Classic Banana Bread

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps.
Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir in.
Add the flour and cinnamon, folding gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing at this stage develops too much gluten and makes the bread tough and rubbery, so stop as soon as it looks combined.
Fold in the walnuts or chocolate chips, if using.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
If the top is browning too fast before the center is done, tent loosely with foil after 35 minutes.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Slicing while still warm is fine for a rustic serving, but for clean slices let it cool fully.

The blacker and more spotted your bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the bread will be, since ripening converts starch into sugar.

Stop mixing the moment the flour disappears into the batter; overmixed quick bread batter creates tunnels and a tough, gummy texture instead of a tender crumb.