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

FAQs

Is baking soda or baking powder better for banana bread? ›

Why do you need baking soda in banana bread? You don't! Banana bread will rise fine with baking powder and in fact I find most banana bread recipes have TOO MUCH baking soda which gives it a soapy taste and pasty texture. There is not enough acid in most banana bread recipes to react with all of that baking soda.

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.

Once the loaf is fully cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap. Then, wrap the loaf in aluminum foil. This will ensure it's airtight and will keep the loaf from drying out and avoid freezer burn.

Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time. Add a tablespoon of extra flour at a time into the batter and give it a good whisk until its consistency starts to look right: thick but runny enough to fall off a spoon.

Go dark with the sugar.

Ripe bananas have a wonderful natural sweetness, but a little extra sugar rounds out the overall flavor of the banana bread. Most recipes use regular granulated sugar, but we loved the richness the dark brown sugar brings to this recipe, so we incorporated it into ours, too.

Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.

How to Store Banana Bread at Room Temperature. Banana bread can stay fresh at room temperature for three days, if stored in a cool dry place. You can try one of a few different methods for storage: Plastic wrap and an airtight container.

Le says refrigerating banana bread will inhibit the growth of mold that can occur at room temperature and will increase its shelf life by up to a week. So if you need to store banana bread for more than a few days, choose the refrigerator.

The Importance of Keeping It Cool

Once the banana bread is done, it's necessary to let it sit in the baking pan for about 15 minutes and then transfer it to a plate where it will sit for a while longer. Due to the caramelized sugar, it's best to wait for the loaf to cool properly before cutting into it.

Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch. Tip: Check the bread at 40 minutes. If the top is well browned but the loaf still needs more time, tent it with foil to prevent further browning as it continues to bake.

Why does my banana bread not taste good? ›

Using too much butter makes for a heavier cake with less banana flavor. Using double the amount of butter that the recipe called for left me with a loaf that was dry on the outside and moist on the inside. The coloring was almost identical to that of the loaf made with too little butter.

The trick with baking soda in recipes is that the reaction that creates the bubbles is immediate, so you want to get the batter or dough into the oven quickly, before all the bubbles dissipate. That's why baking soda is used for “quick” recipes for biscuits or breads.

However, if you're in a pinch, the substitution is one teaspoon baking soda equals three teaspoons baking powder. Baking soda is also much stronger than baking powder and, by trying to provide enough leavening, you may wind up with an unpleasant metallic, salty taste in the final baked product.

Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is the raising agent and this can sometimes taste bitter or soapy if the wrong quantity is used.

It's all about balance. Another reason to use both baking powder and baking soda is because they affect both browning and flavor. Food & Wine breaks it down easily: let's take my birthday cake pancakes recipe. In my recipe, buttermilk is used partly for its tangy flavor.