Betty White's Banana Bread

Old fashioned banana bread made with simple ingredients and chopped walnuts.

This recipe for Betty White's Banana Bread has been floating around the internet for a few years and what better time than now to bring it back to life by recreating and sharing it in the honor of the late Betty White.

Old Fashioned Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe for banana bread has been floating around for quite a few years on the internet but it was originally found on Fisher's Flour products and cookbooks.

When making banana bread, it's important to start with ripe bananas. I would suggest very ripe bananas as they pack the most flavor in bananas and mush up nicely for recipes. The starches in the bananas turn into sugar as they ripen and creates a sweeter banana flavor. In fact, banana bread is the perfect way to use up overripe bananas.

Don't toss overripened bananas! Place them in a freezer-safe bag and freeze them for up to three months!

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What is Strong Flour?

To make it simple, strong flour is just another name for bread flour. It has more protein than all-purpose flour and in turn, the gluten is higher in bread flour.

Strong flour is made from hard wheat and has a gluten content of about 13-14%. Strong flour is perfect for airy yeast breads.

Ingredients in Homemade Banana Nut Bread

• Bread Flour (strong flour)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Ripe bananas (I prefer overripe bananas for maximum flavor and sweetness)
• Egg
• Milk
• Vegetable oil (aka salad oil)
• Chopped Walnuts
• Vanilla extract

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How to Make Betty White's Banana Bread

Tried and true recipes that are old-fashioned and have stood up to the test of time really have no need for ingredient changes but if spice is a must in your baked goods add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to your flour to create a subtle cinnamon flavor through the bread.

Preheat the oven and prepare the pan - Preheat the oven to 350º F and grease and flour the loaf pan. Set the prepared pan aside.

Sift the flour- Break down the clumps of flour and aerate the bread flour and add it to a large mixing bowl

Add in the other dry ingredients- Combine the sifted flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.

Create a well in the center of the flour mixture- Using a fork or a hand mixer, mash the bananas and add them to the center of the flour. Top the mashed bananas with the egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and chopped walnuts.

Pour in the prepared pan and bake- Spoon the batter into the greased and floured 5x9 loaf pan.

Bake the banana nut bread- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Check the center of the banana loaf with a toothpick to ensure that it is done before removing it from the oven. Oven temperatures can vary so this is a great trick to make sure that your loaf is done baking.

Allow the bread to cool- Allow the bread to cool for about 10 minutes before flipping the loaf out of the pan and setting it to cool on a cooling rack.

Add Flavor and Spice to the Classic Banana Nut Bread

Betty White's banana bread doesn't have any spices mixed into it which for some, may leave them wanting for a little more intense flavor.

After giving this recipe a try, play around with your own spices and create a banana nut bread tailored to you. Adding ½ teaspoon of cinnamon will definitely give this banana bread more flavor but this recipe is a classic, and you may just find yourself pleased with this subtle flavor.

TIP: The riper the banana the sweeter and the more flavor it will give to your banana bread!

📖 Recipe