There’s nothing quite like a warm slice of banana bread with a nice smear of butter.  It’s as if the heavens looked down on the creation of butter and said, “Now we must create a perfect platform upon which to show off this butter.”  When made properly, banana bread is moist and loaded with flavor.  It’s pretty much a big, bread-shaped muffin.  Best of all, banana bread is so easy to make… it’s “nuts!”   Just kidding.  It’s totally “bananas!”

In this article, I’ll show you my favorite banana bread recipe and share a couple of tips for getting great tasting bread every time.  I’m also excited to present my latest cooking video.  Last week, I watched the movie The Artist.  It was cute.  But you know what it was missing?  A good banana bread recipe.  Here’s a few scenes that would have made it perfect:

Video:  “Mr Breakfast Makes Banana Bread”

How To Make Excellent Banana Bread

For the printable version of this recipe, click here.

The only real trick to making good banana bread is using really ripe bananas.  Just when you think it might be time to toss a banana in the compost bin, that’s the perfect time to use it for banana bread.  The reason is that bananas develop more sugar as they ripen.  The banana flavor becomes more pronounced as the fruit ages.

I’ve seen some recipes that try to extract more flavor from bananas by microwaving them and cooking down the liquid produced to a syrup.  That’s fun if you want to try it, but it’s unnecessary.  Ask anybody’s grandma… the old way is the best way.  Very ripe bananas yield very good banana bread.

When I make banana bread, I use two mixing bowls: one to mash the bananas and the other one for mixing.  Cream 1 softened stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar together until fluffy.  Stir in 3 medium mashed bananas and 2 beaten eggs. Then, slowly stir in 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a couple pinches of salt.  If you like, you can add a teaspoon of vanilla or a few dashes of cinnamon at this point.

Lastly, fold in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and then pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees and that’s all there is to it.  This recipe makes one 9 1/2″ X 5″ loaf or three 6″ X 3 1/2″ inch mini loaves.

The only note of caution with this recipe is to watch the cooking time.  40 to 50 minutes is a decent approximation, but every loaf of banana bread has its own distinct cooking time.  The ripeness and size of your “medium” bananas both impact the cooking time.  I’ve had one loaf take exactly 40 minutes and another with the same recipe take nearly an hour.  Both turned out great despite the significant difference in cooking time.  Just be sure to test that the bread is done with a toothpick or a skewer.  If you stick it in the middle of the loaf and it comes out clean, the bread is done.

I hope you have as much fun and success with this recipe as I’ve had.

This post is based on the following recipe on MrBreakfast.com:

Easy Banana Bread

If you’re not that bananas about banana bread, but you’re totally pumped about pumpkin bread, check out this Pumpkin Bread Recipe.

Monkey Bread is a sort of variation on a cinnamon roll recipe that’s very easy to make. Basically, you chop up some biscuit dough, coat it with cinnamon and sugar and then top it with melted butter and brown sugar.  Bake, invert and presto… Monkey Bread.

You can eat it like an elegant gentleman with a knife and fork.  But it’s best to eat it with your fingers like a monkey.  According to Wikipedia, that’s how the bread got its name.

For the complete recipe, you can check out the original Monkey Bread Recipe page on MrBreakfast.com.  Or check out the Monkey Bread Recipe Cheat Sheet above.  Or better yet, check out our Monkey Bread Recipe Tutorial Video below.

I made the bold choice to have a monkey named Randy teach the tutorial.  As for what the pig is doing there… you’ll see.

_{Video: How To Make Monkey Bread w/ Randy The Monkey}

As a breakfast expert, I recommend that you only have this for breakfast on special occasions.  It’s extremely sweet (but ohhhh… so tasty).  I hope you give it a try.  Let me know how it goes.

November 17th is National Homemade Bread Day.  So, I thought I’d share with you some of my very favorite holiday bread recipes.  These are all quick breads – meaning they don’t require yeast or hours of waiting for dough to proof.  In every instance, the batters can be used to make mini-loaves (or even muffins) to give out a gifts.

Every bread here has been tested by me personally.  If you click through to see a recipe, please be sure to read the notes so you know exactly what to expect.  Happy holiday baking!

