This is my favorite banana bread recipe. I make it more often then any other banana bread I have tried.
It came out of Martha Stewart’s Entertaining Cookbook which I think was her first book. Martha Stewart likes to make her recipes just a little different then the average one. This one is no exception. She takes a basic banana bread and makes it special by adding sour cream to it. Yes, that adds calories, fat, and costs more to make. But it also makes it so much better.
My kids get confused with banana bread. They can never figure out what it is. One time I will serve it for breakfast, then another time I will serve it with a meal, and yet another time I will serve it for dessert. Breakfast, side dish, or dessert whatever you choose I hope you enjoy it.
Martha Stewart’s Banana Bread
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Blend well. Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir well. Stir in the nuts if using. Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then turn onto a rack to cool. Slice and enjoy!
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Thanks for this fantastic recipe. I made it to surprise my sister on her birthday (she loves anything banana) and it was a big hit. The bread was very light with a nice moist crumb, different from most banana breads than tend to be dense. I used a non-dairy sour cream just because I had it (I bought it out of curiosity) and it worked fine.
Lynn,
I have made this twice in the last 3 days. I love the way the bread tastes. Excellent banana bread, but please tell me what I am doing wrong. The middle of the bread is on cooking enough and the outside is turning very brown. If I cook it longer, won’t I burn the outside?
Thanks for any help you can give.
@Eileen, My suggestion would be to place foil over the top of the loaf for just the last 10 minutes or so. I just gently lay it across. I have never done this with this recipe but I have with many other breads. This usually keeps the outside from getting too brown and will allow you to cook it a little longer with out ruining it. I hope that helps.
Hi Lynn,
I’ve never made banana bread before, and always wanted to try. You and your wonderful recipes have never lead me astray thus far, so I’m gonna go ahead a make it.
One question: How “ripe” should the bananas be? Should the outside be yellow, greenish, or black?
Thank you!
~Linda~
@Linda Bond, Not green, they are best when they are at the yellow brownish stage. Ones with bruises work fine also. Usually I use the bananas that are past the stage that most people will eat them. I hope that helps.
Flour means bread flour or all purpose flour?
Thanks.
@Renee, Hi Renee, I am sorry that it took so long for me to get back to you. The flour in this recipe is just your basic all purpose flour. I hope that helps.
Thanks
Do you think I can make this without sour cream?
@Sara, The sour cream is what helps make this moist, but I have used yogurt in place of the sour cream. I hope that helps.
That was quick! thank you so much
About how many bananas make a mashed cup?
@Dana, Usually about three. I hope that helps.
Thanks. I am baking this right now.
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