Buttermilk Banana Bread is a certainty in my life… I know I love it and I know I always will! This recipe is special not only because of the sweet, moist, and delicate crumb but because it turns out very light in color, something that is not the norm when making banana bread! If you love this recipe, don’t miss my Best Banana Muffins!
Buttermilk Banana Bread
The perfect banana bread contains one special ingredient, buttermilk! It helps to produce this light, almost white, banana bread that cannot be achieved with a normal recipe. The flavor is spot on, with all the banana goodness you would want, but also a presentation that will leave people with questions. “How did you get it so light?” The answer is simple, buttermilk. And I happen to have a homemade buttermilk recipe that you could use!
How to Bake the Perfect Buttermilk Banana Bread
I prefer a course mashing of the bananas as I love the small chunks peppered through the loaf. To achieve this simply lightly mash with a fork. If you want a smoother consistency, add the bananas to a food processor.
Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh! This is what helps the loaf to have a beautiful rise and be a lighter crumb practically falling apart in your hands. The buttermilk in this recipe helps to activate the baking soda.
Stick to a tried and true method of adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined and your banana bread will bake to perfection.
Tips and Tricks
- Use ripe bananas. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from people that their recipe didn’t have a strong banana flavor. When asked if their bananas were ripe, the typical response is, “does that make a difference?” Yes, SO MUCH yes. If you need to ripen bananas in a pinch, try placing them on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven for about 15 minutes.
- Room Temperature Dairy. Make sure your buttermilk is not cold. This applies to the butter (and eggs, even though not technically dairy) in this recipe as well. You will find they incorporate much better and the resulting texture is second-to-none.
- Sifting the Flour. We want a tender banana bread, and this is one of the tricks to achieving that. It helps to keep the recipe consistent and make sure there are no lumps.
Can This Banana Bread Be Made Gluten-Free?
You can use all gluten-free flour substitutes. Just follow the instructions on the bag to make sure it is a 1:1 ratio with all-purpose flour.
How to Make Buttermilk Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
We prefer to add milk-chocolate chips when making chocolate chip banana bread, but you can use whatever flavor you prefer. (White chocolate is also a great addition!) Simply fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and then reserve a few for sprinkling over the top before baking.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼ cups mashed bananas, approximately 3-4 ripe bananas
- ½ cup (113g or 1 stick) butter, softened
- 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (Do not skip this step!) Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas and set aside.
- In a stand mixer on medium-high, cream butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time. Add in buttermilk and vanilla until the batter is just combined (about a minute).
- Slowly pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture, about ½ cup at a time. Mix on low until just combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the mashed bananas until evenly incorporated throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 65-70 minutes, checking the bread at 50 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs, but no wet batter.
