15 Irresistible Banana Bread Recipes from Classic to Creative (2024)

FAQs

Why do you wrap banana bread in foil? ›

Why does this extra step have such a huge impact on your banana bread and its overall texture? Aluminum foil's superpower is that it is designed to reflect heat. This stops overcooking or baking in its tracks, which is exactly what happens when your banana bread turns out to have a hard, overly dark, burnt top.

To keep it fresh, place a paper towel in the bottom of an airtight container. Place the loaf of banana bread on top, add another paper towel, and put the lid on the container. You can also use this method with an airtight storage bag.

Using too much or too little baking powder or baking soda in proportion to the other ingredients in your recipe could be the reason your banana bread collapses when cooling. To measure correctly, Quaker Oats recommends spooning the powder into the measuring spoon instead of scooping it.

While it's okay if the banana peel is dark brown or even black, if the inside is too, then the fruit is beyond ripe and now on its way to rotten. Another sign that bananas have gone bad is if they start leaking any fluids. When in doubt, just toss the bananas out.

As it sits at room temperature, starches convert to sugars, making the fruit sweeter and softer. These brown spots, often seen as a sign of spoilage, are actually a dead giveaway of peak banana bread potential. But, there is a limit. Black bananas or rotten bananas are a no-go.

Le recommends both plastic wrap and storing in a glass container or bread box. Wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature, banana bread will last three to four days, says Amidor.

Not only does the parchment prevent the outer edges from getting too dark and overcooked, but it also makes it easier to remove the cooked banana bread from the pan! PIN THIS RECIPE NOW! What is this? Another tip – and this is true with any quick bread – is to make sure you don't over mix the batter.

You should remove the bread from the pan fairly soon after it comes out of the oven. The longer it sits in the pan, the soggier the bottom will become. Allow the bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before wrapping it in plastic wrap or transferring it to an airtight container.

The best way to store banana bread is at room temperature in an airtight container. Though it will only stay fresh for about four days on the counter, this will keep your banana bread tasting the freshest.

Too much baking soda in banana bread will inevitably lead to too much browning. Baking soda will increase the pH of your banana bread batter, making it more basic or alkaline. At higher pH, Maillard browning reactions occur, leading to a darker colour much faster.

Can you store banana bread in a Ziploc bag? ›

Yes, banana bread can be stored in a Ziploc bag. Place a sheet of paper towel under the loaf and another sheet on top inside the bag to absorb any extra moisture. Alternatively, you can store banana bread is a sealed (not airtight) container.

When it comes to banana bread, cutting back on sugar will leave you with a dry loaf totally devoid of any distinguishable flavor.

Even sight or smell of food triggers a response in the brain's reward system. All foods are not equal, however, with the strongest hedonic response for the combination of sugar and fat. We have innate preference for sweet foods, which elicit a response as potent as that triggered by cocaine.

But if you try to use up all your bananas without paying attention to the ratio of other ingredients, your bread can turn out damp, soggy, and mushy. Contrary to what one may think, there is such a thing as using too many bananas in a banana bread.

Although the bananas are going to look quite black when you take them out — a bit different than the spotty brown coloring you're used to on very ripe bananas — they are safe to eat. Beyond that, they'll be perfect for making the sweet banana bread you're craving.

Let the bananas ripen (and overripen) at room temperature. Depending on the weather, this could take a few days, or up to a week. The best bananas for banana bread aren't yellow; they're black. Or they're at least streaked with black/brown, with just the barest hint of green at the stem.

A banana that is perfectly ripe for eating is not at the same stage in its ripening process as one that is perfect for making into a banana cake. For baking, you need the sweetness that comes from an overripe banana – this means it will be very yellow with a few brown spots and feel soft.

From starch to sugar

According to a research article published in the Global Journal of Nutrition & Food Science in 2022, this starch-to-sugar conversion is responsible for softening the fruit and increasing its sweetness as it ripens.