One-Bowl Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas (brown and spotty)
• 1/3 cup (80g) melted butter
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups (190g) plain flour
• Optional: 1/2 cup (60g) walnuts or chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl until mostly smooth. A few lumps are fine.
3. Stir in melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. Add baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix or the bread will be tough.
5. Fold in walnuts or chocolate chips if using.
6. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Notes

The bananas must be overripe. If they're still yellow, they don't have enough sugar or moisture and the bread will be bland. Freeze overripe bananas until you have enough. They mash perfectly from frozen once thawed. Keeps wrapped at room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated for a week. Freezes for 3 months. Slice before freezing so you can toast individual slices.