Baking

Banana bread

Name: Banana bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 8–10 slices
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 335 g (2¼ cups) plain flour; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted; ½ tsp cooking salt; 1¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp allspice; 4 medium ripe bananas (400 g peeled, 1¾ cups mashed); 200 g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar; 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature; 80 ml (⅓ cup) full-fat sour cream; 80 g unsalted butter, melted; 80 ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil; 2½ tsp vanilla extract

Serves 8–10 slices Prep 20 min Cook 1 hr 10 min Total 2 hr 30 min (includes cooling)

Banana bread sits in our baking collection for weekend baking sessions and school-lunch tin fillers. We keep the voice practical — what to buy, what heat to use, and how to tell when it is done. Serves 8–10 slices with about 20 min prep and 1 hr 10 min cook time (around 2 hr 30 min (includes cooling) total). That is a home estimate — ovens and pans vary, so use colour and texture as well as the clock. Shop first for plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp cooking salt; those ingredients do the heavy lifting for flavour and texture, while the rest of the list seasons, binds, or finishes the plate. Good for weekend baking sessions and school-lunch tin fillers. One tray or tin as written — freeze extras in airtight bags. Keep Australian cup measures (250 ml) so the ratios match what we tested on the page. Method opens with: “Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 21.5 × 11.5 × 7 cm loaf pan with scrunched baking paper, overhang on th…”. Follow the order as written; jumping ahead is how pans crowd and sauces split.

Notes

Method rhythm: step one is “Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 21.5 × 11.5 × 7 cm loaf pan with scrunched baking paper, overhang on the sides.”. Do not skip resting, cooling, or draining steps if they appear later — they are usually there for texture. The finish is “Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then on a rack at least 1 hour. Best toasted with butter.”. Taste before you plate; salt at the end often needs a final pinch.
Shopping and mise en place: read the full ingredient list once before you start. For Banana bread, plain flour and bicarbonate of soda are the items that decide whether the dish tastes flat or properly seasoned. Weigh where grams are given — volume cups are fine for liquids and some dry goods, but baking ratios are tighter if you use scales. Australian cups are 250 ml; a tablespoon is 20 ml and a teaspoon is 5 ml.
From our tested tip, expanded: Sour cream (or yoghurt) plus bicarb is the rise and the soft crumb. Do not overmix. Spotty bananas taste stronger; yellow bananas still work. Treat that as the non-negotiable. If something still feels off — too wet, too pale, too tight — adjust one variable at a time (heat, liquid, or bake time) rather than changing three things at once.
Putting it together for Banana bread: work clean, taste as you go, and do not rush browning or reduction steps if they appear in the method. If you are cooking for mixed diets, plate sauces and toppings separately where practical. Keep this page bookmarked if it becomes a household regular — we update wording when cooks report a confusing step. Metric consistency across Scoops & Dishes means once you trust the cups and scales here, breakfast through dessert behaves the same way.