Blueberry Banana Bread
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This blueberry banana bread is super moist and delicious! I used my favorite banana bread recipe and tossed in some sweet juicy blueberries. When blueberries are in season, grab some leftover bananas and whip up this blueberry banana bread recipe.
Blueberries are in season! (insert happy dance here as I snack on this bread). Banana bread is awesome. Blueberry banana bread is even better if I do say so myself.
Since it’s summer time, and blueberries are plump, juicy, and totally amazing right now I wanted to throw them in every mixing bowl I could find. And I thought what better way than to take the best banana bread recipe ever and turn it into a blueberry banana bread.
This blueberry banana bread recipe is exactly what your summer needs.
What ingredients do I need to make this blueberry banana bread recipe?
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- salt
- sugar
- ripe bananas (you want the kind that are black and speckly)
- eggs
- oil
- sour cream
- vanilla extract
- blueberries
Tips on making this blueberry banana bread recipe
- You want to make sure you use very ripe bananas. Bananas that have lots of black specks. The blacker the banana is the sweeter it will be. I actually like to freeze my bananas when they have gotten too ripe to use later for banana bread. If you use frozen bananas, then let the bananas thaw before using them.
- Mash your bananas before adding them to the mixing bowl. I do this by hand with a fork since I have used frozen bananas they are very easily mashed. You could also use a pastry blender, potato masher, or a hand mixer.
- When you add the oil into your the sugar and eggs you want to S-L-O-W-L-Y add the oil in with your mixer on low. This step should take about a minute. So slow. If you add the oil in all at once you risk of deflating all that air you incorporated into the eggs and sugar in the step before.
- Measure your flour accurately. I use the spoon and level method. You can learn how to measure your flour in this post.
- Careful to not over mix. I like to use a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients by hand. You want to stop mixing once they have been incorporated. Too much mixing = too much gluten forming. Gluten is what will give a bread its chew, but for a banana bread you want less gluten to form. So we can accomplish that by making sure we don’t overmix!
How to make this blueberry banana bread recipe – step by step
Step 1: Sift your dry ingredients
Set your sifter over a mixing bowl and then measure and add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. And set aside. Sifting is necessary to remove any lumps and aerate the mixture to help create a light fluffy bread.
Step 2: Toss the blueberries with flour
Use a tablespoon of the dry ingredients you just sifted and mix that with your blueberries. You want to toss the blueberries with flour, so it prevents them from sinking in the batter when baking. I do the same thing to keep chocolate chips from sinking.
Step 3: Mash your bananas
Before I start mixing the liquid ingredients, I like to go ahead and mash my bananas so those are ready for me and waiting. I just simply use a fork to mash up the bananas in a bowl. For this recipe, it takes about 3 1/2 bananas.
Step 4: Mix your eggs and sugar
In a stand mixer, or in a bowl with a hand mixer you are going to mix the eggs and sugar together for 5 minutes until pale and fluff. This creates a lot of air into the mixture. The mixture should be pale yellow and ribbony.
Step 5: Add In The Liquid Ingredients
First you want to use a neutral tasting oil. I used vegetable oil but canola oil works as well. You want to stream this in with the mixer running on low. Take your time doing this so you don’t deflate all the air you just whipped into the mixture.
Then add in the bananas, vanilla extract, and sour cream.
Step 6: Fold In The Dry Ingredients
Now using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients. Just don’t overmix! Overmixing will cause the gluten in the flour to form and too much gluten creates a tough bread. So stop mixing once the last streak of flour is incorporated.
Step 7: Fold in the blueberries
Using a spatula, just gently fold in the blueberries.
Step 8: Place In Pan
Then you want to pour the batter into your greased 9×5 inch loaf pan and bake! Bake on a middle rack in a pre-heated oven. And bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Blueberry Banana Bread FAQ’s
How Do You Make Banana Bread Moist?
The key to making moist banana bread is using very ripe bananas. The blacker the better when it comes to the bananas! Not just flecks but really black.
You also want to make sure that you don’t overmix!
Can I use frozen blueberries?
You absolutely can! If its the dead of winter and your life is just crying out for some blueberry banana bread then by all means use frozen. Just don’t thaw them before you add them to bowl, otherwise the extra liquid could turn your batter blue.
Why is my banana bread dry?
This could be from using too much flour. So be sure to measure your flour accurately. It could be also that you overbaked the bread. You want to test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. Make sure to mash your bananas really well, which makes testing for doneness easier.
And make sure your oven is at the correct temperature. I like to use an oven thermometer for best accuracy.
What do ripe bananas look like for banana bread?
The best bananas aren’t yellow. They are black. Or they are least all speckled and streaked black and brown. You can also freeze the bananas if find you have some that are ready to go bad. Then let them thaw before using them in this blueberry banana bread recipe.
Can I freeze this blueberry banana bread?
Oh yes you can. And I recommend you do! Just allow the bread to cool completely then you can wrap the bread up in plastic wrap (I do two layers) and then either one more layer of tin foil or place inside a plastic bag.
Can I make this bread whole wheat?
You can and I have! Check out the whole wheat banana bread recipe here. And then just toss in the blueberries as the recipe directed.
Can I make this gluten free?
I haven’t made it gluten free myself. But when I do make something gluten free, I like to use Cup 4 Cup flour. It has the best texture, you would never know it’s gluten free.
More Blueberry Recipes
- Blueberry Muffin Bread
- The BEST Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Blueberry Crumble Pie
- Blueberry Lemon Scones
More Banana Bread Recipes
Tools Needed To Make This Banana Bread Recipe:
- Loaf Pan
- Kitchen-aid mixer – you could use a hand mixer but a stand mixer will make quicker work of this bread, and save you the arm workout.
- Sifter– Sifting your dry ingredients is key in making this banana bread light and fluffy.
- Dry measuring cups and spoons
If you like this recipe, the be sure to leave me a comment and star rating below!
Blueberry Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (230 grams) granulated white sugar
- 3 1/2 Ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups, or 340 grams) mashed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (100 grams) or other neutral tasting oil
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
Instructions
- With the rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss it with the blueberries in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
- With a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Switch to low speed and slowly drizzle in the oil, taking your time.
- Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, and continue to mix on low speed just until combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible.
- Fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan(s) and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours for a 9×5-inch loaf. The loaf should be golden brown on top and the cake will spring back when you press it.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack. Enjoy!