Hi all,
Quick question.
I have a yen for banana bread but all I have are normally ripe bananas and I was wondering how that would affect the outcome of the bread,if at all.

Every recipe I have found calls for very ripe bananas.

Is they any way to speed up the ripening process?
I know brown bags work but I want bread today.

Thanks much! :D

It is okay that the bananas are not very ripe. You can either put them in a brown paper sack with an apple and let that sit on the counter overnight or you can use them how they are. The only reason that it is better to use them when they are overly ripe is because they are sweeter and easier to mash. I hope this helps!

artlady, it doesn't matter what condition bananas are in. There strong flavour will carry them through even if they aren't over ripe. If you want to speed up the process, put them in the refrigerator to blacken a bit, but I have made banana bread with good bananas and always had an excellent outcome.

Tick

Other than the paper bag, I don't know of any other fast ripening methods for bananas.

I have used ripe (versus very ripe) bananas before with fairly good results. I ended up putting them in the blender instead of just mashing them.

There is a slight flavor and texture difference, but according to Cats and family they liked it.

artlady, do you remember the old Chiquita Banana commercials saying 'never put your bananas in the refrigerator, cha cha cha'. Its because they go ripe too fast ! Bon apetite ! I have some already made with walnuts and raisins ! Oh, and yes an apple pie with caramel underneath made from butter, brown sugar and pecans, yum... I had to have that made last night!

Tick

artlady, do you remember the old Chiquita Banana commercials saying 'never put your bananas in the refrigerator, cha cha cha'. Its because they go ripe too fast ! Bon apetite ! I have some already made with walnuts and raisins ! Oh, and yes an apple pie with caramel underneath made from butter, brown sugar and pecans, yum....I had to have that made last night!

tick

Girl,you are making me drool :)
I have a terrible sweet tooth and I love to bake so the combo is not so great.
I am hyper thyroid so I don't gain weight,it just burns off even if I am sitting so I guess it's a blessing in disguise !

If you haven't made it yet just make sure you mash up the bananas really well... adding a small amount of honey to the mush adds an interesting sweet flavor too ;)