I'm A Professional Baker. Here's How To Make The Best Banana Bread At Home

Something as classic as banana bread is often overlooked as a simple bake, but you shouldn't underestimate how some key tips can help you bake banana bread that's perfectly moist, not overwhelmingly sweet, and tender to the bite — ultimately, a classic recipe that stands out from the rest. As a professional baker, to make the best banana bread, I like to get specific with my ingredients.

With a relatively straightforward baked good like banana bread, every ingredient counts. That means the bananas need to be overly ripe and covered in brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness of the final baked breakfast bread. For the sugar, some bakers like to use all granulated sugar in the recipe, while I prefer to use a mix of brown and white sugar since I find the brown sugar gives the treat a little caramelization and depth that works perfectly with the sweet bananas. For the fat in the recipe, I use melted butter, which I find gives the bread a richer taste than most vegetable oils. 

And then there's the matter of spices and extracts. Many recipes list a simple spice addition of a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon and some vanilla extract. However, some leave out the vanilla extract or skip out on a more complex spice blend, like cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice, which can accentuate the breakfast bread's taste and take it to another level altogether.

When making a classic like banana bread at home, besides using flavorful and quality ingredients, don't be afraid to get a little creative in the kitchen. For instance, whenever I add a touch of curry powder to my banana bread, my friends all love the subtle savory notes it adds. Like with other twists on sweets like homemade miso cookies, adding a light savory spin or caramelized notes to banana bread — via something like curry powder, brown butter, or olive oil in place of butter — really brings out, balances, and accentuates the sweetness. For a unique take with toasty hints, you can even bake your banana bread on the grill. 

And don't skip the chance to add texture and extra flavor intrigue via inclusions and toppings. Mix in dark chocolate chunks for a pleasant bitter complement to the sweet banana bread loaf. Or go with milk chocolate chips for added sweet tooth satisfaction. Walnuts or other chopped nuts will add some extra crunch when mixed into the batter. (Just toss inclusions like nuts or chocolate chips in a light flour dusting so they don't sink to the bottom of the banana bread.) You can also sprinkle a mixture of chopped walnuts or slivered almonds and oats on the top of the bread before baking it for a nice toasted crust and beautiful presentation.