Easy Banana Bread

Whenever my family needs a pick me up, we make this easy banana bread.  There is something about cooking together, the smell of warm banana bread throughout the house and the warmth it provides on a cool fall day that immediately lifts our hearts.  It’s perfect for baking together with kids and also as a gift for that neighbor, friend or teacher to say thanks.  This time, it’s to mend our hearts. 

But the other reason why I love this easy banana bread so much is that it’s totally hassle-free.  If you love to bake but don’t have the time to make or deal with the hassle of the clean-up, then this banana bread recipe is for you. 

Time to make: 5 minutes (varies with kids)

Number of dishes to clean-up: 5 (1 bowl, 4 measuring/stirring utensils)

Time to clean-up: 5 minutes

Total hands-on time: 10 minutes!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Set oven to 180℃ (350℉)
2. Add sugar, vegetable oil and egg together in a medium-sized bowl.  Beat or mix together until smooth.
3. Add 3 super ripe bananas to the bowl.  The trick here is to use super overripe bananas, like the brown one seen here as compared to the ones in the background.  Mix the bananas into the bowl.  The mix will be lumpy. 
4. Add flour, baking soda and sea salt to the bowl.  Make sure the sea salt is well ground before adding to the mix.  Mix the dry ingredients until it’s just incorporated.  Do not over mix.
5. Grease the bread/loaf dish (5.25 x 9 x 2.75 in. Or 1.5 Qt pan) really well.  Or another option is to use 3-4 small loaf tins for gifting or freezing.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes (50-60 min @ 350℉) on the center rack or until it passes the toothpick test (it’s gooey free).
7. Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing or removing from the pan. 

This easy banana bread is perfect for making with kids, lifting up the family spirits or to enjoy a cool fall morning.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!