When I make banana bread, how do I keep the top from splitting? It happens every time.
By judy from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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I have known many really good cooks and bakers in my 70 years and have never seen any banana bread that wasn't split on the top, so I figured that was the way it was supposed to be.
I agree 100% with Redhatterb and if any of my "tea" breads (some call them quick breads) didn't split while baking, I would be upset. They are always so pretty, so appetizing, and I've never had any complaints about their flavor either.
An old saying goes like this, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" and as long as your bread has a good flavor and is being eaten, don't worry about its splitting down the middle. As far as I'm concerned, they are supposed to split if you're doing everything right.
Sounds to me like you are doing it just right. Julia in Boca Raton, FL
In my experience, banana bread will always split to some extent. The secret between a split that is basically a difference in color when the top layer expands toward the end of baking and a deep split is baking at lower temperature for a longer period. Being used to making yeast breads and baking at higher temperatures, I didn't like to wait longer to make banana bread.
First of all, I agree that the split is fine, but I double this recipe and bake them in 2 9x13 glass pans and have very little splittage (word ? lol).
1 cup banana, mashed
1 1/2 cup sugar (have used less and still great)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten (I use egg beaters or egg whites only)
Directions:
1. Add lemon juice to the milk and set aside.
2. Blend all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Mash the banana and use an electric mixer to blend it with the sugar. Add the applesauce, vegetable oil and vanilla, blend.
4. Add milk mixture and eggs, blend.
5. Add dry ingredients to the wet batter, one cup at a time, mix until well blended.
6. Pour batter into greased pans.
7. I bake at 350* for 45 - 50 min. (usually 45 min. is fine for me.)
The original directions are as follows: 2 loaves or 4 mini loaves
For the full size pans, bake at 375* (350* for dark or coated pans) for approximately one hour until the bread is browning on top and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. If you are using mini pans, bake at 350* (325* for dark or coated pans) for approximately 40 minutes until bread is browning and toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from loaf pan.
I get 6 loafs that I wrap in foil and put in a ziplock bag in the freezer. It is a tweeked recipe from a website I googled once.
I don't know how to keep banana bread from splitting, but what is the problem if it does? It does no harm and the finished product tastes good whether or not it has a split top.
The following is a website where the same question was asked and others posted their comments.
www.eons.com/
Quick breads like banana bread crack because they contain less gluten than other types of bread. You can't really do much about it.
busycooks.about.com/
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