The Trick To Keeping Banana Bread Fresh Longer

Fresh banana bread is one of the little joys in life. This quick bread is easy to mix up, a great way to use overly ripe bananas, and is perfectly sweet. While there are tons of reasons to love banana bread, it does tend to disappear as quickly as it is made. Hopefully, you're eating up all of your banana bread quickly, but because the loaves are so moist, they might end up in the trash after just a few days if it isn't eaten fast enough. 

Luckily, there are a few ways to store banana bread to keep it fresh for longer. The way in which banana bread needs to be stored all depends on how quickly you anticipate the loaf being eaten. If it will be gone in a few days, then it will hold well at room temperature on the countertop. All the bread needs is to be tightly wrapped in plastic film or between two paper towels in an airtight container (via Baking Kneads). The wrap will help keep moisture in the bread while the paper towels will help absorb any moisture that leaks out. This method of storing banana bread will keep it good for about four days (via My Recipes).

There are a couple of other ways to store banana bread if it will not be eaten within a few days of baking. To keep banana bread fresh for longer, again, wrap it tightly and thoroughly in cling film, but instead of tossing it on the counter, place it in the refrigerator. The bread should keep for about a week or a little more if wrapped well.

The last method for keeping banana bread fresh is to freeze it. To properly freeze — or store any banana bread that is wrapped — it must be completely cool first to ensure extra moisture from condensation will not be trapped inside the plastic. Once it is cool, wrap the bread well in plastic cling wrap followed by a tight layer of aluminum foil or an airtight container. Pop it in the freezer and the banana bread will hold for two to four months.

If you don't want to refrigerate or freeze your banana bread, Baking Kneads has some creative idea for using up the last of the baked good without tossing it. One idea is to make a peanut butter sandwich with honey. Another is to make French toast with the sweet breakfast bread. Get creative and see what recipes you love that can be used with banana bread substituted in.