How to Store Banana Bread
You are so excited after successfully baking your first banana bread. After eating to your satisfaction, your next concern is how you will keep the rest. You desire to make it stay fresh forever. Though that’s impossible, you can take some measures to maximize its shelf life.
Remember, the ingredients you use will determine how long your banana bread will last. Your banana bread contains wet ingredients. Their most moisture content can make your bread spoil faster if you don’t store it properly. So how should you store your banana bread? Below are a few tips and tricks to consider that will help your bread to remain fresh.
- Room Temperature
For your bread to remain fresh for at least four days, place it at room temperature. Before that, ensure that your bread is thoroughly cooled. You don’t want your bread to end up soggy. Note that if you seal it in a container while still hot/warm, condensation will occur, making your bread soggy.
Once you touch the bread and you get satisfied that it’s cold, take a plastic container. At the bottom of the vessel, place a paper towel. A sealable plastic bag is a good alternative if you don’t have a vessel that can fit your banana bread.
If you decide to use a container, place your bread on the paper towel. Take another paper towel and cover your bread. The paper towels protect your bread from getting soggy by absorbing any moisture content. Use a lid to cover your container and put it in the storage.
If you decide to use a sealable bag, place a flat on its side. Place a paper towel and on the top place your bread. Remove any excess air from the sealable bag by pressing it. Zip your bag and store it at room temperature.
For 2-4 days, your bread will remain fresh. If you don’t intend to finish it within that time, you can place it in the freezer or throw it away. Keep on checking it daily to ensure that it’s still okay. How will you know once your bread spoils? It will start by developing a lousy odor as well as a discolored look. The molds will also start growing on it. Once you see these signs, don’t attempt to give your pet. Throw it away.
- Use A Fridge
A fridge can help you extend the shelf life of your bread for over a week. If you’re not careful, the drying environment in your fridge will dry your bread quickly. So, wrap your bread tightly in a plastic wrap. Let the moisture remain.
When you want to eat it, place it on a toaster or a microwave. After 10 seconds, your bread will get warm and soft and irresistible to eat.
- Freeze The Bread
If the bread is warm, let it cool first. Note that placing warm bread in your freezer will disrupt its internal temperature making your bread not to freeze properly. Touch it using your hand to confirm if it’s cold.
Get a plastic wrap that can wrap your bread at least three times. So, the piece of your plastic wrap should be 20-30 inches. Spread your plastic wrap and place your loaf on its edge. Wrap your bread using the plastic wrap until the whole piece is over. Ensure that your loaf doesn’t get exposed by folding the sides to cover your bread. Note that if you fail to enclose your loaf well and it gets exposed to the air, it will spoil faster.
To keep the air away from your bread completely, take at least 10 inches of aluminum foil and wrap it again. The work of the aluminum foil is to add an extra layer of protection. It ensures that no air gets to your bread hence remaining fresh and pleasant.
Take the wrapped banana bread and place it in a freezer bag. Remove any excess air from the freezer bag by squeezing it. Zip your bag closed. If you suspect there is any air remaining, take a straw and suck it out.
Did you know that if you eat the bread within three months, it will still be fresh and sweet? The effort is worth it. You can’t rely on your memory alone to remember when you placed the bread there. If it fails you, a rude shock might be awaiting. So before placing your bread in a freezer, note the date you baked your bread on your plastic bag.
How to reuse bread after storing it in a fridge?
You can eat your bread anytime you crave for it. Just remove it from the freezer and defrost it on a counter at room temperature. Thirty minutes would be enough if you want to slice it using a bread slicer. If it’s partial bread, it will defrost in 2-4 hours.
If you are in a hurry, or the craving is high, place it in an oven. Put a temperature of 350 degrees. In 30 minutes, your bread will be ready. The microwave will take a lesser time of only 30 seconds. Cut the piece that will satisfy you and wrap the rest using the plastic wrap as well as the aluminum foil. Place it in a freezer bag and back to the freezer until next time.
How to Recognize Spoiled Bread?
If you let it exceed three months, it will spoil. So, how will you know that your bread is not okay? It starts by developing freezer burns and looks discolored. It might also get some ice particles. All these signs indicate that your bread is spoilt. Discard it well without throwing it to your pets.
Conclusion
Since you might not finish the whole banana bread at once, proper storage is essential. Various options are at your disposal, depending on how long you want the bread to last. If you eat it within four days, place it at room temperature. If it will exceed that, put it in a fridge or a freezer. No matter the method you decide, ensure the bread is cold. Be careful when using a refrigerator since the environment dries things faster. If you use a freezer, wrap your bread well and leave no air.
