Homemade banana bread is an easy and delicious way to eat nutritious fruit. It makes a great snack, can be used for dessert because of its natural sweetness and pairs well with numerous meals. In fact, most children love banana bread. Whether it is made in the bread machine or is baked in the oven, the results are superb.

Items Needed for Making Banana Bread

First, bakers need to choose whether they are making a quick bread or a yeast bread recipe. Quick breads are the most traditional versions of banana bread. However, yeast bread is just as delicious, especially when it is toasted.

For either type of recipe, a few basic ingredients will be needed. Bakers should gather flour, sugar, salt, eggs and bananas. Approximately three bananas will be needed to make two loaves. A yeast bread recipe will also require yeast as well as water. Some recipes may call for milk or butter along with the water. Additional ingredients for quick bread may include vegetable oil, baking soda and baking powder. Many individuals like to add chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans to their banana breads. Kitchen tools that will be needed include measuring cupsand spoons, a masher, cooling racks, a wooden spoon or electric mixer and a bread machine or loaf pans for baking.

Instructions for Making Easy Banana Bread

Quick bread takes very little time to prepare. Begin by mashing the bananas; next, blend them with vegetable oil and any other liquid ingredients, such as milk and eggs. After sifting together the dry ingredients, they should be added to the moist ingredients and mixed. The batter should not be mixed too much; in fact, lumps may stillappear in the batter. The loaves should be baked in greased pans in a 350-degree oven for approximately an hour.

Banana yeast bread is also quite easy to make. The warmed liquids are added to the yeast and sugar and are thoroughly beaten together. The rest of the dry ingredients and the bananas are slowly mixed in; the dough is then kneaded for about eight minutes before being allowed to rise. This bread is baked in a 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes. If a bread machine is being used for either quick or yeast breads, bakers should add dry ingredients followed by the wet ingredients to the bread machine pan. However, quick breads should be made using the cake setting.

Additional Tips

-Organic ingredients, such as flour and sugar, are grown free of pesticides and will create healthier bread.
-To make more of a dessert-style bread, add chocolate chips to the batter.
-Toppings are especially good on quick breads. One option is a confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and milk frosting. Another option is a topping of brown sugar and butter poured on the top of the bread before baking.
-Some bakers choose to use the bread machine for mixing and kneading their yeast breads. They then remove the dough, shape it into loaves and bake it in the oven.

Popular Items to Use for Making Banana Bread

Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker

The Sunbeam is an extremely affordable breadmaker that can make 1.5 and 2-pound loaves. It has 12 dough settings and light to dark crust settings. The non-stick pan quickly releases bread. In addition, the 13-hour delay timer allows users to wake up to the smell of homemade bread in the morning.

    Amazon Price: $67.20

Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour, 10 Pound (Pack of 4)

You get a great deal when you buy these four bags of flour that weigh 10 pounds each. It is the perfect flour for baking bread, particularly in a breadmaker. It can also be used for other baked goods, such as pancakes and dumplings.

    Amazon Price: $33.97

Great River Organic Milling, Organic Whole Wheat Bread Flour

A 25-pound bag of this organic flour is economical and bakes delicious, hearty bread. The stone-ground hard red-spring wheat does not contain GMOs.

    Amazon Price: $27.05

Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker with Yeast Dispenser

The Panasonic Bread Maker offers a wide range of baking options, including loaves sized up to 2.5-pounds, a quick bread setting and light to dark crusts. It also includes a yeast dispenser, which adds yeast to the dough at the perfect time for fluffy bread.

    Amazon Price: $129.99

Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso Breadmaker

Though the Zojirushi Breadmaker is pricier than some other breadmaker models, the excellent features make this a very popular item. It bakes long rectangular loaves instead of the tall loaves that are common in many other bread machines. Not only can it bake traditional yeast bread, but also it can be used for making jams, meatloaves, cakes, gluten free breads and pizza dough.

    Amazon Price: $252.95

Jamie Oliver Stainless Steel Masher

Farberware Nonstick Bakeware 9-by-5-Inch Loaf Pan

Every baker needs at least one of these non-stick Farberware loaf pans, which are priced economically enough that you could easily stock up on a few. They feature a popular 9-inch by 5-inch size and can be used in ovens up to 500-degrees.

    Amazon Price: $5.59

OXO Good Grips 6-Piece Measuring Cup Set

These OXO measuring cups come in a set of six sizes. They are flat on the bottom and can be easily placed on a counter for measuring. They are dishwasher-safe, and the measurement markings will not rub off over time. The cups can be stored on the included ring and can be slipped off individually.

    Amazon Price: $8.99

Culinary Institute of America 10″ x 15″ Cooling Rack

This cooling rack features a very large rectangular size, which can easily hold two large loaves of bread at a time. It has a small square grid and can be washed in the dishwasher.

    Amazon Price: $25.49

C&H Pure Cane Certified Organic Sugar

Bakers who choose this organic cane sugar never need to worry about ingesting pesticides. It can be used in any recipe that calls for granulated sugar.

    Amazon Price: $29.95

Banana bread can be made in a variety of ways depending on the ingredients that one has available. Whether one chooses a yeast or a quick bread recipe, the results will be delicious and satisfying. These popular bread-baking materials will help every baker collect the necessary items before baking this amazingly easy bread.