Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread

This Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread is the bread that I make most often. Slices are tender and soft. The bread is lightly sweet, with a slight fruity undertone to it, but you'd never guess there's a banana in it!

This loaf of bread rises beautifully. The bread smells fruity as it bakes, but not overwhelmingly so. Slices are perfect as toast with jam, turned into ham sandwiches, or with peanut butter and jelly. It also makes for delightful French toast.

I've made this recipe countless times since I first tried it in November 2011; it was actually the first sandwich bread I ever made. I reprised it again 2014 for Bread #39 of my 50 Weeks of Bread challenge, so it was the first loaf of bread I made after we moved to New Jersey.

It was an unusual way to use up those pesky bananas that keep ripening before we eat them - and it is still, in my opinion, the best way.

[This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission for purchases made through links on this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.]

Jump to:

• Why put a banana in sandwich bread?
• Ingredients and substitutions
• Using frozen bananas
• Instructions
• Veganize it
• Equipment
• Serving
• Storage
• Freezing
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• Other banana recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Why put a banana in sandwich bread?

Bananas are full of starch, especially as they ripen. That starch holds on to moisture in the finished loaf of bread. The sugar in the banana also sweetens the bread, and you get a faint but not overwhelming fruity taste in the bread. Even my friends who don't like bananas still like this bread. (That said, it's not for those with a banana allergy!)

Adding starch to bread to enhance its moisture content and texture isn't unusual. I've definitely seen potato rolls on grocery store shelves. And potato flakes are sometimes listed as an addition to bread dough, for that very reason.

As a more practical factor, this recipe only takes 1 banana, while sweet banana breads like my Classic Banana Bread recipe take 3. If you only have one overripe banana, this yeasted banana sandwich bread is the way to go!

Ingredients and substitutions

Banana sandwich bread just takes 7 ingredients!

• Flour
• Yeast
• Salt
• Milk
• Honey
• Vegetable oil or butter
• Banana

This recipe takes all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. Bread flour is great for developing gluten and chew, but that's not as important for sandwich bread, which you want to be more tender. That said, you can use bread flour if you want.

When I make this, I almost always make it with 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. This changes the texture of the dough slightly when you are kneading it, but we don't notice it in the final loaf. It just adds a slight bit more fiber to the bread.

I use instant dry yeast simply because that's what I find in 1-pound packages. Active dry yeast will work fine as well.

Table salt adds flavor to the bread and also slows and controls the rising action of yeast. Don't skip adding salt to your dough. That said, since it does slow the growth of yeast - salt is a preservative! - I put my yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl when I add them.

Milk adds a little sugar and fat, which helps make the bread tender. We use 1% milk in my house, and it works fine in this recipe. I've had luck with using soy milk in baking in the past, and believe it would work interchangeably here as well.

Honey adds sweetness and moisture, as well as floral notes to compliment the banana. Agave syrup has a similar texture, and should also work. The same amount of brown sugar or maple syrup should work if you don't have honey, but you may have to adjust the amount of flour in the dough.

Although King Arthur Baking originally called for unsalted butter, I typically use vegetable oil for convenience. Butter will add subtle flavor. I expect coconut oil would also work well and add a nice flavor.

You can use a ripe or overripe peeled banana; both work fine. A frozen-then-thawed banana also works great for this recipe.

A large banana without peel is around 120 grams, and a small banana is around 75 grams. Add an extra splash of milk with the small banana when you mix the dough. You can add a little extra flour during the kneading process for a large banana, if the dough needs it.

Using frozen bananas

I often freeze overripe bananas to use in baking later on. To do this, just peel the banana, put it in a freezer bag, and stick it in the freezer. If you're freezing multiple bananas at once, try to keep them from touching each other; otherwise, they'll freeze together and it'll be hard to use one at a time.

PS: Definitely don't freeze bananas in their peels. It's a huge pain to get those frozen peels off!

To use a frozen banana to make sandwich bread, just remove it from the freezer about an hour in advance. It'll likely still be cold after that hour, but you should be able to mix it into the dough; be sure to mash it if mixing the dough by hand. If you're concerned it's still too frozen, microwave it for a few seconds to finish thawing it. The banana will release liquid as it thaws; just mix this into the dough.

Instructions

Time to make some bread!

I make my bread dough with a stand mixer, for ease, but you can also mix it with a sturdy wooden spoon and knead it by hand. It will just take longer.

Make the dough

Cut up or mash the banana if you're going to mix your dough by hand.

Combine all ingredients, and mix it all together so that it forms a ball of dough.

Since banana sizes vary, you'll likely need to make some adjustments with milk or flour. If there's dry bits that you can't mix in, add a splash of milk. It's much easier to add liquid now, before you knead it. It's easy enough to add a tablespoon of flour while you knead the dough.

If you've added whole wheat flour, then your dough may not be completely smooth because it'll have flecks of wheat bran in it. That's ok.

