The surprising trick to perfectly moist banana bread

Two words: banana juice.

Banana bread split screen

I know I’m not alone in thinking of banana bread as an Aussie staple. It’s a favourite at bake sales, can be found in cafes all over the country and is one of the nation’s most-baked recipes at home. With a moist centre and a lovely brown crust, homemade banana bread just hits the spot.

I’ve baked (and eaten!) a lot of banana bread in my time, so I know a good one shouldn’t need any fancy ingredients to keep it moist. One of the best things about banana bread is its simplicity – the fact that it can be made with such few ingredients. 

The recipe that ticks all my banana bread boxes is our best-ever Aussie banana bread recipe.

The secret to moist banana bread

When it comes to making banana bread at home, there are a few things you can do to keep it super moist. We asked our Digital Food Director Amira for her take and she revealed the one little trick she uses to guarantee a perfect loaf every time: microwaved frozen bananas.

I must admit I was weirded out when I first heard this, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Everyone knows you need overripe bananas to make banana bread but you don’t always have these to hand. This is why Amira always keeps a batch of ripe bananas (still in their skins) in the freezer. When she’s ready to bake, she thaws them in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.

She says: “I find a lot of liquid is emitted from the bananas after it’s microwaved. I never throw this away. I mash the banana flesh with this liquid and then add it to the mixture. This results in a super moist banana bread every time.”

How to correctly store banana bread

After all your efforts to pull off the most moist banana bread ever, the last thing you want to do is undo everything by incorrectly storing it. Amira says it’s all about where you keep it, saying: “I like to store my banana bread in a cool, dark place at room temperature. Storing it in the fridge tends to dry it out.”

Amira also suggests:

• “Make sure the bread is thoroughly cooled before storage.”
• “Enclose it in a layer of plastic wrap, then foil.”
• “Keep it out of direct sunlight.”

When stored correctly, your banana bread will last for up to four days. That’s if you don’t devour it all before then. 

Originally published as The surprising trick to perfectly moist banana bread