Culinary expert identifies three common mistakes in banana bread baking

To avoid dry or tough banana bread, Jolita Tamoševičienė, a culinary chef at Iki, identifies three common mistakes: overmixing the dough, using too much flour, and overbaking.

Overmixing the dough can develop too much gluten, resulting in a dense or rubbery texture. The dough should only be mixed until the dry flour is no longer visible. Using excessive flour absorbs too much moisture, making the bread hard; for best results, flour should be weighed rather than measured with a cup to avoid packing it too tightly. Finally, overbaking can lead to dryness. When testing for doneness with a wooden stick, it is acceptable to see a few moist crumbs, but there should be no liquid batter.

For the best flavor, use bananas that are heavily ripened with brown spots, as the starch converts to sugar, making them sweeter and more aromatic.