Need Help With Banana Bread

[Piesmom]

Hello!

I'm so frustrated. My husband loves the banana bread I make him. He also loves chocolate chips. So last week I made a banana bread with chocolate chips in it. It looks as though all the chocolate chips dropped to the bottom of the pan and I couldn't even get the bread out of the pan! I tried "separating" the bread from the pan with a knife...nothing. So he had to dig it out to eat it. He absolutely loved it and so did out non-celiac disease 7 yo son. I have to admit it was really good. But I want it to come out of the pan so I can SLICE it! Does anyone have any suggestions? All I did was spray the pan with a GB butter spray. Should I be gluten-free "flouring" it to? Should I just use mini chocolate chips and hope they dont sink all the way? Instead of mixing them into the bread batter - should I just sprinkle them on right before I put it in the oven??? I always have a hard time getting the bread out...but this was a mess!

Thanks for any help you can give!

[Green12]

Try tossing the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients to coat them with the flour and etc., this keeps them from sinking to the bottom during baking and distributes them evenly, then fold in your wet ingredients.

[Piesmom]

  juliem said:

Try tossing the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients to coat them with the flour and etc., this keeps them from sinking to the bottom during baking and distributes them evenly, then fold in your wet ingredients.

Thank you! That makes so much sense. I've been using my KitchenAid mixer for this and I really don't think I hvae to. If I were to just fold in the wet ingredients like you said, the mixture also wouldn't be thinned out so much (from the beater).

Thank you! I will try again this weekend!

[JNBunnie1]

I haven't had that problem, but I use mini-chips and I also use quinoa flakes for half the flour instead of plain flour, so my batter's usually a bit thicker and maybe that helps hold them up? It wouldn't be a bad idea tobutter flour the pan too though. Do you bake in glass?

[jerseyangel]

I was also going to suggest tossing the chocolate chips with a little of the flour you're using.

I grease my pans with shortening,and everything comes out completely and easily.

[Piesmom]

  JNBunnie1 said:

I haven't had that problem, but I use mini-chips and I also use quinoa flakes for half the flour instead of plain flour, so my batter's usually a bit thicker and maybe that helps hold them up? It wouldn't be a bad idea tobutter flour the pan too though. Do you bake in glass?

No, I use a non-stick metal loaf pan (like an EKCO). When I used to made his sandwich bread in there (prior to using the Breadman) it popped out great every time. It's just this darned banana bread!

I think I will also try the minis - I bought them so I could make muffins for him too (banana overkill anyone?) because the regular chocolate chips just seem too big for muffins.

Thank you, also, for your suggestions!

[Darn210]

I always put choc chips in my pre-celiac banana bread recipe and they always dropped to the bottom half. I accidently bought the mini-chips recently and used those instead (also - now using a gluten-free recipe) and they seemed to do a lot better job of remaining evenly distributed. So . . . I do plan on just sticking with the mini-chips from now on.

[Yellow Rose]

  Darn210 said:

I always put choc chips in my pre-celiac banana bread recipe and they always dropped to the bottom half. I accidently bought the mini-chips recently and used those instead (also - now using a gluten-free recipe) and they seemed to do a lot better job of remaining evenly distributed. So . . . I do plan on just sticking with the mini-chips from now on.

Try putting a piece of wax paper on the bottom of the pan. It will peel right off after you pull out your bread. I also agree with flouring your chips or nuts before you put them in the batter.

Yellow Rose

[JNBunnie1]

  Yellow Rose said:

Try putting a piece of wax paper on the bottom of the pan. It will peel right off after you pull out your bread. I also agree with flouring your chips or nuts before you put them in the batter.

Yellow Rose

Oh what a fabulous idea!

[Jo Ann]

Yellow Rose is right. Cut wax paper or parchment to fit the bottom of the pan, and grease/spray the sides. I do this with cakes as well as breads. Also, banana bread should be mixed by hand; the electric mixer is too powerful. Hope this helps!

Jo Ann

[pamelaD]

Does your recipe use a lot of butter or shortning?

If you use a large amount of a solid fat, the batter seems just right, then when it heats up in the oven the fat 'melts' and the batter becomes quite liquidy and the solid bits (choc chips) sink. I think this is worse for gluten-free recipes because they tend to be a bit looser batter to begin with and there is no 'gluten' from the flour to hold up the dough.

I would suggest cutting the fat in half and subbing more pureed bannana. When I make banana bread I sub ALL of the fat with extra mashed banana and when I add choc chips I have never had them sink.

good luck,

Pam

[Piesmom]

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions! I'm making great banana chocolate chip bread now!

Thanks again!

Kelly