Banana Bread That Actually Tastes of Banana

Most banana bread is underbanana’d. Two bananas is what the average recipe asks for and two bananas is what gives you a sweet, slightly damp sponge with a rumour of fruit somewhere in the middle. Four is the number. Use them well past the point where you would eat one, when the skins have gone the colour of strong tea.

Why the sugar stays low

Ripe bananas bring their own sugar, which is why this loaf takes 150g rather than the 200g or more you will see elsewhere. The batter tastes barely sweet raw and comes out balanced. If your bananas are merely yellow rather than freckled, add another 25g and accept that the flavour will be quieter.

Melt the butter rather than creaming it. Creaming builds a cake structure that fights the wet fruit and gives you a dome that cracks along the top. Melted butter gives a denser, moister crumb that keeps for four days wrapped in a cloth on the counter.

Where it goes wrong

Overmixing. Once the flour goes in, fold until you no longer see dry patches and then stop, even if the batter looks lumpy. The lumps are banana, not flour. A loaf that has been beaten smooth bakes tough and rises unevenly.