Every week I try to guess whether or not I should buy bananas at the store. You would think I’d have it figured out by now, but the banana eating habits in my household are not as predictible as you might think. Some weeks, I’ll buy a large bunch of bananas, with plans to do some baking with the inevitable leftovers that will be turning brown on the counter in a few days. Those weeks, the bananas get gobbled up long before I ever have a chance to bake anything. Other times, a few lonely bananas will sit on the counter forever without any interest in being eaten whatsoever. I can’t figure it out.
Last week, I bought bananas to bake some banana bread for a bake sale I was helping out with over the weekend. I also planned on a few bananas being eaten. Silly me! I never got around to baking the banana bread because I was busy with lots of other goodies for the sale… And none of the extra bananas got eaten over the weekend. By Monday morning, I was left with a big pile of too-ripe-to-eat bananas sitting on my counter.
So, after spending the majority of last week (and the weekend) baking and helping out with a bake sale, I did the first thing that came to mind. I decided to whip up a batch of banana bread to use those overly ripe bananas.
For the most part I followed the recipe for banana bread that my mom gave me years ago. It’s a great starter recipe that lends itself well to lots of variations. This time around, I also had some extra buttermilk hanging out in my fridge, so I decided to throw that into the mix, as well. The resulting bread was perfectly moist and had a nice tender crumb.
It also got devoured quickly and didn’t spend my time on the counter. It never hurts to buy extra bananas. Even though we may not always eat bananas, banana bread will certainly not go to waste. Lesson learned.
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed banana (approximately 3 bananas)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition to make sure the eggs are fully incorporated into the mixture. Stir in the mashed banana.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Be sure to start and end with the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Oh My Heavens, you and I are in the same dilemma. I never plan well with the bananas. If I think I’ve got the family all figured out, they throw me a curve ball and I have 2 bunches leftover and no freezer space to put more. If I don’t buy more than one or two singles, they get upset cuz there’s not enough to go around. Geesh! This looks amazing and I know what I’m doing when I get home!!
No one in my house eats bananas so if I buy them I have to bake with them. It really puts the pressure on :) Love that you included whole wheat flour in your banana bread, it looks awesome!
I’ve never used whole wheat flour to make my banana breads but I can see that it works excellently. Love that you add a touch of cinnamon to it as well.
I love the use of whole wheat flour, Jen. I bet that adds another layer of nuttiness that I normally miss from typical cake-like banana bread.
Love the photo with the butter, this bread looks so good! Wish I had a big slice for brunch right now!
we have a banana problem in our house as well. seems I never buy enough to have them over-ripe to bake with them.
Love the whole wheat twist on the banana bread. perfect in the morning with a cup of tea.
Whole wheat flour is a great idea!
I use a mix of home-ground whole wheat and APF. When I’m in the mood, I’ll throw in some toasted pecan bits and MINI chocolate chips (the little bits of chocolate make it seem less like a dessert and more of a simple indulgence). I love to put a slice in the toaster oven to crisp up the edges, a pat of butter, and breakfast with tea is served! I’m going to have to try adding a touch of buttermilk…………that seems like a great addition. Cheers!
This recipe is wonderful! I live near Denver, and baking at high altitude with a sea level recipe has always been a challenge. I am happy to report that this recipe has turned out PERFECT both of the times that I have made it, and without making any modifications. Never going to use another recipe for banana bread again!
Just made this and it turned out so well! I baked in a glass loaf pan and reduced the baking time by 10 minutes. It was perfect.
I just made this for the first time last night, and it’s really good. I thought it would be dense from all the whole wheat flour, but it is light and fluffy, and just the right amount of sweetness. My only changes were to add about 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract because, well, I like putting those things in banana bread. But otherwise I made it exactly according to the recipe.
Just made this! I made muffins instead, baked for about 20 minutes. Very moist! Perfect!!! Will freeze some, so I’ll always have a muffin ready!:)
Made this twice so far with pecans that I toasted …the last time I added vanilla paste to the batter and extra sugar. The last time I took it to the office it was gone before lunch!