Buttermilk Banana Bread Recipe - Two Peas & Their Pod (2024)

FAQs

Why use mushy bananas 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 Measure Flour the Wrong Way

Moisture is key when it comes to banana bread, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference. If you use too much flour, you'll end up with dry bread. If you don't use enough, your bread will be too wet. The secret is actually in how you measure the flour.

It is pretty simple to salvage an undercooked bread and create a decent loaf. Heat the oven to 350 F, return the bread to the oven, and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes. This will work even if the loaf has cooled, which is similar to par-baking bread.

If your bread is getting overdone on the outside while still undercooked in the center, reduce the oven temperature and bake it for a longer time. The primary reason as to why banana bread may be raw in the middle is simply down to not enough cooking time.

Avoid using overripe bananas that have these characteristics

If black bananas are spotted with mold, then it's time to step away! You absolutely should not use them for banana bread or consume them at all.

A banana that's way too squishy and soft for your cereal is just perfect for banana bread: the blacker the banana, the sweeter and more assertive its flavor. If you can't find overripe bananas, you'll need to create your own.

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.

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.

If you use too much flour, you'll end up with really dry banana bread, and If you don't use enough flour, your banana bread will be way too wet. The secret lies in how you measure the flour. The scoop out of the bag method could be packing way too much flour.

Let it cool for 10 minutes — this helps the loaf solidify and makes it easier to remove from the pan. Remove from pan and cool another 10 minutes. Grasping the parchment paper sling, lift the loaf out of the pan and place on the cooling rack. Cool for another 10 minutes before slicing.

Why does banana bread crack when baking? ›

First, why the crack occurs: Since quick breads and pound cake batters tend to be thick and dense, the exterior bakes first. But as the center of the cake continues to bake, releasing moisture, it rises, pushing through the top crust, and creating a crack.

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.

Middle. The default position. It's ideal for most foods since it situates the item in the middle of the oven, allowing the hot air to circulate evenly around the food, resulting in even cooking. Use this for a single tray of cookies, sheet-pan dinners, fish, brownies, banana bread, and so on.

Overripe bananas are actually preferred by many bakers for these recipes because they have a stronger, sweeter flavor and a softer, moister texture. Just make sure to mash them well before adding them to your batter.

That said, Rogers states that if your bananas are jet black and mushy, your safest bet is to cook with them rather than eating them out of hand or using them raw in things like smoothies or nice cream. "The riper the bananas get, the more levels of bacteria could be on them," he says.

Discoloration: As bananas ripen, they change from green to yellow and then to brown. However, if the banana is starting to spoil, it may develop dark spots or black patches on the skin. Softness: A ripe banana will be slightly soft to the touch, but if it feels mushy or overly soft, it may be starting to spoil.

Don't throw those overripe bananas away! Try one of these delicious recipes for coffee cake, cookies, ice cream, donuts, smoothies—and yes, banana bread.