I know we all have brown, mushy, inedible bananas that lay around at the end of the week. There was so much promise when you picked up a bright yellow bunch at the grocery store on Monday. You were going to have those as healthy snacks, or perhaps a pre-workout breakfast in the early hours of the weekdays. You were going to be a health conscious hero and give your body those delicious natural sugars and carbs. No processed snacks for you, you wizard of wise-eating!
Well, turns out you reached for some chips and salsa when you got home from work instead of that bright yellow bundle. And you woke up too late to even think about eating anything before that 6am class. You barely even got out the door with a water bottle in hand.
Okay, maybe that was just me. But I’m hoping I come across as relatable. I always, always end up with two brown bananas on the weekend. Why not just buy fewer bananas, you ask? Listen, Linda. I’ve thought of that. And I’ve tried that, but the Trader Joe’s employees get really grumpy at you when they see you tearing apart the bundles. And I don’t need that negative energy in my life.
Enter, BB. The happiest of leftover food turnarounds. The most delicious of grocery store mistakes. The Great Bambinio of Banana-kind!
I’m just gunna say it. No one plans on making banana bread. You can’t be at work and say “hey you know what I want tonight? Banana bread. I’ll make some.” UNLESS it’s Friday night and those bananas have been sitting on your counter for five days, awaiting their yeasty fate. Because you need those overripe bananas. BB knows it’s not the first choice, but a waste-conscious save. And that’s okay. It’s like guacamole. You can’t plan it for that night because unless you live in a perfect world where fruits and vegetables are ripe when you purchase them at the grocery store, you’re gunna buy rocks and wait a couple days until they’re ripe. More on guac another day. For the moment, let’s bake some bread.
Most people have the ingredients they need on hand for this, and there are substitutions you can use. I personally think this recipe is, well, kinda perfect. But if you don’t have greek yogo, try sour cream. Or use creme freche if you have it on hand. (I literally never have that just “on hand.” I’m not hip enough. But if you are, more power to you.) And of course, you’ll need some perfectly brown, very ripe bananas.
After preheating your oven, you'll need to lightly coat a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the long sides (as make-shift handles).
After you've got the pan ready, mix the dry ingredients together and set aside, mix the wet ingredients in a stand mixer if you have one, and then combine them. (But don't over-mix!!!)
Pour in batter and bake for approx 50 minutes. It’s ready when a toothpick comes out clean, just like mama used to do.
Banana Bread
¼ cup (½ stick) of butter, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup greek yogurt
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly coat a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the long sides (as make-shift handles).
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Beat butter, greek yogurt, oil, and brown sugar in a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium high speed for about 4 minutes. Once it’s light and fluffy, add the 2 eggs and vanilla and beat to combine.
After the whipped mixture is done, add in the flour mixture and mix to combine.
Then add bananas and mix to just combine. Don’t over mix the bananas into the mixture, this should only take about 20-30 seconds.
Pour in batter and bake for approximately 50 minutes. It’s ready when a toothpick comes out clean, just like mama used to do.
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