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Yeasted banana bread slices like sandwich bread, not cake, with a fluffy crumb and just a hint of sweetness. It turns a few overripe bananas into toast, school lunches and a terrific peanut butter and jelly for the whole week.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- Yeasted Banana Bread vs. Regular Banana Bread
- Ingredients for Yeasted Banana Bread
- Yield Notes
- Equipment for Yeasted Banana Bread
- How to Make Yeasted Banana Bread
- Tips for the Best Yeasted Banana Bread
- Serving Yeasted Banana Bread
- Yeasted Banana Bread Variations
- How to Store Yeasted Banana Bread
- Yeasted Banana Bread FAQs
- More Banana Bread Recipes
- Yeasted Banana Bread Recipe
- Homemade Bread Recipes
If you keep bananas in the house, it’s inevitable. Sooner or later you’ll have a bundle of banana bread worthy specimens browning on the counter.
Regular banana bread is really more of a cake. This one is a true yeast bread, with a fluffy crumb, a soft golden crust and just enough banana to taste it, so it works for sandwiches all week.
It’s an enriched dough with butter, eggs and milk alongside the bananas, a lot like the dough for classic cinnamon rolls or my honey wheat bread. If you’ve baked a soft sandwich loaf before, you already know most of the method.
For the cake-style kind, my maple banana bread, sourdough banana bread and Swedish banankaka are all worth baking. My 50+ bread machine recipes have hands-off loaves too.
Notes from My Kitchen
Maple banana bread was always my go-to for overripe bananas. Then my two little ones started school, and we started going through sandwich bread like nobody’s business. I’d fallen in love with my honey wheat bread, but life’s too short for the same bread every single day.
So I tested a few yeasted banana bread recipes, and this one’s a winner. It’s spectacular as a classic peanut butter and jelly, and with a few banana slices tucked in, it’s out of this world. We’ve cut into a loaf piping hot and eaten it with butter, which is one more good reason this recipe makes two.
Yeasted Banana Bread vs. Regular Banana Bread
Most banana bread recipes rise with baking soda or baking powder, and the batter goes straight into the pan. That makes a quick bread, and it bakes up dense, moist and cake-like.
Banana bread with yeast is a different animal. You knead it to build gluten, let it rise twice and bake it into a light loaf you can slice thin. The bananas add moisture, a little sweetness and a gentle banana flavor rather than the full banana cake taste.
Ingredients for Yeasted Banana Bread
The sugar is the one place to make this loaf your own. I prefer a very lightly sweetened loaf for sandwiches, so I use the smaller amount on the card, and the larger amount makes a sweeter bread for toast.
Everything else is a standard enriched dough, plus very ripe bananas. The recipe card has the exact amounts.
- Ripe bananas: The more brown speckles, the sweeter they are and the more easily they mash. Mash them really well. A chunk of banana is great in cake-like banana bread, but it’s less appealing in a fluffy sandwich loaf.
- All-purpose flour: It makes a soft, tender sandwich loaf, and bread flour works too for a slightly chewier one. Any brand is fine, including King Arthur all-purpose flour.
- Active dry yeast: It dissolves in the warm milk before it goes into the dough. Instant yeast works in the same amount, stirred straight into the flour.
- Milk: Warm it to about 105 to 110°F (40 to 43°C), warm but not hot to the touch. An instant-read thermometer takes the guessing out of it.
- Butter: Melted butter makes the crumb tender and keeps the crust soft. Let it cool for a few minutes before it goes in with the eggs.
- Eggs: They add richness and help the loaves rise tall. One more egg, beaten with a little water, makes the optional glaze.
- Sugar: White sugar keeps the banana flavor front and center, and brown sugar works too.
- Salt: It seasons the bread and keeps the yeast from rising too fast.
Yield Notes
This recipe makes two loaves. Each one is about 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) of dough, which fits an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch or 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and cuts into about 12 slices.
Two to three bananas give the 1 cup (about 225 grams) of mash the dough needs. For a single loaf, or a 1 1/2 pound bread machine loaf, make half the recipe.
Saving this recipe forever. I ended up cutting the ingredients in half and using my bread machine for a 1.5 lb loaf. I believe it was the best loaf of bread I have ever produced from a bread machine. Thank you for your recipes!
Equipment for Yeasted Banana Bread
A stand mixer with a paddle and a dough hook makes quick work of this dough. A large mixing bowl and a sturdy spoon work just as well if you’d rather knead by hand.
