Classic Banana Bread

Steps

• Prep: Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
• Wet: Mash the bananas thoroughly in a large bowl, then whisk in the oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

  Tip: Leave a few small lumps of banana. They turn into pockets of intense banana flavour rather than disappearing into the crumb.

• Dry: Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a separate bowl.
• Combine: Tip the dry ingredients into the wet and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour is visible. Stop immediately.

  Tip: The batter should look lumpy and slightly under-mixed. Beating it smooth builds gluten and gives you a rubbery loaf with tunnels in it.

• Bake: Scrape into the pan and bake until deeply browned and a skewer in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
  ⏱ Start 60 min timer

  Tip: If the top is dark well before the centre is done, tent it loosely with foil. The sugar-rich top browns faster than the middle cooks.

• Cool: Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then lift out by the parchment and cool on a rack before slicing.
  ⏱ Start 15 min timer

  Tip: The crumb is still setting. Slicing hot banana bread gives you a gummy, compressed slice.