Date-Banana Bread

Date-banana bread is a homemade, yeast risen, slightly sweet, tender loaf of bread. It’s wonderful toasted with cream cheese or preserves, or simply warmed up and slathered with butter.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast. I received compensation for creating this recipe post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first time baking a banana bread that contains yeast, and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Turns out, it’s a gorgeous bread dough, supple to the touch and easy to handle. Once baked, it’s sweetness comes from the ripe bananas and dried dates in every slice. In terms of sweetness, it’s similar to classic cinnamon raisin bread, but with bananas!

This recipe comes from Red Star Yeast, so be sure to check out their “Science on Yeast” section – so much amazing information!

Make sure your bananas are extra ripe for this date-banana bread, since the only added sweetness is a touch of brown sugar and the bananas. To ripen bananas quicker, put them into a paper bag with an apple, pear, or tomato. Why? Because those fruits produce ethylene gas at an increasing rate as they ripen, helping the fruit around them to ripen as well.

Another technique to bring out the most banana bread flavor is to quickly microwave or roast your bananas before adding them to your batter. Cook’s Illustrated recommends microwaving the unpeeled bananas for 5 minutes, covered with plastic wrap (with vents cut into it), then straining the bananas. The banana liquid is then reduced on a stovetop, making a syrup extract of concentrated banana flavor!

When making classic banana bread without yeast, do not over mix the batter after adding the flour. Over mixing will only develop more gluten in your batter, making for a tougher, denser result. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until incorporated, an not a minute more.

Check out the banana bread recipes below. These are only a 0.3% representation of the banana bread recipes out there!

Have a favorite banana bread recipe of your own? Be sure to share a link in the comments!

Crackly Banana Bread by Smitten Kitchen

Whole Wheat and Millet Banana Bread by Joy the Baker

Low Carb Banana Bread Bites by Bec Heflin’s It’s Yummi

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread by Sally’s Baking Addiction

Banana Bread Balls by Vanilla Kitchen

One Bowl Banana Bread by Farmgirl Gourmet

Banana Bread by David Lebovitz

Whole Wheat Roasted Banana Bread by Two Peas and their Pod

Nutella Banana Bread by Just One Cookbook

Brownie Banana Bread Cupcakes by How Sweet It Is

Banana Bread Brownies by Cookies and Cups

Banana-Blueberry Bread by Recipe Girl

Black and White Banana Cake by Taste and Tell

Cinnamon Banana Bread by Miss in the Kitchen

I hope you enjoy this date-banana bread!