Recipe: (The Best!) Healthy Banana Bread (2024)

FAQs

Why are older bananas better for banana bread? ›

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.

Moisture is key when it comes to banana bread, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference. If you use too much flour, you'll end up with dry bread. If you don't use enough, your bread will be too wet.

In my experience, using bananas with a dark brown or even black peel for banana bread is ideal, as long as the inside isn't rotten. Key takeaway: As long as your bananas aren't starting to get moldy, infested with fruit flies or beginning to rot they aren't too ripe for baking banana bread.

Mold on bananas is fuzzy white, gray, or greenish—it looks a lot like mold on bread. If a banana smells rotten or fermented or is leaking fluid, it's time to say goodbye. If the fruit inside, not just the peel, is black, that's a sign that your banana is too far gone to safely eat.

To immediately ripen bananas for use in banana breads, cakes, and muffins, you can use the oven. The texture of a baked banana may be a bit softer than that of one naturally ripened but the taste and caramelized sweetness will be amazing.

Adding more eggs makes for a spongy, less flavorful banana bread. Doubling the number of eggs I was using resulted in a spongy cake with a moist texture. While the banana flavor was present, it wasn't as prominent as it was in other loaves. This had more of a hint of flavor.

Actually the variance is a few ounces and could make a difference in your baking. This banana bread recipe calls for 2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour. Sifting flour lightens it and removes any lumps. This means you should sift the flour into a bowl, then measure it.

They simple create the bubbles for steam to expand and grow in the baked good. Therefore, adding more rising agents like baking powder and baking soda will NOT enable greater rise. You need the steam for your baked good to rise.

Bananas are safe for dogs, but moderation is key. Bananas are high in sugar, so too much of it can put your dog at risk of developing medical conditions. You should give your dog only a few thin slices of banana once in a while. At least 90% of your dog's food should be regular dog food.

Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is the raising agent and this can sometimes taste bitter or soapy if the wrong quantity is used. Make sure that you measure the bicarbonate of soda with a proper 1 teaspoon/5ml measuring spoon and the spoon measurement should be level.

Can I eat bananas with mold on stems? ›

“It's not actually on the fruit, so that doesn't seem to be very harmful because you're not eating the mold,” says Dr. Craggs-Dino. Of course, if bananas don't smell right or there is mold on the stem (which could more easily penetrate the fruit), it's best to throw them away.

Eating too many bananas or other high-potassium foods can cause excess potassium in the body, also called hyperkalemia. This can cause serious health problems, including heart issues. While most people wouldn't be able to stomach the number of bananas necessary to cause this to happen, it's something to be mindful of.

The bottom line

Thus, it's best to enjoy banana bread occasionally as part of a balanced, nutrient-dense diet. If you'd like to boost the nutrient density of your banana bread, try adding ingredients high in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, such as nut flours and flaxseed.

The little black tip at the end of a banana is called the "fingertip" or the "banana flower." It is the flower that the banana fruit grows from. The fingertip is edible, but it is not usually eaten because it is tough and has a bitter taste.

Let the bananas ripen (and overripen) at room temperature. Depending on the weather, this could take a few days, or up to a week. The best bananas for banana bread aren't yellow; they're black. Or they're at least streaked with black/brown, with just the barest hint of green at the stem.

The reason bananas get sweeter as they ripen is that their starch is broken down into sugar. When your body has to break down the starch itself (as it does when you eat a green banana), your blood sugar rises more slowly.