix just until the flour is incorporated. The batter will be thick. Stir in any optional add-ins, like chocolate chips or nuts, at this stage.

Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If using a smaller loaf pan, baking may take slightly longer. Start checking the bread after 50-55 minutes, and if the center is still wet, continue baking for an additional 3-5 minutes and test again.

Cool and serve: Once baked, remove the loaf pan from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Lift the banana bread out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool further. Slice and enjoy warm!