Buttermilk Banana Bread
I am always trying to find new uses for brown bananas and buttermilk. I always seem to have an abundance of these two ingredients. Josh doesn’t like bananas, but I still buy them in large bunches. I have good intentions to eat them, but they always turn on me too quickly. I also buy the large container of buttermilk because it is a better deal. I usually use the little bit I bought it for and wait until it is about to expire, then everything we eat involves buttermilk. Last week I was thinking of ways to use up bananas and buttermilk and decided to bake Buttermilk Banana Bread.
Buttermilk and bananas are meant to be friends. They team up in this recipe to create a very moist loaf of bread. This banana bread is light in flavor and color. It reminds me of a very moist banana pound cake because of the rich, buttery crumb. I made a medium size loaf and a mini loaf. We sampled the mini loaf and gave away the large loaf to our friends. I knew we would want to sample it, so I figured it would be better to have our own loaf than to give away a loaf with a few missing slices:)
If you are pondering what to do with the overripe bananas on your counter and the buttermilk in your refrigerator, make Buttermilk Banana Bread. Your house will fill with a wonderful aroma and you will have a tasty snack or breakfast to eat.
Buttermilk Banana Bread
Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium sized bananas)
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking sodaDirections:
1. Grease and flour 1 large loaf pan (9 1/4 X 5 1/4-inch) or whatever combination of pans you’d like. I used a mini loaf pan and a 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 loaf pan. You can also make banana muffins with this recipe, if you wish. Set pans aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla until the batter is well mixed.
3. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Mix until well combined. Divide batter into greased and floured pans and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Let bread cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the bread with a knife and carefully remove from pan. Finish cooling on rack. Slice and serve once cooled.
Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Print
SaveIf you like this Buttermilk Banana Bread, you might also like:
Banana Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Topping from Two Peas and Their Pod
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread from How Sweet It Is
Banana Almond Snack Cake from Family Fresh Cooking
Welcome to Two Peas and Their Pod. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. Join us in our culinary adventures-our kitchen is always open! 
that looks so wonderful and perfect!!! i have an entire post dedicated to do with over-ripe bananas. It happens all the time for me
I saw this recipe posted on the Tasty Kitchen blog a while back and tried it right away. It is now my go to banana bread recipe…moist, just the right sweetness…delicious. I have mixed it up by adding nuts or mini chocolate chips.
I never seem to have a use for leftover buttermilk besides pancakes so I rarely buy it and instead mix milk and vinegar when a recipe calls for it. With more uses like these, however, we may end up with a large container of buttermilk! Yum!
Same here. I use the buttermilk for a recipe and then what. Will have to try. Looks yummy.
Looks great! Can’t wait to try this!
Like a banana pound cake? Now that sounds great
I love how light this looks both in texture and color.
one of the best banana bread I have ever seen…this bread is looking so fresh and inviting, need to give it a shot soon !
Sounds lovely!
Oh Maria! this sounds so good to me right now. Amen to the over abundance of buttermilk and bananas! that is my house every week. Now I know what to do with mine this week
I totally agree. Bananas and buttermilk were meant to be together!
I have a few ripe bananas but no buttermilk… thankfully there is a store nearby. It looks moist and delicious.
It definitely looks super moist, with a beautiful crumb. I’ve never tried banana bread with buttermilk, but it sounds like a delightful combination!
Love this recipe, Maria. We make it a lot around here! Your loaves look just beautiful …have a great night!
Hi Maria-This is a gorgeous banana bread. It looks so creamy and moist. I may have to make one for tomorrow morning’s breakfast (these bananas are waiting for me to do something with them:)
Oh too bad, I literally just made some banana bread! Wish I had seen this first. Oh well…. I’ve clipped it for next time….
This looks so moist, Maria. Great use of brown bananas.
Gorgeous! I love how light and fluffy this looks.
I love banana bread and the sounds of this recipe.I have the same problem with bananas but before I get to bake with them my boyfriend usually throws them away cause he says I won’t eat them…
There is nothing like banana bread baking in the oven. Your banana bread looks lovely…so light, fluffy, and moist. Wish I could have a slice now.
