Home
life
food
news
I tried baking banana bread with only 3 ingredients, and I learned it's a great hack if you're a beginner baker

I tried baking banana bread with only 3 ingredients, and I learned it's a great hack if you're a beginner baker

Frank Olito

Insider

I tried a banana bread recipe that only required bananas, eggs, and cake mix.
The actual process was extremely simple, and I loved that I didn't have to measure out any of the ingredients.
The finished result was moist and flavorful, but it tasted more like banana cake. That said, it's a great recipe for a beginner or if you're looking for a quick sweet treat.

Although many people are baking bread while stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, you might still be hesitant to try your hand at breadmaking.

What you might not know is that some bread is so easy to make that anyone can do it, especially banana bread, which is one of the easiest baked goods to make at home. In fact, some banana bread recipes use just three ingredients, which you can easily find in your kitchen or grocery store.

To see if this simple recipe actually works, I tried making Stockpiling Moms' "Easy 3 Ingredient Banana Bread" recipe. Here's how it all turned out.

Read the original article on Insider

First let's meet our three ingredients: four ripe bananas, two eggs, and one box of cake mix.

The ingredients. Frank Olito/ Insider

At first, I was skeptical that this recipe would work — it seemed too easy. Plus, I felt like I was cheating. Sure, on paper this recipe only required three ingredients, but technically there are several ingredients in the cake mix. But I'm always happy to explore a shortcut in baking, so I decided to give the recipe a chance.

After letting the bananas, which were frozen, defrost at room temperature, I cut them open and placed the goopy insides in a large bowl.

The banana in the bowl. Frank Olito/ Insider

In my household, we always save ripe bananas in case we want to make bread or pancakes. To make sure we always have some on hand, we usually freeze them when they get to the desired ripeness.

So when I started making this recipe, I took the bananas out of the freezer and let them thaw on a baking sheet at room temperature. When I cut them open, the banana inside was mostly liquid and mushy. It meant I could more easily perform step two ...

I mashed up the bananas until they looked more like a soup.

The mashed bananas. Frank Olito/ Insider

Using the backside of the fork, it was easy to mash up the bananas, and I was surprised how wet the mixture became. That said, it's perfectly fine to have lumps of banana in the batter.

After that, I added the cake mix to the mashed bananas.

The cake mix on top of the bananas. Frank Olito/ Insider

When I was looking for recipes online, there were several differences in opinion as to what cake mix you're supposed to use. Some said you should buy a spice cake mix and others said you should look for a "super moist yellow cake." Eventually, I decided to use a basic yellow cake mix by Duncan Hines. I bought it at my local store for $1.50.

Then it was the eggs' turn to join the mixture.

The eggs join the bowl. Frank Olito/ Insider

My favorite thing about this recipe was that I didn't have to measure out any ingredients. Sometimes I misread a recipe or forget an ingredient because I'm so focused on getting the measurements right. This time, I didn't have to worry about that at all.

Now, it was time to give the whole bowl a giant mix.

Mix the batter. Frank Olito/ Insider

While mixing everything together, I cheated and added a fourth ingredient — chocolate chips.

I poured the mixture into a loaf pan that I had lined with aluminum foil.

Pour the batter into a pan. Frank Olito/ Insider

The recipe said I should "spray 2 small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan." Since I only had one loaf pan in my kitchen, I decided that it was large enough and filled the entire thing with the batter.

The bread baked for a surprising 60 minutes.

Put the batter in the oven. Frank Olito/ Insider

The recipe says to bake the bread for 34 to 40 minutes. However, every time I went to check the bread, the knife was not coming out clean. I kept checking on it every 10 minutes and eventually it was cooked all the way through.

When the bread came out of the oven, it was the perfect golden brown and looked ready to eat.

Showcase the bread. Frank Olito/ Insider

When I cut the bread open, I was happy to find it perfectly moist and the chocolate chips evenly dispersed.

The bread did taste a bit too cakey, but I was impressed with how easy it was to make.

Take a bite. Frank Olito/ Insider

Although the bread was moist, it did taste more like a banana-flavored cake than it did banana bread. It also sat heavier in my stomach, much like a cake would. That said, it was surprisingly yummy for how simple it was to make, and if I am in a pinch and want to bake and consume something sweet, I'd make this again.

While I wouldn't use the recipe if I'm trying to impress people with a great banana bread, I would definitely recommend it to someone who is a baking beginner and wants to try something easy.