Martha’s go-to banana bread uses a secret ingredient to make it moist and flavorful.

 

Martha’s go-to banana bread uses a secret ingredient to make it moist and flavorful.

The hardest part about making this recipe is waiting for the loaf to bake—but we guarantee it will be worth it! Get the recipe in the comments below.

Martha's best banana bread recipe was featured in her first book, Entertaining, and has been her go-to ever since. Martha says your family will "go bananas" for this classic quick bread as a breakfast treat or afternoon snack. The batter for this easy-to-make favorite is enriched with sour cream, which gives it a subtle tang and super moist yet dense texture that slices well. Martha always adds pecans, but chopped walnuts (or no nuts) also work. The hardest part about making our best banana bread recipe is waiting for the loaf to bake and cool—but we guarantee it will be worth the wait.

Key Ingredients

• Bananas: Everyone’s favorite quick bread is all about bananas. They are the defining ingredient in the loaf, adding sweetness and keeping it moist. Our banana bread recipe calls for very ripe bananas—they add maximum sweetness to the bread. If you make banana bread with just ripe bananas, you’ll notice a difference.
• Sour cream: This recipe is set apart by using sour cream. While many banana breads use milk and some call for buttermilk, sour cream is a much richer and fatter dairy product that adds moistness and richness to tender layer cakes. When added to banana bread, it adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness of the bananas and sugar. If you don’t have sour cream, you could substitute plain yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt, which has a texture more like that of sour cream and offers even tangier results.
• Nuts: Our recipe calls for 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans, but you can make banana bread without nuts if you prefer. We like to add the nuts for texture and nutrition, but the loaf is delicious without them.