A good slice of banana bread is a thing of wonder: moist, beautifully scented with warming spices, sweet but not overly so (lest it creep too far into cake territory), and full of fruit flavor. A type of quick bread – named so because of its use of a chemical leavener, such as baking powder, instead of yeast, that allows it to be baked immediately once mixed – the batter is unfussy and comes together in a matter of minutes.

Despite the recipe’s simplicity, things can still easily go awry. Here are three keys to keep in mind to bake moist, beautiful loaves of banana bread.

The bananas

No surprise here: The most important factor in making great banana bread is the bananas themselves. It’s vital that they are very ripe – well past the point where I assume most people would want to eat them out of hand. This means the peel should be more black than yellow, if not fully black, which indicates that the fruit is wonderfully sweet, soft and aromatic. In addition to the sugar content, less-ripe bananas have less moisture to add to the batter, which could result in a dry loaf.

The flavorings

While you can bake good banana bread flavored only by bananas, you can step it up by adding in your favorite extracts and spices. A splash of vanilla extract is a common choice, but other options include almond for a note of nuttiness, chocolate for all the cocoa lovers of the world or coconut for a tropical vibe, just to name a few.

When it comes to spices, I love the combination of cinnamon, cardamom and clove, but any warming spice, such as allspice, nutmeg, ginger or star anise, would work just as well. Or go outside the traditional baking-spice category with your favorite ground peppercorns. Your spice cabinet is your oyster.

For even more flavor, fun and texture, fold chocolate, nuts or seeds into the batter. But with all of these options, I recommend practicing restraint so that your add-ins don’t overwhelm the banana flavor, which should be the star of the show.

The baking

The last key to guarantee moist banana bread is to avoid baking it for too long. With baking recipes in general, it’s a good habit to start checking for doneness about 10 to 20 percent sooner than a recipe states. Why? Every oven is different, with some running hotter than others, and while the times listed in recipes are what the recipe developer experienced and offered as a guide for you at home, audio and visual cues should be the be-all and end-all for deciding when a dish is ready to come out of the oven. (To help you get in the habit, I list 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes as the bake time in my accompanying recipe, even though I’ve always needed the longer end of that range for it to be done.)

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Banana Bread

10 to 12 servings (makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf)

Active time: 15 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes

This classic banana bread recipe is wonderfully spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Be sure to use very ripe bananas whose peels are mostly or all black, which contribute significant sweetness and moisture. For chocolate lovers, unsweetened or dark chocolate adds a hint of bitterness that is welcome but not necessary. Enjoy a slice for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack or dessert.

Storage: Store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

INGREDIENTS

3 large very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (1 1/2 cups)

3 large eggs

1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light or dark

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup (85 grams) chopped unsweetened or dark chocolate chips or discs (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving at least 1 inch of overhang on the long sides.

In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until evenly combined. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and salt until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just enough to incorporate, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stirring in any streaks. Fold in the chocolate pieces, if using.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. (If you want a split top, run a wet butter knife down the center of the loaf pan 1/2 to 1 inch deep.)

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (wipe it off and retest if you encounter chocolate) and the top is browned.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to gently lift it out and transfer it to a wire rack or serving tray. Serve the slices warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition per serving (1 slice), based on 12: 256 calories, 40g carbohydrates, 67mg cholesterol, 9g fat, 1g fiber, 4g protein, 5g saturated fat, 181mg sodium, 21g sugar

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