If your banana bread is sinking in the middle, it can be due to a variety of reasons (usually related to temperature issues or too much moisture being added to the recipe). Of course, this information also applies to other moist “quick bread” recipes such as pumpkin bread, cranberry bread, zucchini bread, etc.
Below I have listed some of the major reasons for & solutions to a sinking middle. Even Bread Dad makes the occasional error when experimenting with new banana bread recipes (see picture below)!!
Hawaiian Banana Bread with Sunken Middle
For easy banana bread recipes (such as chocolate chip banana bread & eggless banana bread), please visit Bread Dad’s main Banana Bread Recipes section.
Reasons for Sinking Middles
- Recipes that use a “number” of whole bananas (e.g. calling for 3 bananas versus calling for 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas) have a greater chance for problems. Bananas vary in size and this impacts their moisture content. 3 large bananas have more moisture than 3 small/medium-sized bananas. Excess moisture (when compared to the recipe’s dry ingredients) means a greater potential for banana bread to sink in the middle. Recipes that provide you with the exact amount of mashed bananas by measuring cup (e.g. 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas) or by weight (e.g. grams) tend to have fewer problems. Why? Because there is less potential moisture variation.
- Look for highly-rated recipes with lots of positive visitor comments. This means that the recipe has been “tested” & approved by many people. Therefore, if you are using a proven recipe, a sunken banana bread is probably not due to the recipe. It is more likely that you made an error when making the banana bread.
- You incorrectly measured the ingredients. If you do not measure the ingredients exactly (and just eyeball things) then the liquid-to-dry ratio of the ingredients could be off. Too much liquid can lead to banana bread that sinks in the middle. Of course, an excess amount of dry ingredients can also lead to trouble. Many international bakers like to use grams & milliliters (versus measuring cups & spoons) to avoid ingredient measurement issues. If you use measuring spoons, make sure to level off the ingredients in your spoon. No heaping mountains of ingredients in your measuring spoon!
- Used the incorrect egg “size”. My recipes call for the use of large eggs (not extra large eggs or jumbo eggs). If you use extra large eggs or jumbo eggs, you will be adding too much moisture and your banana bread is more likely to sink. FYI – 1 large egg weighs roughly 57 grams.
- Making ingredient substitutions that haven’t been tested by the recipe author. For example, substituting honey for sugar or using different types of flour. Unless tested, this can throw off the liquid-to-dry ingredient ratios. To reduce the potential for baking disasters, you should follow the recipe.
- Using gluten free flour instead the flour called for in a recipe (e.g. using gluten free flour versus using the wheat-based all purpose flour listed in a recipe). Given the lack of gluten, banana bread made with gluten free flour can have more structural issues and thus need extra ingredients (such as xanthan gum) to solve these issues. For the best results (esp. if you are a beginning gluten free baker), you should use a dedicated gluten free recipe (if you want to use gluten free flour) versus trying to convert a non-gluten free recipe.
- You need to be aware how much gluten is in different flours. For example, all purpose flour (USA wheat-based flour version) generally has more gluten than almond flour, coconut flour and oat flour. Less gluten means more potential structural issues (e.g. sinking middles and/or fragile banana breads). Again to solve these issues, you should look for a dedicated recipe specifically designed for the type of flour (e.g. almond flour) that you want to use.
- For more information on the different levels of gluten in flours, you should read the Wikipedia article on Flour.
- Some people do not preheat their oven long enough. It can take 10-20 minutes to properly preheat some ovens (depending on the size of the oven, temp used, etc.). If your oven has not reached the correct baking temperature before the banana bread is placed in the oven, the banana bread will be underbaked and more likely to sink. I like to use a hanging oven thermometer placed inside my oven to see if the oven has reached the correct temperature.
- Some oven temperature dials are not accurate and your oven temp might be off by 25-50 degrees F. Again, I like to use a hanging oven thermometer in order to make sure my oven temperature is correct.
- After baking the banana bread, you should use either the classic “toothpick” test or a bread thermometer to see if the banana bread has been fully baked. If the banana bread is underbaked, it is more likely to suffer a sunken middle. FYI – Since the toothpick test can be a little inaccurate, many people like to use a digital bread thermometer to test if their banana bread is done. Generally, a “quick bread” (i.e. banana bread or pumpkin bread) is done when the internal temperature reaches 200-205 degrees F. Just make sure to measure the temperature in the center of the loaf for the most accurate reading.
- Do not open the oven door to take a peek during the baking process. This lets the heat out & cold air in. You are more likely to suffer a sinking problem if you open the oven door in the middle of the baking process.
- If you do not store your ingredients (e.g. flour) in airtight containers, it can lead to problems. For example, flour in an open package can absorb moisture from the air. Moisture-contaminated flour can add extra moisture to a banana bread. Excess moisture can result in a banana bread sinking.
- If you use a pan that is too small, it can cause a problem for banana bread recipes. Good recipes will tell you what size pan to use. For example, my recipes tell you to use a 9 by 5 inch bread pan in order to make my banana bread recipes. However, if you use a smaller pan, the banana bread will rise too high and overflow or collapse back in on itself (as it lacks support from the sides of the pan).
- Using a pan that is different than what is called for in the recipe. Different pan “materials” (e.g. metal pan vs. glass pan vs. ceramic pan) bake things at different rates (due to differences in the material’s heat “conductivity”). My recipes call for the use of a 9 by 5 inch METAL bread pan. Therefore, if you use a different type of pan, you are more likely to have baking problems with my recipes.
- You didn’t let the banana bread cool down INSIDE the hot pan for 10 minutes (after removing the pan from the oven). This 10 minute step completes the baking process & helps to solidify the banana bread. If you remove the banana bread too early from the pan, the banana bread could be underbaked and/or sink. You should only remove the banana bread from the bread pan after the 10 minute cooldown inside the pan.
- High humidity in your kitchen (e.g. baking on a hot & humid summer day) can also throw off recipes by adding excess moisture during the mixing & baking process.
- Using too much baking soda/powder can lead to banana bread sinking issues (as the banana bread might rise too high & collapse back on itself). Always make sure to level off the baking soda/powder in your measuring spoons.
- Old or expired baking soda/powder can lead to banana bread rising problems. Always use relatively fresh baking soda/powder when making banana breads & quick breads (such as pumpkin bread).
- Moisture contamination (via the air) can lessen the effectiveness of baking soda/powder and this leads to rising problems. Always store your baking soda/powder in airtight containers. Do not store your baking soda/powder in open containers/boxes.
It is very hard to save an already sunken banana bread. You need to prevent the problem before it happens! So please read the list above and try to avoid these issues when making your banana bread.
Related Recipes
- Banana Nut Bread – Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Easy Banana Bread – Made with butter
- Eggless Banana Bread
- No Butter Banana Bread – Banana bread with oil
- 2 Banana Bread – Made with only 2 bananas
- Bread Machine Banana Bread
If you have any suggestions, tips or information regarding sinking “middles”, please post your thoughts in the comment section below.