Texture can change as you knead the dough. If your dough is too stiff, add a splash of milk; add a tablespoon of flour if your dough is too sticky. Mix for another minute and check the texture again. Err on the side of too soft dough instead of too stiff.

I often, especially in the winter, create a warm space by preheating my oven for 1-2 minutes, then storing the dough in there after I turn off the heat. Don't overheat it, though; according to Bob's Red Mill, yeast begins to die at around 120F.

Shape, proof, and bake

If your dough seems way too relaxed, it's ok to repeat this whole folding process again. I've definitely had to play with loaves, folding them again, to get that structural tension in the top of the dough. It's a necessary step to help the dough rise nicely!

If your dough still seems too slack, try tucking the long ends underneath the dough before you place it in the pan.

When the bread's about done rising, preheat your oven. PS: if you're using the oven as a proving drawer, be sure to take the dough out before you turn the oven on!

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out to a wire rack to cool completely. The wire rack allows the bread to release steam which would otherwise make the bread a little soggy.

Cool completely before cutting.

Hint: If you have to neglect your dough during one of the rises - like, if errands come up - neglect your dough during the first rise. A dough that rises too much during the first rise will usually proof okay during the second rise, although it may rise too quickly in the loaf pan. If you let the bread rise too much after it's shaped, however, it may lose structure as it bakes.

Veganize it

This sandwich bread is already egg-free, which makes it very friendly if you have an egg allergy in the family.

To veganize it, try substituting:

• Soy or other non-dairy milk for the milk. Try to use something that has a similar composition to dairy milk, with both fat and sugar. I do not recommend water.
• Agave syrup, brown sugar, or maple syrup for the honey, as some vegans still avoid honey since it's made by insects.

I've definitely substituted brown sugar, and expect that non-dairy milk will work since it works well in other baking.

Equipment

I usually use my Kitchenaid stand mixer (affiliate link) when I make bread, but you can certainly make bread without it! Use a big, sturdy mixing spoon to stir the dough together, and knead by hand on a clean, floured surface. Your kneading time will take longer, around 8-10 minutes. Be sure to get the texture of the dough soft to start; kneading on a floured surface will work in additional flour.

I always use a digital kitchen scale (affiliate link) when I bake bread. Although I've included measurements by volume, a scale is the most accurate way to measure flour in particular, as the weight of a cup of flour can vary with dry or humid weather. The size of the banana will also affect how much moisture is in the dough, and knowing its weight will help you get off to the most accurate start possible.

You can use an 8.5x4.5-inch baking pan, or a 9x5 inch loaf pan (affiliate link). A 9 inch pan will give a wider, slightly less tall loaf. A shiny pan will give you a better result than a dark or glass pan will. If your pan is dark metal, I recommend lining it with parchment as I feel it slightly prevents overbrowning of the edges. Check your bread for doneness a few minutes early for a dark or glass pan.

A serrated bread knife (affiliate link) is the best tool to cut bread. I use it to cut cakes into layers, like for my Almond Cake recipe as well. The serrated edges cut through bread without squishing, crushing, or tearing it.

Completely optional is a bread box (affiliate link), but I do like using one because I can stack other containers on top of it. 😆

Serving

I usually cut slices of bread as we need them. They're great for PB&J, and I love to toast them to serve with jam or mango butter, if you live near a Trader Joe's at the right time of year. It's not out of place for a simple ham sandwich, either.

My absolute favorite way to eat it, though, is to slice the loaf into thick slices and turn them into French toast. The bread provides all the flavor, so you don't have to add sugar or vanilla to your batter. The bread compliments fruity toppings perfectly.

Storage

Store the bread at room temperature in a bread box for 4-7 days, depending on the weather. Eat the bread more quickly in humid weather, as bread is prone to mold when it's warm and humid. The bread will dry out slightly and be more suitable for toast than sandwiches toward Day 7.

If you don't have a bread box, store the bread in the loaf pan, and seal the top tightly with aluminum foil. I find plastic wrap to seal in too much moisture on the surface of the bread, and I think it imparts an off, stale taste.

Rather than cut my bread in advance, I prefer to leave it uncut and slice it as I use it, because it stays fresher that way.

Freezing

Sometimes I will freeze a half or whole loaf of bread if we can't eat it all quickly enough.

Place your half or whole loaf on a large layer of aluminum foil. Wrap tightly, covering the entire surface. Wrap a second time with a layer of plastic wrap to seal out air, then place in a large freezer bag.

When thawing, unwrap the bread to prevent condensation on the surface. Thaw at room temperature, and let thaw before slicing.

FAQ

Other banana recipes

More things to do with those leftover bananas:

Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.

Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)

📖 Recipe

[Originally written November 7, 2011, and December 16, 2014. Recipe revised, pictures and text updated July 25, 2020, and then May 6, 2025.]