Amish Banana Bread

The Amish Banana Bread is a classic in any Amish community. It is moist, easy to make, and rich in flavor and nutrition.

Are you wondering what to make for your upcoming family potluck? Try this delicious recipe and you will hold the coveted trophy ‘best family cook’.

Bananas, a popular fruit

Bananas are the most popular fruit in most of the world. It is the common symbol of a fruit, you walk into any grocery shop and the beautiful bright yellow curved fruit will catch your eye.

It is a healthy snack, all you need to do is peel and eat! Bananas have a great earthy flavor coupled with a lot of sweetness. Other than that, bananas are very nutritious.

I love bananas, my mama used to call me the monkey of the house. I love them in any form. I always look forward to munching a banana chunk in a fruit salad lol. I love banana pudding, banana shakes, banana bread, and anything banana… mine is almost an obsession hehe.

Bananas are rich in nutrients such as potassium, and vitamin A that are very good for your body. Eating bananas may aid in digestion because they contain fiber too. In this recipe, we shall be adding flour and sugar that are not very healthy, but the goodness of bananas cannot be baked out.

This quick bread is very moist, delicious, and tasty. You do not need great baking skills to whip this bread. Before you scroll to the recipe, read the tips it helps deary.

Also, Check out: Amish Fry Pies Recipe

Why I love Amish Recipes

Amish women are great cooks. Their cooking skills are becoming world-famous and the irony of it all is that most do not interact with the outside world.

A number of them have left the strict Amish orders and they share their recipes and other skills that they acquired. If you have ever visited the Amish Country you will never forget their classic tasting food.

My Auntie grew up Amish but later left the strict religious group. We learned a lot from her, she did not entirely abandon their culture and way of doing things.

One of the things I would go over to do at her house was read those vintage recipe books. Since she treasured them, she only allowed us to copy the recipes into our notebook or any available piece of paper.

She told us how they baked many pies and cakes to share every Sunday after the church service. She practiced baking until she became a great baker.

The Amish use ingredients that are easy to find in our pantries and they encourage you to use up garden produce therefore reducing wastage.

Amish Communities

There are many places that you can visit in Amish communities, especially PA, Lancaster.

Experience the breathtaking scenery while on a horse buddy, buy a range of vintage handmade items, and most of all, enjoy classic tasting dishes.

If you happen to have tasted the Amish Banana Bread, you will want to try your homemade version to handle the craving anytime it strikes.

Amish Pumpkin Bread Recipe. Click to Read.

How to make the Amish Banana Bread

Making this bread is relatively easy, it takes a short time to mix too. You need to prepare your baking tin by greasing or lining it with parchment paper then preheat your oven to 150 C.

Mash the bananas, mix with lemon juice, and set aside. Beat the eggs, sugar,sour cream and oil /butter until creamy then add the vanilla essence.

 In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until they are fully combined, that is the flour, leavening agents, salt, and aromatic spices.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, fold in the mashed banana, and mix. Pour the bread batter into the loaf tin and bake for 45- 55 minutes until an inserted pick comes out clean.

 That is all it takes to make this decadent quick bread that is good for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert. Let us look at some of the equipment required to make this recipe.

EQUIPMENT

Stand mixer or Handheld electric mixer

A stand mixer or electric mixer will work effectively when creaming the wet ingredients. 

Mixing bowls

 Mixing bowls are required for mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining them.

Rubber spatula

A rubber spatula scrapes down the ingredients from the sides of the bowl during mixing. It is good in ensuring very little cake batter is left in the mixing bowl for licking …the bowl is usually booked lol.

Potato masher

You can use a fork to mash the bananas but a potato masher does a better job.

Loaf tin or pan

We have always baked our banana bread in a loaf tin, but you can bake it in any baking tin that you desire. This recipe can also be baked into muffins in a muffin tin.

Let us discuss briefly the ingredients that we used to make this no-fail Amish banana bread. 

Ripe bananas

Do you have any bananas turning black in your pantry faster than you had anticipated? Fret not. Convert them into a pleasant and more appetizing snack by mashing them and making this decadent bread.

You need two or three overripe bananas. Bananas in this state are extremely sweet, enhancing the sweetness of your banana bread with natural sugars.

All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour works perfectly. You can use self-raising flour and omit to add the leavening agents.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar adds a depth of sweetness to the banana bread. If you are counting calories, you can reduce the amount of sugar you are adding to the banana bread.

Eggs

Eggs enrich the banana bread with protein. Eggs give rise to the bread too because the egg whites increase in volume when beaten.

Baking soda and Baking powder

Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents. They react with ingredients in the batter producing gas. The gas released makes the banana bread rise as well as making it less dense.

Unsalted butter

Unsalted butter moisturizes the banana bread. If you use salted butter, always remember to omit the salt. You can substitute unsalted butter with vegetable oil such as canola or coconut oil.

Sour cream

Sour cream adds moisture to the banana bread butter and enriches it with nutrients and a milky flavor.

Lemon juice keeps the bananas from oxidizing and adds a unique tangy flavor too.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon spice has a woody and earthy flavor with sweet undertones. It blends perfectly with nutmeg in the banana bread batter.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg possesses a distinct aroma that is stronger than cinnamon. These two aromatic spices complement each other, elevating the deliciousness of the banana bread.

Take note that adding spices is optional.

HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT AMISH BANANA BREAD

Here are a few tips that will make you make the best banana bread:

Do not overmix the butter

I made a couple of tough, rubbery banana bread until I learned my mistake. I used to overmix my batter. Resist the urge of over mixing as soon as all the ingredients are incorporated.

When you overmix the gluten in the all-purpose flour is activated, it forms strands that change the structure of your banana bread. You want that in yeast breads, not quick breads.

Measure your ingredients accurately

Always practice the scoop and level method when measuring dry ingredients for your recipe.

Once you have scooped your flour or baking powder from the container, use a bread knife to level and gently remove the excess flour.

Excess flour reduces the amount of moisture in the recipe making it crumbly and dry instead of moist in texture.

Right baking temperature

Study your oven to determine its optimal temperature for baking. Very high or very low temperatures will affect the overall results of your Amish Banana Bread.

Use excessively ripe bananas

Yes, the ugly ducklings of all your bananas will give you the best outcome. Overly ripe bananas are easy to mash, they have also attained their peak sweetness.

You will have few or no lumps in the recipe and your banana bread will be heavenly sweet.

FAQ Amish Banana Bread

Can I freeze my Amish Banana Bread?

Freezing this bread is easy, wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-friendly bag. It can last in the freezer for 2 months.

To thaw, keep it on the counter overnight so you have it for breakfast the following morning. Microwave to warm and enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee for breakfast or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Also, Check out: Amish Pecan Pie