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.
I used this recipe in the oven and not the bread machine and it turned out great. I mixed the bananas, egg, oil together, then added the sugar and baking soda/powder (mix very well to get slightly fluffy). (I usually use more than the suggested # of bananas, by at least 1/2 extra banana) Then added all that to a larger bowl with the flour and some cinnamon. Baked for 40ish minutes at 350-375 (depending on your oven). Took it out when the toothpick came out clean. I also added blueberries to the mix. Very tasty. Light and Fluffy.
zojirushi - home bakery mini breadmaker - white
Before making this recipe, please read our tips section because bread machines vary. Manufacturers often use completely different setting names (in order to make the same recipe). If you do not use the correct setting, you will have trouble with bread machine recipes (i.e. your banana bread may be potentially under or overcooked). For example, there is often some confusion regarding setting names such as Quick Bread, Quick/Express/Rapid, Sweet Bread and Cake. These settings tend to be completely different (i.e. different baking times). You need to use the specific setting on your bread machine model (read your manual) that was designed for sweet quick bread recipes (i.e. banana bread that uses baking soda/powder and not yeast). See the middle section of the tips below (focused on the quick bread setting) for more information on this issue.
I have made this bread several times. The results have been great each time, and it taste just like a cake. I’ve received positive reviews about this bread from others. My only suggestion is to add the chips after the liquid ingredients, as they melted when I added them with the dry ingredients the first time I made this bread. The bread came out dark, but it was still good.
zojirushi home bakery bread machine
Please be aware that you MUST scrape down the sides of the bread pan when the machine beeps for add-ins. At this point in the recipe, you will add the chopped nuts, but you may also find dough that isn’t well mixed stuck to the sides and bottom of the pan. Just use a rubber spatula and clean off the unmixed dough as you would in a mixing bowl. Be sure to use rubber or silicone…you don’t want to scratch the pan of your bread machine!
zojirushi bb-hac10 home bakery mini breadmaker kit
Select Sweet and Light settings on your machine and add raisins as per your manufacturer’s instructions. They can be added in with everything else. Start your bread machine. After the first kneading cycle is over, the bread should be smooth and stretchy. It should feel dry when you touch it. If necessary, add flour by the tablespoon to adjust the bread.
