The Sweet Ingredient You Should Sprinkle Over Banana Bread Batter
Looking for a great after-school snack or a sweet breakfast? Look no further than trusty banana bread. The name is a bit of a misnomer, considering that banana bread is in fact cake. Food 52 notes that banana bread is actually considered a "quick bread" which is a baked good that does not use yeast, therefore not requiring a long rest time. Even though banana bread is commonly baked in a loaf pan, it's still technically a cake. In true cake fashion, banana bread is a delicious sweet treat that can be eaten for breakfast, snack, or dessert. A simple Google search for banana bread will yield millions of results for creating the tastiest version of the bread. Even celebrities like Chrissy Teigen shared her secret for making the perfect bread.
Before anyone even embarks on making banana bread, there is one thing that cannot be overlooked. The bananas have to be ripe enough to sweeten and flavor the bread. If the craving hits but you only have fresh yellow bananas, Baking Mischief suggests putting them in the oven at 400 for about half an hour. Some people are baking purists and prefer to leave their banana bread plain, while others are all about the mix-ins like nuts and chocolate chips. If you want to upgrade your bread with a special topping, look no further than your pantry.
Keep your sugar stash fully stocked
If you want your banana bread to have some crunch, you could always add nuts or seeds. However, if you want your bread to have an easy crunchy topping, Masterclass suggests sprinkling on Demerara sugar. When the bread is ready to be baked, simply sprinkle some sugar over the top for a caramelized crunch when it's done. It's important to use Demerara sugar instead of white or brown sugar due to Demerara's texture. Demerara is raw sugar that is minimally processed, resulting in a crunchy texture (per Masterclass). In addition to adding a surprising crunch, the raw sugar adds an extra touch of sweetness.
Once the bread is baked, it comes to the delicate matter of storing it. Of course, it's best if the bread is eaten within 2 days, but that's not always possible. If you don't want it going bad or getting moldy, you need to properly store it. Allrecipes suggest removing the bread from the pan as soon as it's cooled down enough to remove it from the pan. The longer the bread sits, the soggier it can become. No one wants to eat a soggy banana, let alone bread. Make sure to keep it wrapped and airtight when you're not digging in for a piece.