This is the BEST banana bread! I got the recipe from a college friend’s mother, who brought the bread to every lacrosse game. It is super moist, perfectly sweet, and always was the first to disappear from the dessert buffet. Make it!

Just baked banana bread still in loaf pans.

It likely comes as no surprise that many fond memories of childhood sports center around food. From the orange slices at halftime, to the post-game treats, to the end-of-season celebrations, food visions rival the victories, the losses, the nail-biters.

When I think of soccer season, I especially remember one thing: Valentina’s brownies and rice crispy treats. Valentina, a tall, striking Venezuelan, never missed a game and always arrived with big smiles, huge hugs, and loads of treats, the perfect antidote for a colossal whopping.

When I think of lacrosse season, I especially remember another surrogate mother, Mrs. Myers, and again, her treats. Mrs. Myers’s banana bread was moist, perfectly sweet, and always first to disappear from the dessert buffet — I looked forward to it before the games even started. Midseason I remember even devising a post-game-buffet plan of attack, hitting up the dessert table first, tucking slices of banana bread under a napkin, sometimes stashing them in my bag for later. What can I say? This stuff was gold.

I was lucky enough to obtain Mrs. Myers’s recipe from her daughter, a dear friend with whom I spent many hours in the kitchen, mostly baking, always some sort of biscotti, often cinnamon flavored with chocolate chips. I’ve been making this banana bread for over 15 years now, and it never fails to please, kids and adults alike.

As I am now a soccer mom myself, I can attest not only to the magnetic power of this legendary banana bread but also its spirit-boosting and soul-healing properties. Make it!

PS: Favorite Pumpkin Bread

How to Make the BEST Banana Bread, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients:

Ingredients for making banana bread.

Note: You can use frozen bananas here. Be sure to thaw them completely and allow the liquid to drain off.

Frozen bananas and recipe card

You need about a quart of ripe bananas (roughly 6 to 8).

A quart of mashed bananas.

In a stand mixer, this batter comes together in just about 10 minutes.

Just-mixed banana bread batter.

Divide the batter between two well-buttered loaf pans. I love these Chicago Metallic 8.5 x 4.5 – inch loaf pans for this recipe. The banana bread browns beautifully, and I never have an issue getting the bread out of the pans.

Two loaf pans with banana bread batter inside.

Bake the banana bread for roughly one hour @ 350ºF.

Just baked banana bread still in loaf pans.

Let cool briefly, then transfer the loaves to a rack to finish cooling.

Just-baked banana bread on a cooling rack.
Two fresh loaves of moist banana bread on a wooden cutting board

It is so moist and delicious. Truly the best!

Slied banana bread on a board.
Close-up of sliced, moist banana bread on cutting board
Close-up side view of two slices of moist banana bread on a cutting board
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Mrs. Myers’s Sweet and Moist Banana Bread (AKA The BEST Banana Bread)

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Description

This is the BEST banana bread! I got the recipe from a college friend’s mother, who brought the bread to every lacrosse game. It is super moist, perfectly sweet, and always was the first to disappear from the dessert buffet. Make it!

Notes:

Overripe bananas freeze beautifully — just peel them and place them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When you’re ready to use them, place them in a colander in the sink to drain — they’ll give up a lot of liquid and look totally repulsive, but they work beautifully.

To freeze the baked banana bread, be sure to let it cool completely. Wrap in foil; then tuck into an airtight bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature. 

To make homemade buttermilk: Place 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill the cup with milk until it reaches the 1/2-cup line. Let it stand for five minutes.

Loaf Pans: I love this Chicago Metallic 8.5 x 4.5 – inch loaf pan for this recipe. You need two pans for this recipe.

Flour: unbleached, all-purpose is best

Eggs: I almost always use 4 eggs, because the eggs I buy are fairly large. Recently, the eggs I purchased were on the small side, so I used 5 eggs. I can never tell the difference between using 4 or 5 eggs, so use the amount you wish. 4 eggs will likely suffice. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (424 g) sugar
  • 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
  • 3 cups (384 g) sifted flour (or not … I never sift)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. table salt or 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 to 5 eggs, see notes above
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup nuts, optional (I never add nuts)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 quart mashed bananas, about 6 to 8 (ripe to overripe)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter two 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pans. (Butter generously to ensure no sticking.)
  2. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla, buttermilk and bananas.
  5. Add the flour mixture in two additions, and mix until just combined. Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for approximately 1 hour.
  6. Remove from oven and turn loaves out onto cooling rack immediately. Let cool.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hours
  • Category: Quick Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American