Apple Bread –  This quick bread is exceedingly moist.  I suggest drizzling each loaf with vanilla icing for added beauty and to bring out the sweetness of the apple.

Carrot Cake Breakfast Bread – If you’ve ever wanted to indulge by eating carrot cake for breakfast, this is the bread for you.  Top with cream cheese icing for the ultimate carrot cake breakfast experience.

Easy Banana Bread – You won’t believe how easy this bread is to make.  Chopped walnuts are optional but recommended.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread – If you held a bread knife to my neck and made me choose my favorite bread on this page, it would be this one.  The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is a perfect holiday treat.

Pineapple Bread – Did you ever wish you had a Hawaiian grandma to bake you holiday bread?  Close your eyes and take a bite of this bread. It’s the next best thing.

Holiday Pumpkin Bread –  This pumpkin bread features raisins and pecans.  For optimal moistness, replace the orange juice in the recipe with vanilla yogurt.

Low-Fat Date Nut Bread – Is it possible that lower fat can mean more flavor?  Yes.  This bread is best if you let it set for one day and then warm individual servings.

Banana Pineapple Bread – These are actual mini-loaves I gave to friends last Christmas.  Everyone who tried them said they were great.

Banana Coconut Bread – Another tropical play on old-fashioned banana bread, this one is even better if you sneak a handful of mini chocolate chips into the batter.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread – This recipe comes from a 1987 magazine advertisement for Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin.  Make sure you chop the cranberries before using them to get the best texture.

Raspberry Grapefruit Mini Breads – This is a sweet bread with a little tang to it.  Citrus from the grapefruit and little lemon makes the raspberry flavor really pop.

BONUS RECIPE:

Bacon Spider Bread – This recipe is from a 1974 issue of Ebony Magazine.  It’s a cornbread that’s made in a skillet. It’s the only recipe on this page that I have not personally tested.  So if you try it, please be sure to leave a comment here or on the recipe page to let me know how it goes.

It’s hard to explain why zucchini bread is so good.  The zucchini doesn’t add significant flavor.  You never take a bite of zucchini bread and say, “That’s some quality zucchini.”  The vegetable flavor seems to disappear completely during cooking. The bread is not as distinctive as banana bread and not as decadent and dessert-like as carrot bread (which is essential carrot cake).  But a slice of warm zucchini bread with a pat of butter and cup of coffee is the essence of homespun goodness.   It’s playfully sweet, incredibly moist and completely satisfying.

I may not know exactly why I love it, but I do.  I think you will too.  This article presents a reliable, easy recipe for zucchini bread.  I’ve made it many times and it comes out fantastic every time.  Above, you’ll find a zucchini bread cheat sheet with the recipe in its most basic form.  Directly below is a video showing the recipe in action.  That’s followed with tips to make the most of the recipe and link to the printable recipe.

Video: How To Make Zucchini Bread w/ Baby Breakfast

Tips To Make Great Zucchini Bread

Cooking Time Changes Based On The Amount Of Zucchini – This recipe specifies two medium zucchini.  That should yield between 2 and 1/4 cups and 3 cups when grated.  If your amount is at the low end, the cooking time is likely to be 55 minutes.  If you get a full 3 cups, expect the cooking time to exceed an hour by 5 or 10 minutes.  The reason is that grated zucchini is treated like a wet ingredient.  The wetter your batter, the long it takes to bake.

Cover Loaves With Aluminum Foil Toward End Of Baking – To prevent the tops and edges of your bread from over-browning, cover the loaves loosely with aluminum foil at about 45 minutes.  Don’t do it earlier or the tops will stick to the foil.  I usually prep some foil before baking so that it is molded to the size of the loaf pans.

Test With A Toothpick – At 50 minutes, start testing your bread for doneness.  Stick a toothpick in the center of the bread.  If it comes out clean, the bread is done.  If batter sticks to the toothpick, you’re looking at more cooking time.

Don’t Get Bummed Out During Baking – I once had my loaves take an hour and 15 minutes.  I thought for sure the edges would be dry and over-done.  I was worried for no reason.  The bread was perfect.  This recipe is hard to mess up.

