Anything made of banana is my favorite food. It can be fruit salad, pancakes, ice cream, or even muffins. Wait, how can I forget banana bread? It is one of the best recipes I have ever tried.
Probably you have tried making banana bread too. For anyone who doesn’t know what it is, banana bread is a type of cake made from mashed bananas. It is often moist, sweet, cake-like quick bread. There is various banana bread out there. For instance, banana raisin bread, banana bread muffins, banana nut bread, chocolate chip banana bread, and more.
However, many of us struggle when it comes to preserving food, not knowing the correct methods to follow. It is also important to know how long we can preserve a particular food.
In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about banana bread, including preserving tips.
What Is Banana Bread?
Banana bread is a type of cake made of mashed bananas. It is a moist, sweet cake loved by many of us. Banana bread first appeared in a recipe book in 1933. Of course, a long time ago in Pillsbury’s Balanced Recipes Cookbook. It was originated in the United States as a dessert item and later spread around the world.
Some food researchers, historians, and chefs have mentioned that banana bread was invented by housewives as a method of saving leftover bananas. That is a wise idea to get used to the over-ripen, bananas. However, some parties have told that banana bread was developed in order to promote baking soda and flour products. History is unquestionable, those theories can be true or not. Nevertheless, it can be a combination of both theories.
What is most interesting about banana bread is that it has a national day. Did you know that? The 23rd of February is national banana bread day. Do not forget to eat a piece on that day.
How To Make Banana Bread?
Usually, making banana bread will take around 65 minutes. This recipe is for 8 to 10 servings.
Ingredients:
- 02 – 03 ripen medium-sized bananas (peel them off and mash)
- 1/3 cup of butter
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 large beaten egg
- ¾ cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup of all-purpose flour
Steps To Make Banana Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Butter a loaf pan.
- Stir the melted butter and mashed bananas in a bowl. Do it until the banana turns into a smooth texture.
- Mix baking soda and salt.
- Stir sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake it at 350F for 50 to 60 minutes.
- After 60 minutes, take it out and leave a few minutes to cool before serving.
How Long Does Banana Bread Last?
Whenever we bake something, we do not want to put it in the freezer right away. Why? It kills the taste, freshness, and sometimes, the texture too. If you do not have plans to eat the whole thing the same day, what should you do?
Simple, you can store it in your kitchen pantry itself for up to a week. Banana bread lasts at room temperature for 5-7 days without subjecting it to any spoilage.
In the fridge, banana bread will last for up to 2 weeks, but you may not enjoy the taste of it. The fridge will dry out the bread, causing them to lose their taste.
If you store banana bread in the freezer, it will last for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap the banana bread tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Best Way To Store Banana Bread
Banana bread is delicate in texture. To keep them with their delicious taste and freshness, you have two options for storing them. You can either store them in the refrigerator or the freezer.
If you’re going to use banana bread within a week, you can store them at room temperature. Any longer than that, the freezer should be the option to choose
Method #1: Airtight Containers
When banana bread is stored at room temperature, they tend to go bad quickly. This is due to the moist and warm environment.
For this reason, it’s important to wrap the pieces of the bread in plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container. This will prevent air and moisture from damaging the bread.
Make sure the banana bread is cooled to room temperature before storing them.
If you’re going to eat all the banana bread within a week, you can leave them at room temperature. Keep them wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and place them on the countertop, in the cabinet, or deep drawer.
Avoid keeping them in the fridge, as the cool temperature will remove moisture from the bread, making it dry.
Method #2: Freezing Banana Bread
You will be pleased to hear that the answer is yes. You can freeze banana bread. Technically, when stored properly, you can preserve banana bread for three months.
Let’s see how to freeze banana bread:
Step 1: Allow It To Cool Down
After the banana bread is baked, allow them to cool down completely. If you try to freeze the bread while it’s warm, it will cause condensation. The moisture will damage the bread during freezing.
Step 2: Wrapping
No matter how you freeze them, whether it’s sliced, half a loaf, or the whole loaf, wrapping is the most important step. Double wrap each slice individually in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Step 3: Label and Freeze
With a marker, write the date of freezing and the content onto the wrap. Then place them into the freezer for storage.
How To Tell If Banana Bread Is Spoiled?
If the banana bread has mold, you better avoid consuming it. Banana bread is moist, and it is a reason mold will eventually grow on it. It is not only banana bread, yet many cakes have mold when spoiled.
If you notice dark spots in the cake, it is time for it to go to the waste bin. The dark spots are a sign that the cake is spoiled.
If it has a strange smell, like too much sour, the cake is not in a condition to be consumed. The best advice is to throw it away.
Related Questions
What is the difference between banana bread and cake?
Finding the distinction between banana bread and cake is like differentiating muffing and cupcakes. Some might even call both products the same name because the difference can only be seen by tasting. (Unless you are a pro at it)
Banana bread is a type of bread that uses bananas as the primary ingredient. Unlike banana bread, banana cake is made with bananas as the main ingredient and other cake ingredients.
The texture of banana bread is firm, dense, and heavier than banana cake. Banana cake is light compared to the bread.
Final Thoughts
The banana bread is a sweet type of cake that everyone falls in love with. Indeed, it is a good solution for leftover bananas. You do not need to throw the fruit away when it can still be used to make a tasty cake.
Start baking your banana bread right away. If it remains, you can keep it for another couple of days on your kitchen counter. if it’s longer than that, store them in the freezer. Make sure you follow the proper freezing methods to get the best result.