How far in advance can I make Banana Bread? How do I keep it fresh? Here's the deal. I'm throwing an all-day Halloween party next Sunday...

Question

How far in advance can I make Banana Bread? How do I keep it fresh? Here's the deal. I'm throwing an all-day Halloween party next Sunday. There's a lot to cook and I'd like to get some items out of the way in advance. One of the items that people snarf up is a pumpkin/applesauce spice loaf I make... which, for all intents and purposes, is akin to banana bread. So... how far in advance of the party can I make this bread and how do I store it?

rpenovich · Answer

Sounds like a great recipe for my son's classroom party--do post when you can!  I'm assuming you use canned pumpkin in place of the banana in addition to the apple sauce in place of the oil?

iuzzini · Answer

maybe do a trial run this weekend?

askann · Answer

I bet you'd be OK freezing it. I do that with banana bread and it works fine. Cut into slices and wrap individually to make things easier on yourself.

Christina W. · Answer

I say bake now and freeze.  But I'm also a huge fan of freezer paper. Wrap in freezer paper then in tin foil or a heavy duty ziploc baggie.  I would also pop it in the oven for a minute or so, to freshen it up after it's defrosted.

nutcakes · Answer

Since this is for a party and not ongoing home consumption, I'd use at least 1/2 if not all the oil the original recipe called for. I'd make 2 days in advance,wrap well in plastic wrap and it will stay moist and the flavor will improve. If making longer ahead, freezing it will be fine.

allie · Answer

My hunch is that baked goods made without oil won't freeze as well.  Am not certain and would love if others had good experiences with it, but that's my hunch.  I think you can improve matters by serving it slightly warm.

Peter · Answer

Alliw, the fondue party was a massive success in general, and the fondues were a huge hit. Indeed, I typically use applesauce in place of oil in the bread recipe I use (which I'll post at some point soon) -- do you think that will affect the way the quality of the bread once defrosted?

allie · Answer

Peter -- How did the fondue party go?  Can you post the pumpkin bread recipe?  Usually, quick breads (if tightly wrapped) can be stored at room temp for a few days or can be frozen for at least a few weeks (and maybe just popped in a warm oven once defrosted), but I find that these general rules don't apply quite the same way with especially low fat baked goods.  Is the applesauce replacing oil/butter or in addition to it?

melissav · Answer

Banana bread freezes beautifully. I would freeze and then take out the day before the party.

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