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Yourbanana breadjust came out of the oven, it’s warm, delicious, and every bite makes you wish it would stay that good forever.
And while you could probably eat the entire loaf, that might not be the best idea!
So, how should you store banana bread? Well, read on to discover a few tips and tricks that’ll teach you how to make and store your banana bread and keep it fresh for days to come!
Ingredients for Banana Bread
Before thinking about how to store banana bread, it’s vital to discuss the ingredients in the bread. Why? It’s because looking at the ingredients that go into the bread will help you determine how long it can last.
See my post about storing common baking ingredientsfor more info about maximizing the ingredient’s freshness.
Most of the ingredients in banana bread are standard to most quick breads.
Your dry ingredients should be flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. As for the wet ingredients you have eggs, oil or butter, milk, ripe bananas, and maybe an extract.
Now, considering banana bread’s shelf life, you’ll have to think about the wet ingredients. Why, you might ask? It’s because they contain the most moisture and are more likely to spoil first.
What makes this point more important is that you need to choose the most ripe bananas possible for your bread! Actually, you want to use bananas that are turning brown or already fairly brown.
As bananas ripen, the starches in the fruit willturn to sugar, making the bananas naturally sweeter and more ideal to go in your bread. In a nutshell, the riper your bananas, the more flavorful your bread will be!
How To Ripen a Banana Quickly
If none of your bananas are overripe, there are a few ways tospeed up the ripening process. These techniques are much better than just waiting for a week (or more) for that banana to start turning brown!
The first method is to place the banana on a sheet tray, still in the peel, and bake it at 300° F for about 15 minutes or until the banana has turned completely brown.
Let the bananas cool, and then scoop out each one and use for your bread! You can also try putting the bananas in a brown paper bag and closing the bag.
Bananas releaseethyleneas they ripen, and being enclosed in a bag will trap the ethylene and help the banana ripen faster.
It may still take the banana a day or two to ripen in the bag but that’s much better than waiting a week or more!
Wrapping Banana Bread
After baking your banana bread, it’s important to wrap it well to help keep it fresh and tasty. However, always let your banana bread cool completely before wrapping it!
You don’t want to wrap the bread warm as the heat will get trapped, creating moisture on the outside of the bread and leading to a soggy loaf.
Cool the bread well, then wrap and follow your favorite storage method (read on to see how to wrap banana bread depending on where it will be stored).
How to Store Banana Bread
When choosing a method for storing banana bread, it all comes down to how quickly you think you’ll eat it. Let’s take a look at the best storage methods from shortest to longest life:
1. Storing Banana Bread on the Counter
The ideal place to store most quick bread is right on your counter at room temperature. When kept on the counter, thebread will stay softand moist, tasting as it did when first pulled out of the oven!
However, when you store your bread on the counter, it’ll last for about four days. Since the bread is full of ripe bananas, it’ll be very moist. Moisture and the right (or wrong) air temperature around food can quickly lead to mold.
Keep an eye on your banana bread, and check it or move it into the fridge after a few days. The best plan is probably just to eat it before this can happen—that shouldn’t be hard to do!
When storing banana bread on the counter, you should place the banana bread in a plastic storage container with a locking lid.
This will allow the banana bread a little space to breathe and prevent it from becoming soggy (which can happen when wrapped in plastic wrap).
It’s also a good idea to place a piece of paper towel or a napkin in the container with the bread. The napkin will absorb any excess moisture in the container and keep the bread fresh andmold-free for longer!
2. Storing Banana Bread in the Fridge
If you want to extend the shelf life of your banana bread even longer, try storing it in the fridge. When you choose to store banana bread in the fridge, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to keep the bread’s moisture inside the loaf.
Refrigerators tend to be very drying environments, and you don’t want thebread to dry quickly. Nonetheless, when wrapped correctly, the banana bread will last over a week.
When you take the banana bread out of the fridge to eat, you may want to microwave it for about 10 seconds or place it quickly in the toaster.
Warming the bread up will restore it to the consistency that it had when it first came out of the oven—warm and soft. It’ll be simply irresistible!
3. Storing Banana Bread in the Freezer
Banana bread freezes extremely well! Anytime you make banana bread, you should always make more than one loaf to freeze the extra.
All you have to do is wrap the banana bread in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. The bread will last forup to three months!
When you are ready to enjoy the bread, you can simply pull it out of the freezer the night before andlet it thaw on the counter—it should be ready by morning!
If you want to eat your banana bread right away, take it out of the freezer and place it in the oven. Thaw for about 15 minutes at 350° F. You can speed up the process by slicing the frozen bread and then heating the individual pieces.
Common Storage Mistakes To Avoid
Unfortunately, though the previous tips are easy, there’s always room for mistakes. For starters, don’t forget to wrap your banana bread only when it’s cool. Wrapping your banana bread warm can lead to an unappealing loaf!
Also, for those of you saving it on the counter, beware of the humidity and air circulation. If the humidity is too high or the air circulation is bad, you’ll have to deal with a not-so-tasty banana bread.
As for those keeping the bread in the freezer or fridge, keep it away from other foods—especially if it’s only wrapped in plastic!
Banana bread can soak up odors from other surrounding food. So the solution here is to place it away from such foods.
Best Uses For Banana Bread
Now that you have the banana bread properly stored, what exactly can you use all the bread for?
While we love to eat banana bread plain, you can top it with a wide array of delicious accouterments.
Spread butter across the banana bread and drizzle it with honey. Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich using the banana bread. You can also make a sweet and savory sandwich by topping the bread with pulled pork.
If the banana bread is coming to the end of its life (this can happen no matter how well you store the bread!), soak it in an egg and milk mix and fry it into French toast.
In another post, I go over many moreuses for leftover bread. As you can see, banana bread is incredibly versatile, which gives you all the more reason to make extra!
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you’ll find a couple of common questions that might help you out:
1. What is the best way to store homemade banana bread?
In my opinion, the best way to store homemade banana bread to enjoy it later is on the counter. Sadly, this means you only get about four days, but at least it’ll taste amazing!
Saving in the fridge or freezer can be a little precarious as the cool air can dry it out a bit, altering the taste. So, if you do put it in the fridge don’t forget to wrap it tightly and place it in a container.
2. Can I store banana bread in a Ziploc?
Yes, you can! However, to keep the banana bread as fresh as possible, it’s best to wrap it in plastic before placing it in the ziploc bag. This way, you create an additional layer against moisture and air, further preserving the bread!
3. Can moldy banana bread be salvaged?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to save moldy banana bread. If it has any white fuzz, green mold, or smells funny, throw it away immediately.
However, just before you throw it away, give it a good look. If there’s nothing actually wrong with it besides sitting an extra couple of hours on the counter, you can probably still enjoy it.
Final Thoughts
After spending so much time making a perfect loaf of banana bread, you want to be sure you store it correctly. Use the previous tips to help keep your banana bread fresh as long as possible.
Be sure to double or triple your banana bread recipe as it is always good to have more on hand! You can’t go wrong with extra banana bread. Happy baking (and storing)!
