BEST BANANA BREAD EVER RECIPE-THE SOUTHERN LADY COOKS (2024)

FAQs

Why are older bananas better for banana bread? ›

Ripe bananas are not only softer and easier to mash and blend into a batter, but they are also sweeter, which is why baking recipes specifically call for ripe bananas in ingredient lists. As the bananas ripen, the fruit converts starches to sugars, making them sweeter and more flavorful.

You Over-Mix the Batter

For soft and tender banana bread, gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry — don't overmix! The more you stir, the more gluten will develop. The result will be a tough, rubbery banana bread. Simply stir until moist, and then do no more.

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.

Cool completely on rack. Wrap and store at room temperature overnight before slicing. (We know it's hard to wait, but your bread will be more evenly moist and less crumbly if you let it sit overnight.)

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.

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.

Adding more eggs makes for a spongy, less flavorful banana bread. Doubling the number of eggs I was using resulted in a spongy cake with a moist texture. While the banana flavor was present, it wasn't as prominent as it was in other loaves. This had more of a hint of flavor.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 200-205°F, about 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan to finish cooling completely.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

In fact, using glass or even ceramic baking pans for certain recipes, such as brownies or banana bread, may create adverse results! This is because they take LONGER to conduct heat. Often times the edges become overcooked before the heat has transferred enough to cook through the center.

What is the best pan to bake banana bread in? ›

If you're looking for a professional-grade metal loaf pan, the Chicago Metallic Commercial II earned our best overall placement based on both expert recommendations and user testing. The size of this loaf pan is perfect for baking babka, banana bread, or a sandwich-worthy sourdough loaf.

There are a number of items you can use, including shortening, butter, or cooking oil. To make it even easier, you can coat the pan with a layer of coarse cornmeal. This won't adhere to the bread because it's not part of the dough, so there's no need to worry that it will alter your recipe.

(If you don't have enough pans to make them all at once, refrigerate the remaining batter until you're ready to bake them.) Heat oven to 350°F. Let the batter stand as directed on the package.

Banana bread recipes typically ask you to use overripe bananas so that they're easier to mush. This means it's tempting to toss all your bananas into the mix when you're ready to bake, to avoid food waste. But if you add too much of the fruit into your batter, your bread could turn out mushy, heavy, and wet.

Banana bread is made with a very wet batter. It's important to use a tester to make sure it's fully baked. Cutting it before it is completely cooled can lead to the gummy texture. Cooling the bread to room temperature allow us the starch that gels during baking to set again.

The starch present in the overripe bananas gets converted into free sugar, due to which they are easily digested. By eating them, the body also gets instant energy.

“Very ripe and overripe bananas are rich in flavor and antioxidants, which can help benefit our immune systems,” says Gabriel. “They also take less time to digest, which can be beneficial, depending on the person.” This phase is also where bananas become just right for adding sweetness and heft to smoothies and shakes.

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.