Banana Bread

We all have one: a go-to recipe for Banana Bread. Whenever I see a few sad looking bananas browning on my countertop I know I can dig through my mom's recipe folder and find my family's recipe, the same one that my grandmother taught my mom how to make. Except this time, with these sad looking bananas, that tattered piece of paper was about 2500 miles away (and my mother is notorious for not picking up/returning phone calls) and I had to go looking for a new recipe.

I had a few important constraints when looking for a recipe, namely in ingredients. I had 3 bananas, half a stick of butter, and absolutely no motivation to go to the store. Besides the normal cast of characters this recipe calls for plain yogurt - genius! - giving it a nice moist texture.






Banana Bread



Original Recipe found here


2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.
Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.