You’ll also need two loaf pans, a wire cooling rack and a bread knife for clean slices.
How to Make Yeasted Banana Bread
This dough comes together like any soft sandwich bread. Plan on about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, and most of that is rising time.
The bananas make the dough a little softer and stickier than a plain white bread dough. Go by how it feels, and don’t keep adding flour until it’s stiff.
Mix the Dough
Warm the milk to about 105 to 110°F (40 to 43°C), sprinkle in the yeast and let it dissolve for 5 to 10 minutes. While it sits, mash the bananas and melt the butter.
In a stand mixer with the paddle, or in a bowl with a spoon, mix the bananas, butter, sugar, salt and eggs. Stir in the yeast mixture, then add about half the flour and beat until smooth.
Knead the Dough
Switch to the dough hook, or turn the dough out onto a well-floured counter, and work in the rest of the flour. Knead for 5 to 6 minutes in the mixer, or 8 to 10 minutes by hand.
It’s ready when it’s smooth and cohesive, and just ever so slightly sticky. Add more flour a spoonful at a time only if it’s sticking badly.
Let It Rise
Put the dough in a buttered bowl, cover it and set it somewhere warm. Let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour, until it doubles.
A warm kitchen speeds things along, and a cool one slows them down. Press a floured finger into the dough, and if the dent fills back in slowly, it’s ready.
Shape the Loaves
Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Pat each half into a rectangle about as wide as your loaf pan is long, then roll it up tightly and pinch the seam closed.
Set the loaves seam side down in two greased loaf pans. Cover them and let them rise until they’re just above the rim of the pans, 45 minutes to an hour, while the oven heats to 350°F (175°C).
Glaze and Bake
Beat an egg with a splash of water and brush it over the tops. It’s optional, but it gives the loaves a beautiful glaze.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the loaves are well browned and sound hollow when you tap the bottom. The center should read about 190°F (88°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Cool Before Slicing
Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack right away so the bottoms don’t get soggy. Let them cool completely before you slice them, since warm bread squishes under the knife.
A serrated bread knife and a gentle sawing motion give the cleanest slices for sandwiches.
Tips for the Best Yeasted Banana Bread
Hold back the last of the flour. Bananas vary in how much moisture they add, so knead in the last bit of flour slowly and stop once the dough stops sticking to your hands.
Use the ripest bananas you have. Brown, soft bananas mash smooth and give the most banana flavor. Pale yellow ones leave lumps and taste starchy.
Cool the butter first. Hot melted butter can start to cook the eggs and harm the yeast, so give it a few minutes after it melts.
Tent the loaves if they brown fast. The sugar and egg glaze brown quickly, so lay a piece of foil loosely over the tops if they’re dark before the center is done.
Serving Yeasted Banana Bread
Peanut butter and jelly is the classic here, and a few banana slices tucked into the sandwich take it over the top. Try it with my old-fashioned strawberry jam, or with any homemade jam you have open.
It also makes rich French toast, and it’s good toasted with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. If you like a soft sandwich loaf, my sourdough Pullman loaf is another one to keep in the rotation, and homemade bagels are a fun weekend project.
Yeasted Banana Bread Variations
This dough is easy to take in other directions.
- Banana cinnamon rolls: Roll the risen dough out, spread it with soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, and roll it up like my whole wheat cinnamon rolls. Readers who’ve tried it say it’s a keeper.
- Bread machine loaf: Half the recipe fits a 1 1/2 pound bread machine loaf. My bread machine banana bread uses the machine from start to finish.
- Sweeter loaf: Use the larger sugar amount on the card for a sweeter bread that’s lovely toasted.
- Whole wheat: Swap part of the flour for white whole wheat flour for a heartier loaf with a little more chew.
How to Store Yeasted Banana Bread
Keep the bread in a bread bag or wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days. The bananas help it stay moist, but like any homemade bread, it dries out faster than store-bought.
For longer storage, slice the second loaf and freeze it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Toast the slices right from frozen, or thaw them on the counter for sandwiches.
Yeasted Banana Bread FAQs
Here’s what readers most often want to know about this loaf.
Yeast makes a light, fluffy bread you can slice thin for sandwiches. Baking soda makes a quick bread that bakes up dense and cake-like, with no kneading or rising.
