The Fresh Loaf

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Collapsed Reinhart Banana Bread

wpringle's picture
wpringle

Collapsed Reinhart Banana Bread

I have been having rising issues with the master formula for banana bread in Reinharts Crust and Crumb.  The center of the loaf collapses completely during baking.  I have been following the recipe precisely but it keeps on happening to me.

Is it me or the recipe?  Has anyone had this experience? Suggestions, etc.?

 

browndog's picture
browndog

I don't know the recipe, but I'm guessing it would be a rather liquid baking powder batter? It sounds like it might be too wet. Can you give a rough breakdown of proportions and bake time/temps?

wpringle's picture
wpringle

Thanks, Browndog.

 The recipe calls for:

16 oz of flour sifted with 1 tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 tbsp of baking soda, 1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups of mashed banana

1 cup of buttermilk

20 oz of brown sugar creamed with 8 oz of unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla 

4 eggs

Makes 2 large loaves.

After creaming the butter and bsugar until fluffy, add vanilla and eggs one at a time then add the flour, buttermilk and banana in 3 stages until absorbed and smooth.

Bake at 250 for 45 min, then turn down to 325 for an additional 15 min.

The taste is fantastic but I have never experienced quick breads falling like this...a deep trench in the center of the loaf despite being fully cooked.  

 

browndog's picture
browndog

Morning, wpringle. I compared your recipe with the 3-4 that I use regularly, and also with Floyd's here. The big difference I found was that cup of buttermilk, compared to similar proportions for the other ingredients. Floyd's has a cup of yogurt, which won't add nearly as much liquidity to a batter as milk or water do. My standard (Betty Crocker, good heavens...) has 3 tbsp of buttermilk or sour milk, but the other recipes I use call for no added liquid at all, just the bananas, shortening, sugar and eggs.

I assume you mean bake at 450 for 45 minutes? That seems high for a quick bread, I don't know if that would contribute to collapse. If you really are baking at 250, that could easily be your problem.

I don't mean to say there's anything wrong with adding the buttermilk, but in my experience I get collapsed quick breads when the batter is particularly thin. You might try halving the amount of buttermilk, or try yogurt instead, baking 50-60 minutes  at 350, and seeing if that helps.

Let me know!

wpringle's picture
wpringle

Thanks, Browndog.

 The recipe calls for:

16 oz of flour sifted with 1 tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 tbsp of baking soda, 1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups of mashed banana

1 cup of buttermilk

20 oz of brown sugar creamed with 8 oz of unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla 

4 eggs

Makes 2 large loaves.

After creaming the butter and bsugar until fluffy, add vanilla and eggs one at a time then add the flour, buttermilk and banana in 3 stages until absorbed and smooth.

Bake at 250 for 45 min, then turn down to 325 for an additional 15 min.

The taste is fantastic but I have never experienced quick breads falling like this...a deep trench in the center of the loaf despite being fully cooked.  

 

demegrad's picture
demegrad

Quick breads are an interesting thing to deal with.  If to much leavening agent is used the bread rises to quickly in the oven before the crumb can set a little and form enough structure to hold everything up.  I don't made quick breads to often but when I do, I'm always tempted to add just a little extra baking powder, you must resist.  And if you are following the recipe exactly, try reducing the leavening.  And if you don't feel thats the problem, hopefully someone else here has a better idea!  Good luck

demegrad

http://www.demegrad.blogspot.com

wpringle's picture
wpringle

Oops...that should have read 350F for 45 min then 325 for 15....

 Thanks, for your comments.  Demegrad you may have something with the too much powder theory...I didn't sweep off the tbsp when I added baking powder. 

breadsbybarb's picture
breadsbybarb

I have made the recipe twice and both times the center was not completely cooked. As the bread cooled, it sank in the middle and the inner part was goo.  The recipe is vague about bake times and pan sizes and number of loaves.  PR notes this makes 2 large or 3 small loaves but doesnt't say what the recommended bake times are for -- 2 large or 3 small loaves. I baked 2 very full loaf pans each time and had a bit of overrun both times. Perhaps that is the problem -- with too much dough pouring into the pans, the dough is rising too high for the dough to support the weight. My pans are the size he recommends -- though is it 2 of these or 3??

Other breads work for me just fine and I wish I could get this one to work out -- the crusts we cut off of the edges are great! I'll try 3 pans next and see how it goes.

 

JERSK's picture
JERSK

A couple of things I noticed. Your recipe says 16 oz. of flour, I assume that's a volume measure. If it is two cups, that amount of leavening isn't too much, unless you added heaping teaspoons. Cooking at too high a temperature can cause collapse with eggy/liquid batters like this one. The eggs expand quickly and then fall, like in a souffle. Everything has to set as evenly as possible. You'll get cracking on the top, but it shouldn't collapse. Check your oven temp or try reducing the time at 350 to maybe 15 mins.