🕒 Ready in 60 minutes (15 minutes prep · 45 minutes bake)
Banana bread is the ultimate comfort bake, and it happens to be one of our absolute favorite recipes to make with little bakers.
If you have a couple of spotty, brown bananas sitting in the fruit bowl looking a bit sorry for themselves, don't throw them away! Those overripe bananas are actually gold dust - they are packed with natural sweetness and moisture, making them perfect for this recipe. This banana bread is wonderfully forgiving, incredibly moist, and brilliant for tiny hands to help mash, stir, and pour.
Ingredients
Here is everything you’ll need from the pantry.
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3 large ripe bananas (the browner, the better!)
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75g unsalted butter, melted (plus a little extra for greasing)
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100g caster sugar (or light brown soft sugar for a deeper, caramel flavor)
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1 large egg, beaten
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
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A pinch of salt
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150g self-raising flour (or plain flour with 1 tsp of baking powder)
Method
Grab your favorite mixing bowl, put on your aprons, and let's get baking!
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Prep the oven and tin: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan / Gas Mark 4). Grease a 2lb loaf tin with a little butter and line it with baking parchment.
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The fun mash-up: Peel the bananas and pop them into a large mixing bowl. Hand over the potato masher to your little assistants and let them mash the bananas until completely smooth.
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Mix the wet ingredients: Pour the melted butter into the mashed bananas and stir. Add the beaten egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. Give it all a good mix with a wooden spoon.
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Add the dry ingredients: Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda and salt over the mixture, then gently fold in the flour. Be careful not to over-mix—just stir until the flour disappears.
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Bake to perfection: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Cool down: Let the bread cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely (if you can resist waiting that long!).
Serving Suggestions
While this banana bread is absolutely delicious straight cut from the loaf, here are a few ways to elevate your snack time:
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The Classic: Served warm with a generous smear of real salted butter.
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The Sweet Treat: Drizzled with a tiny bit of honey or maple syrup alongside a cold glass of milk.
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The Café Style: Lightly toasted under the grill for a minute to get those edges beautifully crispy.
Storage Tips
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To Store: Keep your banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It actually gets fudgier and tastier by day two!
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To Freeze: This bakes freezes beautifully. Slice the loaf first, wrap individual slices in baking parchment, and pop them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Perfect for pulling out for quick school lunchboxes.
Fun Baking Jobs for Kids
Baking is a team sport! Here are some fantastic, age-appropriate jobs your mini-chefs can tackle:
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The Banana Masher (Ages 3+): Peeling the bananas and using a potato masher or sturdy fork to squish them up. It’s an incredible sensory activity that toddlers love.
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The Master Measurer (Ages 5+): Helping to scoop out the flour and sugar, or pouring the pre-measured wet ingredients into the big bowl.
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The Batter Folder (Ages 6+): Taking charge of the wooden spoon to gently fold the flour into the wet mix until it completely disappears.
What Can Children Learn
Kitchen adventures are secretly packed with wonderful learning opportunities:
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Developing spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination
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Understanding food waste and sustainability by recycling ingredients
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Building sensory vocabulary by exploring different textures and smells
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Gaining confidence and independence by creating something from scratch
FAQs
Can I use fresh, bright yellow bananas? You can, but the bread won't be quite as sweet or moist. If your bananas aren't ripe enough, you can pop them (in their skins) onto a baking tray in a 150°C oven for 15 minutes until the skins turn black, then let them cool and mash!
My banana bread is browning too fast in the oven, what should I do? If the top is looking dark but the inside isn't quite cooked yet, simply tent a piece of tin foil loosely over the top of the tin for the remaining bake time to protect it.
🌟 Top Tip for Little Bakers: Let the kids take full charge of the banana mashing! It’s a fantastic sensory activity for toddlers and preschoolers, and it doesn't matter at all if they leave a few lumps - it just adds to the wonderful homemade texture of the bread.
Share Your Bakes! Have you tried this recipe? We’d LOVE to see your creations! Tag us on Instagram @craft_crumb 🌟