Why did my chocolate chip banana bread split?
Usually, I mix the butter and sugar first, then add the banana mashed with a little milk, and I put dry ingredients in last. But this time I put the baking powder with the butter and sugar and egg mixture, and my bread split in half while baking. That had never happened before! Did putting the baking powder with the wet ingredients first mess it up?
Best Answer
Two thoughts:
First, baking powders are typically double-acting leaveners, where gas is created in two phases: (1) when mixed with wet ingredients, and (2) when heated. By you mixing the baking powder early, it had more time during this first phase, thus giving your bread more rise before it went in the oven.
Second, as @Joe described, the cracking results from the crust setting before the leavening is done. Since your bread had extra leavening on this batch, the amount of rise may not have been able to keep up with the timing of the crust setting.
If you decided that you want to continue mixing the baking powder early, you could try either: (1) covering the bread dish with foil for part of the baking time, which might help slow down the crust setting (since moisture released from the surface would be trapped and keep the crust soft), thus making it more forgiving to the extra leavening; or (2) you could reduce the amount of baking powder or just finish mixing it all very quickly.
Pictures about "Why did my chocolate chip banana bread split?"
Why did my banana bread split?
Don't worry if your banana bread splits on top, that's not a bad thing! The crack on top of bread happens when the loaf starts to set in the oven, but still rises a bit more. What is this? It is incredibly common for quick breads.Why does my loaf split in the middle?
You need to make sure that you do not leave air pockets in the dough. These air pockets can be a result of a bread that is too loose and can end up close to the surface of the bread. The baking process will expand and push out of the crust wherever they are, causing a burst or split in your crust.How do you keep a banana cake from cracking?
Best AnswerWhat happens when you put too much butter in banana bread?
Using too much butter makes for a heavier cake with less banana flavor. Using double the amount of butter that the recipe called for left me with a loaf that was dry on the outside and moist on the inside.How To Make Perfect Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Every Time | Delish Insanely Easy
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Piotr Arnoldes, Flora Westbrook, Mimi Moromisato, Flora Westbrook