Your buttermilk banana bread is just gorgeous! I love how you used buttermilk for the recipe. The banana bread looks sooo moist and flavorful!
Buttermilk keeps bread so nice and moist. Sounds delicious! I always have an overabundance or banana too. Not a bad thing though
This is my favorite banana bread recipe ever!! It is so buttery and smooth and tastes perfect with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. MmmmMM!
I just love buttermilk…esp in baked goods. I buy the fresh, but I also by the powdered stuff, so I always have it on hand. I am going to give this recipe a go next time I have over ripe bananas in the fruit bowl!
Yes!! I need to use up some bananas and buttermilk too – perfect timing for this recipe, thanks!! : )
That banana bread looks so moist and delicious! What a great recipe.
I love baking with buttermilk, this sounds wonderful!
So, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this- but you can actually freeze buttermilk for future use. Makes it easy to always have it on hand!
twopeas replied: — February 23rd, 2011 @ 7:51 am
Thanks for the tip! I will have to try freezing buttermilk next time.
This looks delicious! I have made lots of banana bread but never with buttermilk… it seems so obvious now! And I’m the same way – always buy the quart of buttermilk but can never seem to use it up in time.
Mmm, yum. This looks so light and delicious. I’ve got a new quart of buttermilk in the fridge right now. And it’s nice to know you got this to rise beautifully at high altitude. I’ll definitely try this—maybe as muffins.
this is a supremely moist batch of banana bread, maria–it looks like it could double as a pillow.
yum yum yum, this bread looks so moist and fluffy. I bet that would go amazing with lemon curd.
This bread looks lovely! I often add buttermilk to my banana bread, but it definitely doesn’t turn out as light and fluffy as yours did. I have to try this recipe!
Made this tonight and it is hands down the best banana bread that has ever come out of my oven!
twopeas replied: — February 25th, 2011 @ 9:06 am
So glad you enjoyed the banana bread!
I’m not a big fan of banana bread, but my sis looooves it and she’s visiting, so I can’t wait to make this for her! Thanks!
P.S. Have you ever tried buttermilk powder? I have wasted so many quarts of buttermilk, but now I buy the powdered stuff and it keeps (in the refrigerator) for a long time! It works just as well as the real stuff, and you can’t tell a difference at all. It’s made by a company called Saco (http://www.amazon.com/Saco-Cultured-Buttermilk-16-Ounce-Canister/dp/B001E5E2BS) and it’s great.
twopeas replied: — February 25th, 2011 @ 9:05 am
Thanks for the tip!
I don’t think that you need to like bananas to like banana bread! It just makes the cake really moist and have a fudgy texture – perfect! The addition of buttermilk is genius
Pingback: Wow, What a Back-Log of Baked Goods « Emerald Thunder's Creations
Pingback: Bananas are da best | MINNE-MAKEOVER
This is perfect! I always have brown bananas in my freezer and I’ve got the big container of buttermilk in my fridge at the moment. Thanks!!
I had six very very overripe bananas so i doubled the recipe and made these into muffins instead.
I LOVE the texture in the muffins. It’s chewy and more cake like than anything.
It was far too sweet though. I was looking at the amount of sugar before i put it in the mixer and thought that those measurements couldn’t be right. So i took out a half cup and thought that would do the trick. But it didn’t, it was still really sweet.
I think next time i’ll use less sugar and maybe half that portion with brown sugar and white sugar so i can have more flavor.
I still felt like it was missing something so i added nutmeg. I think i’ll add a little bit of cinnamon as well. I just can’t imagine banana bread without cinnamon. hehe. I know i won’t be able to keep that awesome pale color but at least there will be more flavor.
I baked these muffins at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, the inside was perfect, but i didn’t get that nice golden crust i was hoping for. So i think it would be better (just for muffins) to increase the temperature to 375 degrees and lower the time to about 15 mins.
I’m really happy i found this recipe. Thank you so much for posting this.