Secrets To The Best Banana Nut Bread Ever

A good recipe for banana nut bread is one of the most cherished items in a baker's recipe box. A favorite with many families, a slice of banana bread is a welcome treat at breakfast, in lunch boxes, and after evening mealtimes. Banana bread is also quick and easy to make, which makes it a popular recipe for novice bakers to choose. Read on for simple tips that will guarantee a perfect loaf of banana bread every time.

Read your recipe carefully, noting whether you need cold, softened, or melted butter, eggs straight from the fridge or at room temp, etc. Prepare the baking pan according to the instructions, and measure ingredients accurately. Accidentally using a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon of a leavening ingredient can mean the difference between success and failure in any baking project.Always spoon flour into a measuring cup and then level off with a knife; never scoop directly out of the canister. Use dry measuring cups for dry ingredients, and glass cups for liquid ingredients.

When making quick breads, mix wet and dry ingredients together only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Over-mixing can lead to a heavy, gummy, or dense bread.

Disposable baking pans are rather thin, which allows the exterior of the bread to bake more quickly than the interior. If the top of your loaf is getting too brown before the center is done, cover it with aluminum foil, and finish baking.

Some bakers like to use only overripe, almost black, bananas, while others prefer freckled, spotted-brown fruit. Still others only use pure yellow fruit. Each degree of ripeness will bake a fabulous loaf.

A yellow or freckled banana can be mashed and stirred into the batter, but consider dicing the fruit and incorporating the pieces into the batter. The diced fruit will hold their shape while baking, and your bread will have lovely banana nuggets throughout.

The taste of your bread may be altered when you use overripe fruit because the level of sugar increases as a banana ripens. This also adds more moisture, so baking with overripe bananas can produce a heavier bread, which may lead to a gummy, wet-bottomed loaf. If you want to bake with overripe bananas, place the peeled fruit in a wire-mesh strainer, and let some of the liquid drain before proceeding with your recipe.

Once the banana bread has cooled, use a bread knife to slice into it. If you cut into the loaf while it is too warm, it will tear and crumble.