This Circular Banana Bread Is the Perfect Easy Baking Project

When Ludo Lefebvre first tasted banana bread, it was "not the best, but still good." Since then, he's loved it and perfected his own recipe. On this week's episode of Ludo à la Maison, he makes it with his son, Luca. The end result might be different than what you'd expect from a traditional banana bread—it's a circle, as opposed to a rectangular loaf, with banana coins dipped in cinnamon and sugar arranged on top. Either way, his kids really enjoy it, and he and Luca cooked it together easily.

Check out Ludo's key tips for making the bread below, and get the recipe on his official website.

Start with butter

Luca and Ludo add butter to a stand mixer, mixing it on a low speed (one or two, Ludo suggests) until it reaches a creamy texture. Then, they slowly add in the sugar, and after scraping, the eggs.

Safety is key

Ludo says you should never put your finger in the stand mixer, and also notes to turn the stand mixer off first before you go in to scrape down the sides.

Use ripe bananas

Ludo has Luca peel three bananas and explains that it's important to make sure that they're ripe—they'll mix into the dough better. Luca also slices them very thinly for the same reason.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients…

While Luca slices the bananas, Ludo add all-purpose flour to the stand mixer (again, mix slowly). Next, he adds the other dry ingredients, baking soda and salt, and mixes "very well" one more time. The resulting dough should be very creamy.

…and the bananas

Once the dough is creamy, they add in the bananas, and a little bit of lemon zest as well. Ludo says you want to crush the bananas in the mixer.

Cook with induction

When he asks Luca to melt some butter on the stove, Ludo uses induction, since it's "very safe."

Bake it

Luca brushes the melted butter onto a skillet, and then, Ludo pours the banana mixture on top. It goes in the oven for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, Luca and Ludo slice more bananas to go on top of the bread, dipping the pieces in cinnamon and sugar and arranging them in neat circles. The reason they baked the bread for a few minutes first, Ludo notes, is to prevent the banana slices from sinking to the bottom of the dish. The bread goes back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Enjoy

After the bread comes out of the oven, Ludo adds a little butter on top to make it shiny, and then he, Luca, and his daughter Rêve dig in.