Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ cups All-Purpose Flour (210 g)
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (50 g)
  • ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed (110 g)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda (5 g)
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (3 g)
  • ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt (3 g)
  • ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, freshly grated (1 g)
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened (1 stick, 113 g)
  • 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (5 ml)
  • ¼ cup Buttermilk, room temperature (60 ml)
  • 1 ½ cups Very Ripe Bananas, mashed (~350 g, 3–4 large)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the loaf pan thoroughly and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy removal later.
  2. Mash the very ripe bananas in a medium bowl until mostly smooth with a few small lumps remaining. Set aside.
  3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until fully combined and lightened (Dry Ingredients).
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed for 3–5 minutes until the mixture is light, pale, and fluffy (the creaming process).
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the mashed bananas and the buttermilk. Mix only until just combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage.
  7. Add the whisked dry ingredients into the wet mixture all at once. Mix on the lowest speed only until just combined. Stop immediately when no streaks of dry flour remain. (Crucial: Do not overmix, or your loaf will be tough.)
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
  9. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes.
  10. Test for Doneness: Insert a clean toothpick or thin skewer into the centre of the loaf. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If the top is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.
  11. Remove the loaf from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper overhang, lift the loaf out and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.