Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 large VERY RIPE bananas peeled (about 2 1/4 lbs)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup pack brown sugar (light or regular)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
*BIG note here: over ripe bananas are key in this recipe. Do not use perfect yellow or green bananas 🍌
Be prepared to need a fine wire mesh strainer, saucepan, 3 bowls, potato masher, silicone spatula, microwave and stove top.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan with non stick cooking spray.
2. Cook peeled bananas in microwave for 5 minutes- (You do this to extract the juice from the bananas) Peel bananas, cut in half and place in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap making a few vent holes in the plastic by poking with a knife. Place bowl on a small microwave safe plate to catch juice that leaves the bowl (you will need that juice!)
3. Meanwhile mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl with a wisk. Set aside.
4. Remove Bananas VERY CAREFULLY from the microwave, plate and bowl (HOT! HOT!). Let sit on counter for a few minutes. Do not discard any juice that has dripped onto the plate. Grab a new bowl and fine strainer.
5. Pour the bananas and ALL the juice from cooking the bananas (including the juice on the plate) into the strainer and gently move around the mixture to allow the juices to drip into bowl. DO NOT push the bananas through the strainer. Give this process about 2-3 minutes to get as much liquid as possible into the bowl.
6. Set strainer with bananas aside. Pour juice into saucepan and cook on medium heat until all the juice has reduced to 1/4 cup. Use silicone spatula to stir while cooking. Meanwhile melt the butter in a microwave safe container (may want to cover butter to avoid a mess on the roof of our microwave!) remove melted butter from microwave to cool a bit.
7. Once your juice is reduced to 1/4 cup, mix the following in bowl (bowl used with strainer in step 5 ok): juice, bananas, eggs, butter, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Mix with potato masher.
8. Combine flour mixture with banana mixture by folding it with a spatula until all flour is mixed then immediately pour into loaf pan.
9. Cook at 350 degrees for 55-70 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in pull it out clean. I recommend placing the loaf pan on a cookie sheet. Depending on the side of your loaf pan it will likely overflow a little.
There you go! This recipe is definitely not the quickest or easiest out there but I’ll guarantee a moist and tasty loaf! Have fun with all the dishes 😆
Live Love Littleton 