This Brown Sugar and Buttermilk Banana Bread is a flavorful twist on a classic. This is a call to salvage those overripe bananas you have on the kitchen counter, and transforms them into a quick and delicious bread you could snack on all weekend. You know what I mean – the kind where you walk by the loaf sitting on a cutting board and carve a little slice, then another an hour later, and another an hour after that. No judgement here. I’ve done it, too.
Brown sugar and vanilla bring a homey, familiar flavor to this quick bread, while buttermilk delivers a little tang and a moist crumb. Every recipe box should have a good banana bread recipe, if you’re still searching for one to add to your collection, give this one a try.
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A Quick Bread Revival
I love a good quick bread. Perhaps it’s the memories I have of waking up to the smell of either zucchini bread or banana bread baking in the oven on a weekend. Growing up, our family often did big breakfasts on Saturdays and it was a tradition I carried on with my family on the weekends when our daughter was young.
Today, my husband and I might grab a big breakfast at a local restaurant on the weekend, or we may opt for a simple, Saturday morning meal consisting of coffee, fresh fruit, and a slice of quick bread. The latter option often results in a lazy morning, lounging around far too long in our PJs, listening to music, or playing a grudge-match game of Rumikub. Slow, quiet weekend mornings are the best.
If you love a good quick bread, you may also enjoy these recipes for Old Fashioned Zucchini Bread and Easy Apple Quick Bread. They’re both two great fall recipes to keep on hand if you got a little overzealous picking apples at the orchard, or your garden is overrun by monster zucchini. It can happen.
The lovely thing about all three of these quick bread recipes is that they can easily be doubled or scaled down – one for you and one to share with a friend or neighbor. I’ll explain more later in this post.
This Brown Sugar and Buttermilk Banana Bread in a Nutshell
I’ve made a bad habit of not posting homemade classic recipes on this blog. It’s something I truly struggle with. We live in a fast-paced world that likes shiny new things and often places more value on the latest food trend than on tried and true comfort food classics. As a food creator, this is always a challenge for me because I have a lot of great recipes still in my little blue folder, but I don’t think of them as post-worthy recipes. And then I am reminded there is a reason we come back to those classics – whether it’s a bowl of grandma’s apple crisp or mom’s chicken noodle soup. There’s comfort and healing in those timeless traditions.
I’ve been making this banana bread for my family for as long as I can remember. Today, I’m sharing it with you because the world needs a good, classic banana bread recipe every bit as much as it needs a new, viral dessert. The only difference is that you’ll come back to this Brown Sugar and Buttermilk Banana Bread year after year – long after you’ve forgotten what everybody was eating 10 minutes ago.
A Simple Recipe
There’s nothing complicated about this banana bread recipe. You mix the dry ingredients together. You cream the butter and sugar together, add the vanilla and eggs one at a time, and continue to cream the mixture until it becomes light and airy. Add the mashed bananas and buttermilk, followed by the nuts and flour mixture. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake. That’s it!
When making one large loaf, bake at 350 degree F. for approximately 55 minutes. If you’re all about gifting – something I love to do with my bakes – this recipe will yield three mini loaves alternatively. I used mini loaf pans that measure 5 1/2-inches long x 3-inches wide x 1 1/2-inches tall. At this size, the bake time is approximately 30 minutes. If you’re using mini loaf pans that are slightly larger or smaller, you’ll need to adjust the bake time accordingly.
Once the banana bread is finished baking, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan to finish cooling on a wire rack. Once cooled completely, the bread is ready to eat, but let’s be honest. Nobody, myself included ever waits the full time. Aim for 30 minutes, cut into it at 20, and don’t forget a generous smear of butter. Enjoy!
Thank You for Reading!
Thank you for visiting the MOstly Bakes website. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this recipe for Brown Sugar and Buttermilk Banana Bread. It’s an elegantly simple recipe that comes out perfectly and tastes wonderful every time you make it. If you’re interested in learning more about the food and where I find inspiration for developing my recipes, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to our newsletter and follow along on social media via Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you again, for visiting, and I hope to connect with you there!
Brown Sugar and Buttermilk Banana Bread
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
loaf15
minutes55
minutesBrown sugar and vanilla bring a homey, familiar flavor to this quick bread, while buttermilk delivers a little tang and a moist crumb.
Ingredients
2 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium-sized bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup pecans, plus an additional 2 Tbsp. for garnishing the loaf (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
- Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level off with the back of a knife. Place the flour in a small bowl. Add the baking soda and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter over medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the sugar is incorporated into the butter. Approx. 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, followed by the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the bottom and the sides of the bowl between each egg to ensure that the mixture is fully incorporated.
- Add the bananas and buttermilk and beat until well blended.
- Add the flour mixture and 1/3 cup of pecans (if using) and beat at low speed until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of pecans and bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately 55 minutes. The bread is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the banana bread to cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes before attempting to remove it from the baking pan. Allow the bread to finish cooling on the rack.
- This banana bread will keep for up to one week when stored in an airtight container or plastic wrap in the refrigerator, or for one month in the freezer when double wrapped.
Notes
- I’d like to make mini loaves. How long should I bake them? For this recipe, when making one large loaf, bake at 350 degree F. for approximately 55 minutes. However, this recipe will yield three mini loaves alternatively. I used mini loaf pans that measure 5 1/2-inches long x 3-inches wide x 1 1/2-inches tall. At this size, the bake time is approximately 30 minutes. If you’re using mini loaf pans that are slightly larger or smaller, you’ll need to adjust the bake time accordingly.
