The instructions that came with my (gifted) Hamilton Beach machine included a mixing, kneading, cooking time chart for each setting. I searched and found that one or two other brands also had somewhat similar charts. But most of the machines I researched did not. So, there may be no way to compare settings, and no way to predict outcome from an incomplete bread machine recipe. I even tried to identify the machine used by this author (from the pix of his control panel) but I had no luck. So, I have no idea how the settings on his machine might compare with the settings on mine.
The key to great banana bread is… RIPE bananas!!! If you use bananas that are hard & yellow or even worse green, they will contain too much starch and not enough natural sugars. As bananas ripen, they convert this starch into sugar. According to Wikipedia, “The greener, less ripe bananas contain higher levels of starch and, consequently, have a “starchier” taste. On the other hand, yellow bananas taste sweeter due to higher sugar concentrations”. FYI – You will know if a banana is ripe when it is soft and shows small brown & black spots on the yellow exterior of the banana.
This turned out delicious! Super Moist. Not overcooked; not dry; just perfect. I have a Cuisinart bread maker and didn’t have a “Quick Bread” button so I used the “Ultra Fast” setting for 1 1/2 pounds at 2:03 hrs and added 7 tbsp of water since I live in high altitude 7,100 ft (1 Tbsp/1,000 ft). The only thing I would do different is .add the chocolate chips later during the “add” time; they melted completely. Thank you for sharing. Please continue to share more bread machine yummy recipes!
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The only thing I did was sub the butter for the oil. When I first start making recipes with my bread machine, I did a little research and everything I could get my hands on said to use oil instead of butter (save the butter for the outside when you are eating it–not the inside when you are cooking it) and the reasons for it (can’t recall the reasons listed, but they made sense and I remembered the mantra!). I do use bread flour though.
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Be careful when removing the banana bread from the bread loaf pan. Banana breads are much softer than sandwich-type bread loaves. Therefore, they can break or “dent” more easily when you remove them from the bread loaf pan. When removing the banana bread from the bread pan, you should also be careful of the movable bread pan handle (because it can swing into the banana bread and cause damage).
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I’m a little surprised so many people had a hard time with this or it didn’t turn out right for them. I’m fairly new to making bread, but I followed the recipe exactly (minus being a tad shy on walnuts), and I didn’t have any problems. I had a little “dust” on one end and side of the loaf where some dry ingredients didn’t get all the way mixed in, but it brushed off and didn’t seem to hurt anything. I didn’t necessarily LOVE this recipe, but it was good. It may just be my bread machine too, but this had a bit more of a crust to the outsides than what I would want on a banana bread. It was my first time making quick bread in my machine too though. That being said, the inside was soft and delicious. I didn’t have any problem with chocolate chips melting and getting mixed into the bread turning it brown like one person mentioned, and the banana taste was a tad mild, but definitely there, for me. I would make this again, but hope I can find a way to soften up the outside to make it more to my liking. It was really easy to make with these instructions though.
Bake loaves in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. If loaves brown too quickly, lightly cover with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Let bread cool for 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling on wire racks. Sprinkle tops of each loaf with 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar.
Add the eggs, butter & bananas into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Try to follow order of the ingredients listed above so that liquid ingredients are placed in the bread pan first and the dry ingredients second. Be aware that the bread pan should be removed from the bread machine before you start to add any ingredients. This helps to avoid spilling any material inside the bread machine. The bread machine should always be unplugged when removing the bread pan.zojirushi bb-cec20 home bakery supreme 2-pound-loaf