Simple Banana Bread without baking soda

This simple recipe for banana bread without baking soda is one of my post popular posts on this blog!  After you check it out and learn how to make yourself some yummy banana bread even when you don’t have baking soda, I hope you will check out some of my other posts including diy tutorials, home decor and ramblings about my lift with little ones…
Baked banana break with no baking soda

You know when you start making something, only to realize you are missing one of the ingredients?

This happens to me, well…..a lot more than I would like to admit.
There is always the age old option of running to your neighbor’s to borrow some of the much needed missing ingredient.

But in this era there is the other option.

Google.

I opted for that one after I had mashed up some very ripe bananas and mixed them with eggs.

I pretty much have the Better Homes and Gardens Quick Banana Bread recipe memorized. It is my go-to for banana bread and always gets rave reviews when I make it. This time, when I started to work on it (at my daughter, Hazel’s, request), I had forgotten that I was missing one tiny ingredient: the baking soda.
Oh, what to do…

Well, I googled, “banana bread without baking soda” of course and lots of recipe advice popped up. Phew.


I went mainly with the “best answer” recipe given here, with only some slight alterations.

It was a rainy day here and not too warm. The perfect day for staying inside to bake some delicious banana bread.

I recently purchased some longed-for succulent plants, from Lowe’s, and enjoyed my view as I baked.

Okay…back to that banana bread…
combined wet ingredients in banana bread recipe with no baking soda
As I mentioned, I had already mixed together the bananas and eggs. I had three super ripe bananas and mixed them with two eggs. I softened a stick of unsalted butter and combined that with the vanilla extract. I also added one cup of sugar to this bowl because that stuck with the BH&G method.
Banana bread dry ingredients combined
BH&G cookbook (*affiliate link)
recipe has quite a few dry ingredients that I normally mix together into a large bowl. This recipe just had flour so into the bowl it went.
I made a well in the center where the wet ingredients would be mixed in.
combining wet and dry ingredients for banana bread

I gently folded the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined.

Banana bread batter combined in bowl ready for baking
And it was ready for the pan…
greasing a glass bread pan with a sandwich bag and butter

I used my trusty old Pyrex loaf pan (*affiliate link) and the method for greasing it that my mom taught me when I was a young girl…plastic sandwich bag and some butter.

Vintage Pyrex Clear Advantage bread pan with blue font
Banana bread in clear glass baking pan ready to be baked
And that is it. It was ready for the oven. I was very eager to see how it would turn out with a different recipe than I was used to.
banana bread batter in glass pan
We had awhile to wait to test out this new bread recipe, but someone was very anxious for it to be done.
waiting for banana bread to finish baking
(Looks like I need to get in there and clean that oven door, doesn’t it?)
banana bread fresh baked out of the oven
One hour later, and it was ready to come out, and I have to say, it looked pretty delicious.
Baked banana bread on antique ironstone platter
As soon as I cut into the bread, I could tell it was very dense. The baking soda is what gives it the fluffiness that we are used to with my go-to recipe.
dense texture of banana bread without baking soda
I was a little worried that it might not taste very good (and heaven forbid I just wasted all that time and ingredients on a throw away loaf). But, I quickly discovered I needn’t worry. It tasted great (different mind you, but still very tasty and delicious).
moist dense texture of banana bread baked without baking soda
And Hazel couldn’t get enough of it. I had to cut her off after two and a half pieces that day.
child enjoying banana bread made from scratch
(She’s still in her pajamas here enjoying the first slice 🙂
While I will be sticking to the BH&G recipe for banana bread most of the time, I now have a quick go-to recipe if I am without baking soda (I normally never am, but I forgot to put it on the list last time we went shopping!).
I do love the fact that in this day and age you can find a substitute for almost anything or a quick altered version of a recipe if you are missing an ingredient. It definitely makes cooking and baking easier!
If you find yourself without baking soda and want to give this recipe a go, here are the details:
Simple Banana Bread {without baking soda}
Slightly adapted from the “Best Answer” found here
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour
3 very ripe bananas mashed
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup softened butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mash bananas with a fork. Combine with softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add in beaten eggs and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl add flour and make a well in the center. Fold in banana mixture and stir until combined. Will still be lumpy.
Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan with butter and pour in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. (I checked it around 50 minutes but it needed the extra ten minutes).
Allow it to cool and enjoy! And remember, this is a very dense bread without baking soda, but we still enjoyed every bite 🙂
Till next time…
~Alice W.
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