The ideal place to store most quick breads is right on the counter at room temperature. When kept on the counter, the bread will stay soft and moist, with the same flavor as it did when it was first taken out of the oven. You should remove the bread from the pan shortly after it comes out of the oven. The longer it stays in the pan, the more soaked the bottom will be.
Allow the bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before wrapping it in plastic wrap or transferring it to an airtight container. Hot bread wrapped in plastic wrap causes condensation, which causes mold. In addition, cooling the bread firms the structure and results in cleaner slices. If you love eating hot bread (and who doesn't?) you can always warm up the slice a little in the oven.
Contrary to what you might think, refrigerators are hardly ever a good place to store bread because they circulate cold air. This process can remove moisture from baked goods, such as bread. If you want to refrigerate your banana bread to extend its lifespan *a bit* rather than keeping it at room temperature, be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap AND in an airtight container. Because banana bread (and other quick breads) are so wet, they tend to mold after about 4-5 days at room temperature.
You can extend the shelf life by wrapping it tightly and refrigerating it (7 to 10 days) or freezing it (up to 3 months). Moisture is key when it comes to banana bread, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference. Don't let anything stand between you and your banana bread, avoid these common mistakes in banana bread. The ideal color for ripe bananas for use in banana bread is when they have brown spots, mostly brown or even black.
As bananas ripen, the starches in the fruit are converted to sugar, making bananas naturally sweeter and more ideal to accompany bread. When storing the banana bread on the counter, place the banana bread in a plastic container with a lockable lid. I mean, warm banana bread with butter is good, but trust me, it's even better the next day after all the banana flavor blends in. Bananas release ethylene as they ripen and, if enclosed in a bag, will trap the ethylene and help the banana ripen faster.
This will help me a lot, since I always make banana bread for my family and for my banana bread customers.
