Banana Yeast Bread

Banana yeast bread offers a new textural experience from your typical cakey banana bread. With a yeasty, spongy loaf and a defined crust, banana yeast bread still holds all that real banana flavor and buttery richness we crave. Cut a slice (toast it, if you’d like) and load it with toppings like yogurt, honey or peanut butter. There are lots of ways to use up ripe bananas, but this is one of our favorites—especially since it makes two loaves, not just one!

Ingredients for Banana Yeast Bread

• Milk: Feel free to use your milk of choice, whether that’s skim milk, 2% milk, whole milk or a non-dairy milk alternative.
• Butter: Any time I’m baking, I like to splurge on one of the best butter brands—like Plugra or Kerrygold. I think they give much better results, but they’re not necessary.
• Sugar: Sugar sweetens the dough and helps the crust turn nice and brown.
• All-purpose flour: You may not have to use all the flour called for in this banana bread with yeast. Factors like the size of the bananas and the humidity level of your kitchen will affect how much flour the dough will need.
• Yeast: Make sure to buy active dry yeast, not instant yeast, for this banana yeast bread.
• Eggs: Bring two eggs to room temperature; these will go into the dough, and will they blend in better with the ingredients. The third egg can be kept in the fridge.
• Bananas: Ripe bananas are best here. If yours aren’t quite there yet, it’s possible to quickly ripen bananas in the oven.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the sugar, butter and milk

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk, butter and sugar over medium heat until the butter is melted. Take the saucepan off the heat and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature to between 120° and 130°F.

Step 2: Create the dough

In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, two eggs, bananas and the milk mixture. Beat everything together on low speed until combined. Turn the speed up to medium and continue beating for three minutes.

Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a firm dough. You may not use all the flour.

Editor’s Tip: It’s easier to make the dough in a stand mixer, but you can do it by hand with a little elbow grease.

Step 3: Knead and let rise

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, about four to six minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: After kneading, test to see if the bread dough is kneaded enough by poking it gently with two fingers. If the indentation stays, keep kneading. If it springs back, you’re good to let it rest and rise.

Step 4: Divide and rise again

Using a sharp chef’s knife or bench scraper, divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place the loaves on a greased baking sheet, then cover them with a clean tea towel and let them rise until they have doubled in size, about 45 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°.

Step 5: Bake

Using a sharp knife or lame, cut slits in the tops of the loaves. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with the water, then brush the egg wash over the loaves. Bake the bread loaves until they’re golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: If the loaves are browning too quickly, tent aluminum foil over them.

ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME

Recipe Variations

• Add warming flavors: Warm up the banana bread with fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger. They’ll make the bread taste cozy and autumnal. Go light on the nutmeg and ginger as they can pack a punch.
• Knead in nuts: Add texture to the bread by including chopped macadamia nuts, walnuts or pecans. Incorporate them while kneading the dough.
• Bake in sandwich loaf pans: Instead of two round loaves, feel free to bake the dough in two loaf pans if you prefer that shape.

How to Store Banana Yeast Bread

Once the bread has cooled to room temperature, store it in a zip-top bag or airtight container. It can be kept at room temperature for up to five days. You could also store it in the fridge to prolong its life, but we don’t recommend it since the bread will dry out.

Can you freeze banana yeast bread?

Yes, you can freeze banana yeast bread. Let it cool completely to room temperature, then cover it tightly in storage wrap. Finally, slide it into a zip-top bag. It can be kept frozen for up to three months. Thaw it on the counter for an hour or two before slicing it and eating it.

Banana Yeast Bread Tips

ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME

How should you serve banana yeast bread?

Serve slices of banana yeast bread warm, toasted or at room temperature. Add accoutrements like sliced bananas, yogurt, whipped cream, honey, Nutella or peanut butter.

Why didn’t my banana yeast bread rise?

Your banana yeast bread may not have risen for a few reasons. First, check if your yeast is expired. If not, then you may have added the yeast to the warm milk mixture when it was either too hot or too cold. If the milk mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Too cold, and it won’t activate the yeast. The Goldilocks temperature should be somewhere between 120° and 130°.

Why did my banana yeast bread come out so dry?

Your banana yeast bread may have turned out dry if all the flour was added at once instead of little by little. It’s important to gradually add the flour because the dough may not need it all. Since bananas are different sizes and the humidity varies by season, every batch of this dough is going to be different, requiring less or more flour. Even if you’ve made this recipe a handful of times, continue gradually adding the flour as you may use more or less than in the past.