High Altitude Banana Bread

Moist high altitude banana bread adjusted for 5,000+ feet: reduced baking soda and sugar, extra flour and liquid, and a slightly hotter oven.

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (or milk with 1/2 tsp vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 365°F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line with a parchment sling.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the sugar, melted butter, and eggs until smooth. Stir in the bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing toughens it.
5. Pour into the pan and bake 55 to 60 minutes, until a skewer in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
6. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out and cool completely before slicing.

The sunken-middle fix is the reduced baking soda: at altitude a full teaspoon over-rises and collapses. Changes vs sea level: +2 tbsp flour, −1/4 tsp soda, −1/3 cup sugar, +1 tbsp liquid, oven at 365°F instead of 350°F.

More: baking adjustment chart · all recipes