Yes. Half the recipe fits a 1 1/2 pound loaf. Add the ingredients in the order your machine’s manual calls for, with the milk at room temperature instead of warmed, and use the basic or sweet bread setting.
Yes. Use the same amount and stir it into the flour instead of dissolving it in the milk. The dough may rise a little faster, so check it early.
Yes. The recipe card gives a range for the sugar, and the larger amount makes a sweeter loaf that’s lovely toasted. The dough may brown a little faster, so watch the tops near the end of the bake.
More Banana Bread Recipes
Three more ways to use up a bunch of ripe bananas.
If you tried this Yeasted Banana Bread recipe, or any other recipe on Adamant Kitchen, leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know what you think in the 📝 comments below!
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Yeasted Banana Bread
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Loaf Pan (9×5-inch)
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup milk, lukewarm
- 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, see notes
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/4 cup sugar, see notes
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading if needed
Glaze (optional)
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
Dough
- Warm the milk to about 105 to 110°F (40 to 43°C). Sprinkle in the yeast and let it dissolve for 5 to 10 minutes.
- While the yeast dissolves, mash the bananas and melt the butter.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle (or by hand), mix the bananas, butter, sugar, salt and eggs. Stir in the yeast mixture.
- Add about half the flour and beat until smooth.
- Switch to the dough hook (or turn the dough out onto a floured counter) and knead in the remaining flour.
- Knead 5 to 6 minutes in the mixer or 8 to 10 minutes by hand, until the dough is smooth, cohesive and just slightly sticky.
- Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled.
Shape and Bake
- Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Shape two loaves and set them seam side down in greased loaf pans.
- Cover and let them rise until the dough is just above the rim of the pans, 45 to 60 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Beat the egg with the water and brush it over the loaves (optional).
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until well browned and about 190°F (88°C) in the center.
- Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Homemade Bread Recipes
More homemade loaves and rolls for the week ahead.
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I followed directions EXACTLY the way it states and I could not for the life of me get the dough firm enough to knead, it was a sticky mess. If anyone has any tips on what I could’ve possibly done wrong??? I tried so hard to knead by hand by using flour to dust the countertops and my hands and it was simply not complying with me. 😔
It’s a soft, enriched dough, and it should still be just slightly sticky after kneading. Bananas vary a lot, so measure the mash to 1 cup rather than going by the count. If it’s still a sticky mess, work in more flour a couple of tablespoons at a time as you knead. It firms up a lot over the full 8 to 10 minutes, and a stand mixer with a dough hook makes it much easier. Hope this helps!
I’m curious if you think this recipe would be a good texture for rolls. I’ve been using Peter Reinhart’s Sandwich and Rolls recipe to make dinner rolls a couple of times a week, and I have an autistic daughter who refuses to eat anything but homemade bread products. I’m trying to find ways to sneak bananas into her routine so she is getting some other nutrients (so far, pizza with homemade tomato sauce is her only real fruit/veggie). She loves dinner rolls, so this could be a good alternative to try. I remember having a yest Banana bread when I was a kid (was in my mom’s bread machine cookbook), and if memory serves, the banana flavor was subtle enough that it shouldn’t set her off too much and might even gradually acclimate her taste buds to accept new foods down the road.
Yes, I think this dough would make good dinner rolls. It’s soft and only lightly sweet, and readers have turned it into cinnamon rolls too. Shape the rolls after the first rise, let them rise again until puffy, and bake at 350 degrees. Rolls bake faster than the loaves, so start checking them at about 15 minutes.
Sooo easy… and bread comes out perfectly ..Would have loved to post a picture…
So glad you like it! Sorry, I’m not tech savvy enough to figure out how to have reader’s upload photos, but I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
Saving this recipe forever. I ended up cutting ingredients in half and using bread machine for 1.5 lb loaf. I believe it was the best loaf of bread I have ever produced from bread machine. Thank you for your recipes!
I did the same I used brown sugar in the dough as per recipe then rolled it out spread with a little butter. The mixed about 1 tbsp corn syrup,tablespoon butter and about 3 tablespoons brown sugar cinnamon – rolled out dough spread with mixture. It’s better than my regular cinnamon rolls. It’s a keeper. Thank you
Made this dough into cinnamon rolls, delicious!
That’s such a good idea!
I have some apple/raisin starter. I’m going to mix in some overripe bananas to make a coffee cake. My first time using a starter in cake. Wish me luck. Thanks for your shares.