When Baking Frozen Banana Bread, Pay Attention To The Cook Time

Nothing compares to freshly made banana bread. Whether you keep things classic or add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the recipe, banana bread is irresistible, which makes polishing off a loaf pretty easy. But, if you find yourself with an abundance of browning bananas and aren't in the mood to go on a baking spree, why not just prepare ready-to-bake loaves? All you need to do is pour prepared batter into loaf pans, wrapping and sealing them accordingly, before placing the loaves into the freezer. An easy and time-saving hack, the only challenge is knowing how to properly bake the bread from frozen when the craving for banana bread strikes.

Much like reheating frozen loaves of baked banana bread, you can thaw loaves of uncooked banana bread prior to baking. However, since the raw batter includes perishable ingredients like eggs and milk, it needs to be safely defrosted. While you could wait for the batter to fully thaw in the fridge overnight, there's a faster way to go about the process. To save yourself some time, we recommend reheating banana bread directly from frozen. 

After pulling the loaf pans from the freezer, simply pop them into the oven and bake. Just bear in mind that unlike baking thawed batter, cook times need to be adjusted. Given that the loaves will be frozen solid, they'll require a slightly longer baking time in order to evenly thaw and bake as expected. 

First things first, make sure that the frozen batter that you plan to bake is still in good condition. If it's already fallen victim to freezer burn, there are few (if any) reheating strategies that can revive taste and texture. That said, double-wrapping the bread, first in plastic wrap and then in foil, is a good way to stave off premature degradation and guarantee that the bread will thaw and bake as it should. 

To effectively and efficiently bake banana bread from frozen, it's best not to rush the process. Refrain from cranking up the heat so that you can enjoy banana bread faster. This will only do more harm than good. Instead, take a low and slow approach — your oven shouldn't be set to any higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, it's wise to rewrap frozen loaves in foil before placing them in the oven. Doing this will help trap heat and keep banana bread moist all the while preventing the exterior edges from burning.

Although there isn't an exact science for determining when frozen banana bread is done baking, frozen loaves will likely need over an hour in the oven. At this point, you can check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out wet, let the loaf continue baking. Otherwise, you're ready to serve up the banana bread ... finally!