Easy Banana Bread with Streusel Topping Recipe

Have you ever made a recipe and then you just kept finding excuses to make it again and again?  I’m kind of in that mode with quick breads right now, especially my favorite banana bread recipe.  Quick Breads are quick to come together, they don’t require a lot of planning ahead, they use simple ingredients, and they are so tasty.  On the one hand, quick breads can be very classy and understated–like this whole wheat zucchini bread, which works so well for a healthy breakfast or afternoon snack.  But on the other hand, they can be decadent and dessert-worthy, like this Easy Banana Bread with Streusel Topping Recipe.  Topped with a dollop of whipped cream, peanut butter, or butter, and this bread can make any occasion special.

homemaking notes

I’ve been making this recipe for close to thirty years.  In fact, the cookbook that inspired it was given to me at one of my bridal showers.  For sure, it’s nostalgic because it reminds me of being a new bride and wanting to make delicious recipes for my husband.  It also reminds me of how often I would decide to make something at the last minute.  Quick breads worked so well for my younger self who didn’t plan ahead very well.  

Adding the crunchy streusel to this banana bread just took it up a notch.  It has the same moist, pound-cake-like texture, but with the added beauty and sweet crunch of the streusel topping.  This homemade banana bread is truly a quick bread, but it gives the impression of something that took a lot longer to make! 

Do I really need baking soda and baking powder?

Well, yes and no.  Baking soda on its own really needs an acidic ingredient in the banana bread to work properly. In fact, the baking soda reacts with the acidic ingredient to create carbon dioxide bubbles as a byproduct and raise the dough.  Then, why do you need baking powder.  Well, mashed bananas are acidic enough to count as an acid, but without buttermilk or sour cream (which are very acidic) the bananas just might not be enough.  So, I like to have the baking powder present to ensure a good rise. 

 Baking powder, unlike soda, contains an acidic ingredient, so you don’t need to worry about whether your recipe contains any acid.  My family didn’t really like the tang of adding buttermilk or sour cream to this particular recipe, so adding baking powder was a good idea.  In the end, baking soda will likely be okay by itself in this particular recipe, but adding the baking powder just makes me feel more confident that I will get the best results. 

ingredients for Easy Banana Bread with Streusel Topping Recipe

• Bananas:  I always try to use very overripe bananas (brown bananas) because they are just a little bit sweeter.  In addition, it allows me to use bananas that would otherwise go to waste.  Having said that, sometimes I want to make my easy banana bread recipe and I simply have to use bananas that are not ripe enough.  It always seems to turn out, so no worries!
• Sugar
• Vegetable shortening: This is the fat that the original recipe used, and so I nostalgically am committed to it. I will say that I’ve made it with butter as well as canola oil and it turned out very good, but vegetable shortening does seem to give it a tenderness that butter cannot. If you do substitute butter or oil for the shortening, use the same amount and just cream it as per the recipe.
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract: vanilla just adds a little more dimension to the banana flavor.
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Leaveners: This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder. Mashed bananas are actually acidic enough to react with baking soda, but just to be sure, I add the powder as well.
• Cinnamon: This is totally optional. Warm spices definitely give any recipe a different feel. Maybe you want to use cinnamon in the fall and winter when you want a deeper flavor. On the other hand, leave it out in the spring and summer when a fresh banana taste is closer to what you want.

Quick bread process

With a fork, mash the bananas until no chunks remain and set aside. Then, cream your sugar and fat, whichever fat you choose.  Next, add the eggs and fully incorporate.  We’re not trying to build volume at this point or incorporate air, because we’re aiming for a pound-cake-like texture rather than an open crumb type of recipe.  After that, stir in the vanilla and mashed bananas until fully mixed in. 

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon (optional) together.  Add to wet mixture all at once and stir just until no more flour bits can be seen.  Stirring is best for this recipe, as opposed to mixing with an electric mixer, because we want to minimize gluten development by minimizing how much we agitate the dough.  If we overmix, we can develop the gluten too much and cause our bread to be spongy and dry.  

Sometimes, if I’m adding any ingredients like chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts to a quick bread, I’ll actually stop mixing when I still see free flour, just to allow for more stirring with my add-ins.  I can really go on a tangent about gluten!  

Streusel (or crumb topping)

The great thing about this particular crumbly streusel is that it can be used for so many recipes!  I use it to top a Dutch apple pie, various muffins, Coffee Cake,  French toast bake, as well as this banana streusel bread.  In addition, you can make it ahead and have it in a bag in the freezer to top lots of things.  You can modify it by adding different warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice or cardamom.  It’s just a great thing to have in your arsenal of recipes.  

Using a pastry blender, start by cutting the butter into the flour and salt mixture in a medium bowl. Cut the butter in until the flour and butter are combined and forming a coarse, crumbly texture.  Simply spoon over the top of the bread dough and bake!  Be generous with it and it will turn into this layer of sweet, crumbly topping which creates a lovely texture as you bite into this bread.  You’ll probably have a little left over if you’re using an 8 x5-inch loaf pan, but that’s okay!  Just put it in a freezer bag for a later time.  

Making ahead- Easy Banana Bread with Streusel Topping Recipe

Besides it’s great taste and quick prep time, this bread is an awesome one because it’s so wonderful to make ahead. Simply, let it cool completely and wrap in foil before putting it in the freezer. It freezes well for up to six months. When you’re ready to use it, either set it out the night before for use in the morning or use short bursts in the microwave for last-minute thawing. Great for planning ahead for overnight guests or unexpected visitors!