Banana Raisin Bread

I was hesitant to use these photos as they aren't the most flattering shots, but the recipe was so good that I had to make a post. Given my recent experiences with Recipezaar, I wasn't too confident about this one being heralded as the "Best Banana Bread."



Yet I was pleasantly surprised and have to agree that this is one of the best banana bread recipes. This has been my favorite thing to bake so far--easy to put together (read: very difficult to screw up, even for me) and didn't require a lot of ingredients. You can throw in whatever you want: raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, chopped apples...the possibilities!

Be careful not to over mix, largely because the recipe calls for the bananas to be crushed when you add them in. I followed a tip to let the mixture sit in the pan for about 20 minutes before baking and while I don't have a control loaf to compare it to, the bread came out very moist and full of banana flavor. I also sprinkled the top with cane sugar in hopes of a crumbly/textured topping, but most of it sank into the mixture.

Banana Raisin Bread
Recipe from here


1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, crushed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and crushed bananas. Combine well.

2. In another bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla and mix until just combined.

3. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Allow mixture to sit in pan for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes.

5. When cool, wrap loaf tightly with plastic wrap to store or refrigerate.

Notes: I had to leave my loaf in the oven for an additional 8 minutes, so make sure you test the bread before removing it from the heat.