Bake the Number-One Banana Bread Recipe on the Internet (2024)

FAQs

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

The pan I recommend: A light-colored METAL 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Anything too dark in color will risk scorching the edges. Glass and ceramic loaf pans: Take MUCH longer to bake – upwards of 15 to 20 minutes.

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.

In the oven, the outside begins to cook much faster than the inside; the crack is from the inner batter rising and releasing steam through the semi-cooked outer batter.

Banana is full of moisture. It takes longer for moist cakes to be fully cooked. Use a tester inserted in the center of the cake to make sure it is done before taking it out of the oven. My banana bread baked in a standard loaf pan takes about 70 minutes at 350°F to be done.

Metal pans are better heat conductors than glass pans, meaning the food inside cooks more evenly. Most baking recipes for cakes, muffins, cupcakes, coffee cake, banana bread, and brownies call for metal bakeware.

If you've ever baked brownies or banana bread that turn out raw, underbaked, gummy, or sunken in the center, it may be due to a glass pan. Oppositely, if you've ever baked cookies that burnt on the bottom or a lemon loaf that got too crispy on the edges, it could be due to using a dark nonstick aluminum pan.

Indeed, there is such a thing as a banana that's too far gone even for baking. That's why you should know just which levels of banana ripeness are actually good to use for banana bread. Visual checks can be tricky. Bananas can go from yellow with brown spots to totally black and still be okay to eat and use for baking.

Search out overripe bananas

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.

🍞 Signs That Bananas Are Too Ripe for Banana Bread

While browned bananas are great for baking, there comes a point when they're past their prime. With mold and decay, it's best to throw them away for safety reasons. If you see fruit flies, it's time to throw the bananas away!

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.

What does it mean when my banana bread sinks in the middle? ›

There are a variety of reasons why yours may be sinking on cooling but it is most likely that it isn't quite fully baked. Banana bread tends to form a firmish crust on the outside, so even if it looks baked it may not quite be done which means that it will sink as it cools.

Fight the urge to use more banana than called for in your recipe. Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.

You can double a standard banana bread recipe, as long as you bake the batter in two same-size loaf pans, or one after the other.

Too much baking powder can cause the batter to be bitter tasting. It can also cause the batter to rise rapidly and then collapse. (i.e. The air bubbles in the batter grow too large and break causing the batter to fall.)

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.

Material: Stainless steel, cast iron, and aluminum are excellent choices for high-quality loaf pans. If you want to use your loaf pan for other purposes, check to see what temperature is considered safe. For instance, most nonstick bakeware isn't broiler-safe.

Grease Your Pan

For a picture-worthy loaf of banana bread, don't go overboard with greasing your loaf pan. Grease the bottom of the pan just ½ inch up the sides for a uniform loaf with a slightly rounded top. If you grease all the way up the sides of the pan, the loaf can sink, resulting in a flat top.

Line the baking pan with parchment paper or waxed paper. When using waxed paper, spray with no-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the pan, then place the waxed paper in the pan.

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