Mary Berry's Banana Bread Recipe

Loaf of banana bread sliced with honey drizzled over the top.

4.20 from 5 votes

A classic moist, flavourful banana bread is simply the best for an afternoon snack. Mary Berry's recipe has been a family favourite for years - enjoy every slice!

Prep Time10

Total Time50

Course: Bread

Cuisine: British

Servings: slices

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

2 lb loaf pan 23 x 14cm (9 x 5.5-inch)

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
100 g unsalted butter room temperature
175 g caster sugar alternatively, use granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
30 ml milk
225 g plain flour (all-purpose)
3 teaspoon baking powder
40 g chopped walnuts (optional)
1 banana (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Prepare. Grease the base and sides of a 2lb loaf pan. Line with parchment paper letting the sides overhang the pan to form a sling. This helps lift the bread out later on.
Preheat heat the oven to 180C/350F.
Mash the bananas. Peel both bananas and place in a wide, shallow bowl. Use a fork to mash well.
Mix the wet ingredients. Add the soft butter, sugar, eggs, mashed bananas, and milk into a medium mixing bowl and beat together. Use a wooden spoon or hand-held beaters as I have done.
Add in dry ingredients. Sift into the mixing bowl the flour and baking powder. Using a rubber spatula, fold through the flour until a few streaks remain. Take care not to over-mix.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level off with an offset spatula.
Option: Sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top of the batter. Slice a banana in half and lay the slices over the top of the walnuts.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until the loaf is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Tent with aluminium foil if the bread is browning too quickly (Check progress after 40 minutes.)
Once baked, cool in the pan for ten minutes then lift out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To store: Banana bread keeps really well and remains moist. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. You can refrigerate it for a couple of days longer but the bread tends to dry out.

To freeze: Mary Berry's banana bread freezes really well. Let the loaf cool completely. Wrap the loaf or individual slices well in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm the loaf in a medium oven or toast slices.

Note: Mary Berry's original recipe uses self-raising flour (not easily accessible to my global audience, hence why I wrote the recipe with AP flour. If you prefer to stick with self-raising flour, then use the same quantity or 225g SR flour, BUT you need to reduce the baking powder from 3tsp to 1tsp.

Tip 1: Use ripe bananas. The riper the better. The added sweetness adds SO much more flavour to the bread.

Tip 2: Measure out the flour using digital scales for accuracy. Too much flour will create a gummy texture.

Tip 3: Combine the dry ingredients with the wet. I prefer not to mix all ingredients in one go. It helps create a light and tender crumb.

Tip 4: Don't overbake the bread. Check your banana bread at 40 minutes. Bake times vary but as standard, the bread should take between 50 to 60 minutes to bake.

Nutrition