The mistake I see in 9 out of 10 banana bread posts is people mixing the batter to death
I get why, the batter looks lumpy and you want it smooth, but once the flour hits the wet stuff you've got maybe 10 stirs before the gluten turns it into a brick. I baked 4 loaves back to back in my kitchen in Tucson trying to nail it, and the one I stirred the least came out soft while the smooth one was chewy. Does anyone here actually sift their flour first, or is that just something recipe blogs say?