Avoid These Common Banana Bread Mistakes
NEWS
By MICHELLE BOTTALICO
The Basics
For starters, use overripe bananas when baking banana bread, stick to the recipe, and avoid substitutions with your other ingredients like flour or baking soda.
Make sure you use the correct measurements and the tools your recipe indicates. Ideally, all you’ll need is a standard mixing bowl, a whisk, a wooden spoon, a spatula, and a pan.
Bananas
Bananas are the star of banana bread, but only if they’re overripe. A common mistake is using just ripe yellow bananas, which will lead to a bland cake, lacking sweetness.
Even worse, underripe green bananas have more resistant starch, which makes them firm and even a little bitter. Use soft and fairly brown bananas for the best results.
Leavening
If you’re using baking powder, it should get the job done on its own. However, baking soda only reacts when it touches liquid and is combined with an acidic ingredient.
So if you see buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream in the ingredients list, don’t leave them out. Additionally, make sure that your baking soda or baking powder isn’t past its expiry.
Oven And Pan
Preheat your oven to the temperature your recipe calls for. Also, make sure you have an oven rack in the middle position of the oven to guarantee even baking.
When it comes to the pan, grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter, or line it with baking parchment paper to prevent your banana bread from sticking to the pan.
The Batter
When making the batter, separating the dry ingredients from the wet ones will prevent over-mixing and help avoid tough or rubbery banana bread.
It will also prevent the leavening agents from activating prematurely. When ready, pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon.
