You’ve been there. It’s Saturday, and you want banana bread, but all of your bananas are green! Rats! There’s no way to rapid-ripen them, so what do you do?! Boy oh Pillsbury doughboy, does General Mills have a solution for you with its new ready-to-bake Banana Bread Batter.
Okay, maybe that scenario isn’t very realistic, but thankfully this banana bread batter is. It’s also kind of hilarious. I don’t know why a bladder bag full of bread batter is so funny, except to say that a tube of goo will always garner a giggle. The product is pretty straightforward. You simply spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray, squeeze the batter goo into the pan, try not to eat all the goo instantly because, for some inexplicable reason, this batter tastes better than most cookie doughs you’ve tried, and then bake.
The batter needs a little assistance getting into all the corners of the pan, so you need to smooth it out a bit. No big deal, and so far, this is the most effort I’ve put into the entire process aside from cutting off the bag’s tip. The first time I made this, I ignored the step in the instructions to let the batter sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking. Instead, I squeezed it out immediately after removing it from the fridge and baked it for the 60-minute recommended bake time.
When I did this, I baked the joy straight out of it. It was way overdone, had developed a thick bottom crust, was pretty dry, and lacked flavor. I was super disappointed, but it turned out the way it did because of user error. It’s reasonable to expect that a loaf of bread that needs to be baked for an hour should be checked on at around 50 minutes or so. Also, the batter tasted so good that I had to try again. I have to give you all an honest review experience!
I picked up another tube of goo to redeem myself! This time I let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes before squeezing the batter into my greased loaf pan. I also decided to add mini chocolate chips because, well, morsels. I reduced the baking time to 50 minutes and checked the loaf with a toothpick for doneness. This second attempt was an enormous success. This banana bread has a natural banana flavor that is not overpowering. The texture is fluffy, almost like a cake. I would say, as compared to homemade banana bread, most homemade recipes are far more moist and sticky dense. But for how quick and easy this is (assuming you don’t have to do it twice because I did that for you), it’s pretty good! It scratches an itch!
Overall I’d say Pillsbury’s Banana Bread Batter is unique and absurdly convenient for a consumer need that I’m not entirely certain exists. But it sticks the landing with a fluffy, tasty cake bread ending. I would suggest adding mix-ins like chocolate chips, walnuts, or maybe even another real banana to jazz it up a little.
Purchased Price: $6.49
Size: 30 oz log (makes 1 loaf)
Purchased at: Mariano’s (Kroger)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/15 of a loaf) 190 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar (including 14 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.
Thanks for the review. I was reluctant to try this, but I definitely will now.
Nice review, appreciate you telling us about the failure, and timing tips.
I find scrambled eggs come out better if you let them come to room temp before cooking also
Science. 🙂
I always ripen my bananas in the oven, have done it sooo many times. So easy and nothing beats homemade!
I’ll probably give it a try; my (great) grandma use to make this, it was her specialty; I’ll put walnuts in like she did.
My grandma used to bring a loaf of banana bread– baked from Pillsbury mix as the base– each time she visited us. She passed not long ago, so we’ve been working on the best banana bread recipe (for us, at least). I’m happy to share it if you’d like, fellow (great) grandchild of a Banana Bread Queen.
yes, lets see the recipe please
Can I freeze the banana bread batter loaf until I’m ready to bake it?
Yes, you can! It will hold wonderfully, just be sure to defrost it fully before using. And mix the batter well before baking.
This is the recipe I use: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/67937/extreme-banana-nut-bread-ebnb/
I recommend using Virginia Sista’s comment for modifications, mainly the sugar ratio. It will brown thoroughly so keep that in mind when watching it in the oven (might need to cover the loaf or turn down the heat if it gets too dark, because the center will need longer to cook). I also use more bananas ALWAYS than called for tlin the recipe, but I like a really dense loaf. If you have whole wheat flour around, use 1/2 c whole wheat flour and 1.5 c ap flour for a heartier, slightly nuttier loaf.
I wonder if you could bake (some of) this in a Dash bundt maker….
I added 2 ripe bananas to this…..so moist and good!!
Can I turn this into a cake recipe and how would I do that? I’m thinking of adding strawberries also and fresh bananas.