Banana bread is the taste of heaven on earth. Tune in to my failed banana bread episodes at home and hear me contradict myself!
I just love food, that’s why I’m constantly over complimenting things whenever i hit the perfect ratios, the perfect timing, and most of all, the perfectly baked goodies in my kitchen!
Anyways, moist banana bread. Do you need to refrigerate them after baking? Are there any potential health effects to be worried about? Or am you locked into a texture or flavor loss whenever I sign up to store banana bread on the counter?
Well,
Refrigerating banana bread isn’t a must especially when you’re planning on consuming them in few days’ time after baking them. They keep well, roughly for about 3 days, sandwiched between layers of paper towels to absorb any leaking moisture and then wrapped tightly inside a plastic wrap to prevent drying.
After three days, banana breads must be stored in the freezer or consumed, but never allowed to sit for additional days as the bread will most likely develop mold growth.
Storing banana bread on the counter
There is really no need to store banana bread in the refrigerator when you plan on using it in a few days’ time. The bread will store well on the counter with just a little effort put in place to tackle drying. The only thing you need to bear at the back of your mind is your location. If you live in a humid place, you might want to opt for refrigeration since the bread will grow mold a lot quicker.
Storing your freshly baked banana bread on the counter is easy,
First, ensure to cool the bread completely. Storing a warm bread will only cause the bread to swim in its own perspiration and turn soggy, and it could also harbor mold growth since those are they conditions they actively seek out for.
So dry the bread well, (not using a dryer, my GOD!).
Next, we create the paper to towel sandwich to absorb moisture.
Place a paper towel in the bottom of the plastic storage container or bag, and then place the cooled loaf of bread on it. This will absorb leaked moisture that the bread will release in the next few days. Now, being careful, slide in another paper towel over the bread in the container then seal tightly.
Keep the bread in a cool place and away from window areas. Preferably, on top of the refrigerator.
Freezing banana bread
When you want to extend the shell life of your banana bread, the freezer, not the fridge is the best option, since the latter method can only preserve bread as long as the counter would, 4 days.
The freezer can extend the shell life of banana bread for as long as two months. Indefinitely, ideally, but a huge loss of flavor will occur afterwards of month 2.
To store banana bread in the freezer:
- Cool the bread completely to prevent moisture accumulation and subsequent mold growth.
- Place the bread in a beeswax wrap or a plastic wrap and wrap a couple times to secure the bread completely. Do another tight wrapping with freezer wrapper of heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn during freezing. If you’re wrapping slices, do several more layers of foil to prevent freezer burn as the interior of the bread is now exposed. Alternatively, for whole loafs, you can place the plastic wrapped bread in an air tight freezer bag and secure the mouth tightly.
- Place in the freezer for up to two months.
Thawing frozen banana bread
When it comes to thawing banana bread, all that is required is 30 minutes on the counter for slices or up to 4 hours for whole loafs or half loaves.
Alternatively, banana bread slices can be can be thawed quickly in the microwave in about 30 seconds. It can also be done in the oven — a 350 F oven for 30 minutes to an hour. Make sure to inspect the bread routinely to prevent baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should banana bread be refrigerated after baking?
Depending on where you live, banana bread might need to be refrigerated after baking. If you live in a humid climate, your bread will spoilt a lot quicker if stored on the counter, so keeping it inside the refrigerator, inside an air tight packaging should see it through the extra days it wouldn’t last on the counter. For less humid areas, choosing to refrigerate will not provide any extra storage life in comparison to store on the counter, and breads can actually end up dry if not stored properly. So in this case, it’s best to keep the bread on the counter using the techniques outlined above.
Can you leave banana bread out to cool overnight?
No, the bread will dry out. The best solution would be to cool the bread in the refrigerator or cut it into slices and let cool on the counter for less than an hour.
How long to cool banana bread before wrapping
Cool banana bread until it cools everywhere. This should take no more than 30 minutes for slices.
Final Verdict
Banana breads need not be refrigerated as storing them in the refrigerator only extends their shell life as much as storing them in the counter does, without any extra benefit health wise. Thus, if eating with the next few days, banana bread should be kept on the counter.
Unlike the refrigerator however, the freezer can help extend the storage life banana bread by several more days, actually months. The freezer can keep banana bread fresh for up to two months, before it loses it characteristic flavor and texture.
To store banana bread on the counter, wrap tightly under plastic wrap while sandwiching them between paper towels to absorb moisture. Keep in a cool place.
To store banana bread in the freezer, double or triple wrap loafs or slices, respectively, with a combination of plastic wrap and foil, and then finish the wrapping with a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for no more than 2 months.
