This Creamy Ingredient Makes Martha Stewart's Banana Bread Stand Out

With a tried-and-true baked good like banana bread, it can feel like nearly every recipe is the same. So if you're bored with the same-old, same-old when it comes to this tasty treat, it's worth looking to the guidance of some of the food world's biggest names. In this case, it's iconic chef and media personality Martha Stewart, who has one small-but-impactful tweak to her recipe that's enough to excite the palates of banana bread lovers everywhere. That's the use of sour cream. 

Stewart's recipe calls for a half cup of sour cream per loaf. It's added later in the mixing process, at the same time the mashed bananas and vanilla are introduced.

Although it's not uncommon for recipes to use milk or buttermilk, sour cream takes the dairy angle in a new direction. It's substantially higher in fat than these other options, which produces a richer, moister crumb. And unlike milk, it's thick enough to prevent the batter from thinning out too much, while still providing sufficient moisture. In addition, sour cream adds a subtle tang that contrasts perfectly with the overall sweetness of the loaf.

Beyond the sour cream, Stewart's recipe is a fairly familiar one to most bakers. Butter and sugar are creamed together, followed by eggs and dry ingredients, with the banana-sour cream mixture gradually mixed in after. However, the simplicity and familiarity shouldn't make you forget about Stewart's other oven rules you have to follow, which include baking in the center of the oven unless the recipe says otherwise, which this one does not.

Banana bread aside, you'll also find sour cream also that appears in coffee cake recipes, as well as some recipes for pound or Bundt cake. And that's because in addition to flavor and textural benefits, the subtle acidity of the sour cream breaks down strands of gluten in the dough, resulting in a more tender final product.

Stewart is by no means the only celebrity chef upgrading old-school desserts with innovative touches. However, her tip for uniquely tender, moist banana bread stands out for its ease and noticeable impact. All it takes is a single small container of sour cream.