Grandma's Banana Bread
Moist, warmly spiced banana bread with brown sugar and yogurt — this is the recipe that's been in my family for three generations.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup plain or Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 3/4 cup chopped pecans and raisins
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
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In a large bowl, cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
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Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in pecans and raisins if using. Don't overmix — lumpy batter is good batter here.
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Pour into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Best served warm with butter, but honestly it's perfect the next day too.
Bree's Notes
My grandma always said the secret was using bananas so ripe they were almost black. She wasn't wrong. If your bananas aren't quite there yet, pop them in a 300°F oven for 15 minutes to speed things up.