4 Steps to the Best Banana Bread

America's Favorite quick bread gets a nutritional makeover. Follow these steps to get perfect banana bread every time.

1. Combine Wet Ingredients

This is a hybrid between a muffin method (combining wet and dry ingredients separately by hand) and a cake method (whipping butter and sugar with a mixer).

2. Add the Sugar
Next, add the sugars and beat to incorporate air into the batter. The recipes use a mix of granulated and brown sugars to add straight sweetness and caramel notes.

3. Add the Dry Ingredients

Weighing flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you don't have a scale, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Then add the remaining dry ingredients; stir into the sugar mixture.

4. Stir in Your Flavoring Additions

Besides the requisite bananas, you can add lots of tasty ingredients to the batter—chopped nuts, chocolate chips, spices, dried fruit, and alcohol, to name a few.