Ray’s banana bread, ready to slice into and devour. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)
I hate food wastage, especially when it can be easily avoided. Recently, I bought a batch of bananas. However, day by day, the bananas were ignored and left to ripen until they became overripe. I soon realised I needed to find creative ways to use them before they went bad.
In a moment of inspiration (or maybe desperation), I decided to whip up some delicious banana bread. Why let those sneaky fruit ninjas go to waste when they can become the star of the oven instead?
Every week, I find myself calling the recipes I try “easy” and often praise each one for its simplicity. But if I’m being honest, banana bread genuinely deserves the title — it really is especially easy to make.
It requires just a handful of common ingredients: ripe bananas, flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and a leavening agent such as baking powder.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ray-bad-okay.jpg "Oh dear (left) — but inside their unsightly skins they’re perfectly fine for making banana bread (right). (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)")
These simple pantry staples come together effortlessly to create a warm, comforting treat. A key to banana bread’s rich, moist flavour is using melted butter instead of oil. Melting the butter allows it to blend smoothly into the batter, enhancing both the texture and taste.
The buttery goodness balances the natural sweetness of the bananas and gives the bread a tender crumb and a satisfyingly dense bite.
The banana bread-making process is straightforward: mash the bananas, mix wet and dry ingredients separately, combine them gently, pour the batter into a loaf pan, and bake. It’s a forgiving recipe that doesn’t need fancy equipment — just a bowl, a spoon or mixer, and an oven.
Because it uses overripe bananas, it’s a perfect way to avoid food waste with minimal effort, making banana bread both an accessible and satisfying baking project.
Ray’s thrifty banana bread
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ray-nanaoven.jpg "The banana bread, ready to go into the oven. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)")
Ingredients
4 ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Optional: ½ cup chopped nuts
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth.
Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas. Add sugar, beaten eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing well to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. If using, fold in the nuts now.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. DM