Try Adding More Stuff – As long as you don’t over do it, you can add more ingredients and flavor to this bread.  In place of or in addition to the nuts, try mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, raisins or dried cranberries.  As long as the total amount of add-ins doesn’t exceed 1 and 1/4 cup, the bread should turn out fine.

Try Making It Healthier – If you want, you can replace up to 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.  You’ll notice a hint of wheat flavor in the final product, but the bread will still taste great.  You can also replace half of the canola oil with apple sauce.  You won’t notice any apple flavor.  The bread will be a bit more soft and crumbly.

Mini Loaves – I’ve used this recipe to make four 6×3-inch loaves.  The cooking time was 48 minutes.

Storing The Bread – I’ve found that a loaf covered in plastic wrap at room temperature is great for 5 days.  In the refrigerator, it’ll be fine for 8 or 9 days.  When frozen, I’ve had loaves taste terrific 3 months after I’ve made them.  I always wrap the loaves tightly with plastic wrap and then wrap them a second time before I freeze them.

This article is a companion piece to following recipe on MrBreakfast.com:

Zucchini Bread

During the holidays, I like to put my regular bread pans in storage and pull out my mini-loaf pans.  That way, anytime I make bread I have instant gifts and I’m less inclined to personally over-indulge.  And believe me… I am very good at overeating during the holidays.  Sometimes, I’ll wake up and see open Tupperware on the kitchen counter.  What magic elves have been eating my food?  Alas, sometime around 5AM – half-aware and partially dreaming, I stood in the kitchen and finished the Thanksgiving stuffing or drank most of the Christmas eggnog.  Holiday food in reasonably-sized, single-serving portions is a good idea for many reasons.

The loaves you see here are Raspberry Grapefruit Mini Breads.  They have a vanilla cake base that’s loaded with fresh raspberries and brushed with a grapefruit syrup after baking.  Brushing them with a simple syrup helps keep in the moisture so these breads will still be moist and at their best for a couple days after baking.

Almost any quick bread recipe (those not using yeast) can be made into mini-loaves.  It’s just a matter of having the right pans and keeping your eye on the cooking time.  I used raspberries for these loaves, but you could just as easily use blueberries or chopped strawberries.

The ingredients are pretty basic: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, half and half, grapefruit juice, lemon zest, vanilla, eggs, butter and raspberries.

For ingredient amounts and a printable recipe, click here.

The first thing you do for this recipe is make the simple syrup that you’ll use at the end.  All you do is mix some juice with some sugar and cook and stir until it’s evenly clear and slightly thickened.  I used grapefruit juice because I wanted a distinct citrus flavor to complement the berries.  But here, you can play around with other juices to make the breads distinctly your own.

Like muffins, most quick breads benefit from a few simple rules: 1) Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately; 2) Use a gentle mixing motion when combining the wet and dry ingredients; 3) Fold in any berries or nuts at the end with a gentle touch; 4) Don’t overfill the loaf pans; and 5) Check your baked goods at least 5 minutes before they’re supposed to be done.

To test if the breads are done, poke a toothpick into the middle of loaf.  If it comes out clean, the breads are done.  Brush the tops with the syrup as soon as you remove them from the oven.  When the loaves are cool to the touch (about 15 minutes later), remove them from the pan and brush each loaf again, this time on all sides with the syrup – including a second coat for the top sides.

If you’re wrapping these as gifts, let them cool 20 to 30 minutes or more so the syrup is completely absorbed.  I find that squares of wax paper and a little twine are all you need to make charming little presents. You can visit your local crafts store for custom labels and festive food wrap if you want to go more crazy.

Now, all that’s left is for you to eat some delicious bread and to spread some homemade joy.  Listen as your friends sing, “Wow!  {Your Name Here} is so cool!  He (or she) brought me these delightful, little loaves of bread.  So flavorful!  Boy, oh boy… {Your Name Here} is just about the best person in the whole wide world.”

Anyway, that’s what I imagine my friends say.  That and “Oh no!  Tight pants.  Looks like he’s been eating leftovers in his sleep again.”  (That’s a reference to the first paragraph… If you read so much that you understood that then {Your Name Here} really is super awesome!)

Happy holidays!  Enjoy the bread!

This post is a companion piece to the following recipe on MrBreakfast.com:

Raspberry Grapefruit Mini Breads