It appears that many of you want to know, can I use bread flour for banana bread?
Making banana bread can become somewhat confusing, especially when it comes to specific ingredients.
You’ll typically find that most recipes call for flour, but they never seem to state exactly which flour.
Now, initially, from the name alone, you may believe that bread flour is the best option.
But is this really the case?
Allow me to solve the mystery of which flour to use for banana bread.
You can use bread flour for banana bread, although it isn’t recommended. Bread flour is likely to be too thick. Plus, bread flour is higher in gluten content, which may cause holes that are typically associated with “normal” bread. It will also cause your banana bread to be chewier, which, again, you would expect of bread, but not of banana bread. Cake flour is always the best choice for banana bread, followed closed by all-purpose flour.
1. Why Isn’t Bread Flour the Best Choice?
Okay, let me first state that you can use bread flour to make banana bread.
But, in truth, I would only suggest you do so if you’re absolutely desperate.
By this, I mean that you only have bread flour in the pantry, and you have to cook your loaf within the next hour or so.
Then again, you can use bread flour if there is a worldwide shortage of any other type of flour.
Perhaps a little dramatic, but I just want to get across that bread flour isn’t the greatest option.
Firstly, bread flour is likely to be too thick for banana bread.
Secondly, its high gluten content is likely to produce holes (crumbs) that you typically associate with finished bread products.
Plus, bread flour will provide a chewy texture, not one that you’d normally associate with delicious banana bread.
2. Is Banana Bread Actually a Cake?
Don’t be fooled by the name, banana bread is actually more akin to cake than it is bread.
Therefore, the best type of flour to use is cake flour.
Cake flour provides a superior compound to bread flour.
This makes it perfect for creating a fine texture for bread and cakes.
And this is definitely something you want in your banana bread.
Furthermore, cake flour has the ideal clumping quality for making batters.
This will allow your “cake” batter to remain lightweight and fine.
So, without a doubt, the best flour to use in your banana bread is cake flour.
3. Is All-Purpose Flour Better Than Bread Flour?
If you don’t specifically have cake flour to hand, then your next best choice is all-purpose flour.
I guess the clue is the name.
All-purpose flour is extremely versatile, so it can be used for baking just about anything.
In fact, if a recipe calls for flour, then it is usually referring to all-purpose flour.
You can make cakes, bread, cookies, muffins, etc., with all-purpose flour.
With that being said, if you decide to use all-purpose flour for your banana bread, it probably won’t have as fine a texture or be as tender as if you used cake flour.
4. What Are the Other Flour Options?
If you’re looking to make gluten-free banana bread, then there are other options available to you.
These include almond flour and coconut flour.
There are other gluten-free options that are made from various grains and nuts, plus there’s even rice flour.
If you use a gluten-free option, this will typically mean that it will affect the taste.
However, these types of flours are fine in texture and lightweight, so they will still produce great banana bread.
Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe
Final Thoughts
So, as you can see, it’s perfectly feasible to use bread flour to make banana bread.
However, it is probably the least favorable option.
If you can, always use cake flour to create banana bread.
Remember, regardless of the name, banana bread is essentially a cake.
If you don’t have cake flour available, then all-purpose flour is a suitable replacement.
And if you’re looking to go gluten-free, then almond, coconut, or any other type of grain, nut, or rice flour will suffice.
Another problem you may need to solve is what to do if you have used too much baking soda in your banana loaf.