Moisture is key when it comes to banana bread, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference. If you use too much flour, you'll end up with dry bread. When you think the bread is ready, insert the thermometer in a straight line through the top center of the bread. Explain it gradually, checking the readings along the way.
You'll see the temperature drop as the probe moves from the bottom to the center, and then rise again when you start removing it. Banana bread usually has a texture that is more like a cake than a bread. While the ideal banana bread is moist, banana bread that is too wet isn't appealing. There are several possible causes for banana bread to be wet.
It could be cooked unevenly, have too little flour or too much fruit, or just be undercooked. Checking the oven temperature, using the right size pan, measuring the ingredients accurately and checking that the bread is cooked before taking it out of the oven can prevent the banana bread from being too wet. Mixing the dough long enough is a well-known trick for making the best banana bread, and for good reason. The more you mix the banana bread dough, the more gluten will develop in the bread, which is ideal for chewy, yeasty bread, but not as good when you expect a tender, soft and quick bread.
An overmixed banana bread dough will result in a dense, rubbery loaf. As you prepare the dough, follow the advice to stir until it is moistened and no longer than 10 seconds. Baking banana bread at too high a temperature can cause the outside parts of the bread to cook too quickly, resulting in banana bread that is overcooked on the outside and undercooked in the middle. While traditional bread is made from wheat flour, water, salt and yeast, banana bread is actually more of an unfrozen loaf-shaped cake.
