Martha Stewart Revealed the Secret Ingredient in Her Famous Banana Bread Recipe & You Probably Already Have It In Your Fridge

Everyone has their own banana bread recipe that they love. My mom always added chocolate chips for an extra dose of sweetness; other families use chopped nuts or other ingredients to make it their favorite way. Martha Stewart is no exception. While she uses over-ripe bananas to make her bread like the rest of us, she adds another ingredient that makes her banana bread extra light and fluffy — and, chances are, you already have this ingredient at home!

The lifestyle guru shared a picture of her recipe, featuring golden-brown banana bread, on Instagram recently. In it, she revealed the one ingredient she has used “time and time again” for her famous dessert: sour cream!

According to Stewart, “sour cream impacts the overall flavor and texture of the loaf.” It adds moisture, texture, and body to the batter, plus a tangy bite that will balance out the sweetness of the banana bread.

To make Stewart’s Best Banana Bread, you’ll also need butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and very ripe bananas (you want the bananas to be very ripe but not bruised). You ‘ll mix many of the ingredients in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Slowly add different ingredients to the mixture until it’s all combined, saving the chopped nuts for last (or leave these out altogether if you want).

From here, pour the mixer into a loaf pan and bake. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool, enjoying the tantalizing smells of banana bread filling your kitchen. Once it’s totally cooled (this is definitely the hardest part!), you can slice and serve.

People praised Stewart’s recipe on Instagram. “Yes! After years of using only my mother in law’s recipe for 20 years (???? luv you mom!) I just cannot go back – Martha’s has been my go to for 8+ years now. The difference is deliciously astounding,” one person wrote. That’s high praise!

“The best banana bread recipe ever! Every time I’ve made it it’s been a hit!!” someone else said. Another commented, “In the 90’s I was gifted by husband her cookbook and have been making her recipe for banana bread with sour cream since then. Everyone loves this bread.”

If you’ve never tried Stewart’s sour cream hack in your banana bread, then you’re definitely missing out. Get Stewart’s full Best Banana Bread recipe online HERE.

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