Grant Gibson

Derek Junttonen

The Science Behind The Perfect Banana Bread

Abstract:
In this experiment, we tested the
effects of bananas on the moistness,
fluffiness, and softness of banana bread.
We baked three different banana breads
with varying amounts of bananas in each
bread. Bread A had 2 cups of bananas,
Bread B had cup of bananas, and Bread
C had 1 cups of bananas, which was also
the amount of bananas specified in the
original recipe. All other aspects of the
banana bread, including the rest of the
recipe, cook time, and cook temperature,
were kept constant. We wanted to conduct
this experiment so that we could find how to
create the most desirable banana bread.
We knew that the moisture of the bread
played a big factor in how good the bread
was, so we decided to change the amount
of bananas in the bread to affect that. To
test which bread was moistest, fluffiest, and
softest, a slice of each bread was given to
participants of a blind taste test. They were
asked to rate each aspect of the bread on a
1-5 scale, with 1 being the lowest (ie. dry,
hard, etc.) and 5 being the highest
(moistest, softest, fluffiest). After everyone
had completed the survey, we found that
the majority of the participants enjoyed
Bread A the most and also found it to be, on
average, the moistest, softest, and fluffiest
of the three breads.
Introduction:
This experiment was done in order
to find what amount of bananas makes the
best banana bread in relation to moistness,
fluffiness, and softness. The moisture of the
bread is very important, as it will affect how
much the bread will rise while it is in the

oven, as well as how long the bread needs

to cook for (this is a controlled variable), and
how the bread tastes. We are looking to
change the amount of moisture in the bread
which should affect how much the bread will
rise and possibly how fluffy the bread will
be. We will be changing the moisture by
changing the amount of bananas in the
recipe. We know that moisture is a big
factor in having good banana bread (no one
wants dry bread), so we wanted to alter the
amount of bananas in the bread because
we know that bananas are 74% water [1] so
adding more or removing some will
hopefully change how fluffy/soft/moist the
bread is. We are expecting that by adding
more bananas, the bread will become more
dense, which should make the bread softer.
Conversely, by decreasing the amount of
bananas the bread will become less dense
and when it is cooked, there will be less
moisture in the bread which will cause it to
be dryer, and consequently, more crumbly.
Eggs are also another source of moisture in
this recipe, but they are not as significant
because they go unchanged. The recipe
calls for 2 eggs, and by changing the
amount of eggs that are in the bread will
most likely change how moist the bread
would become. We decide to not change
the number of eggs because we wanted to
focus our experiment on just the bananas.
Also the number of bananas would change
how much the bread tasted like bananas, so
we wanted to see if adding more would be
too much or would make it even better. We
hypothesized that the original recipe bread
(Bread C) would have been the most
desirable, that the bread with the least
amount of bananas (Bread B) would have

been the least desirable, and the bread with

the most amount of bananas (Bread A)
would have been in the middle. It turns out
that Bread A was the most desirable. Most
people loved it the most because it was so
moist and very soft.
Methods:
To begin this experiment, we cooked
three different variations on a classic
banana bread recipe. In order to evaluate
how the moistness of banana bread affects
the enjoyment of said bread, three different
recipe variations were used, with the
amount of bananas changing each time the
recipe was produced. The bread was
cooked in a standard kitchen (not a
professional kitchen setting) with a standard
oven set to 350 F (175 C). All breads were
cooked in a greased and floured 9x5 in pan.
For this whole experiment, you will
need 1 cups of melted butter, 3 cups of
white sugar, 6 eggs, 5 cups of mashed
bananas, 6 cups of all-purpose flour, and 3
teaspoons of baking soda. Keep in mind
that these materials are enough to make
three batches of banana bread, each with
varying amounts of mashed bananas. Each
loaf of banana bread should take
approximately an hour and fifteen minutes
to complete.
To start the control loaf, preheat
the oven to 350 F (175 C) and grease and
flour one 9x5 inch pan. Cream cup of
melted butter and 1 cup of white sugar until
smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, and add 1 cups
of mashed bananas, beating those in as
well. Add 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of
baking soda and stir until all ingredients are
mixed thoroughly. Pour the mix into the
prepared pan and bake for about an hour or
until a toothpick inserted into the center of
the bread comes out clean. Remove the
pan from the oven and let it cool [2]. The

banana bread can then be cut open and

served and/or stored in plastic baggies, a
refrigerator, or a freezer. You dont want to
leave your bread out in the air because it
will slowly dry up.
To make the other two loaves,
repeat the above steps, including the same
amounts of all ingredients except bananas.
For one loaf, use only cup of mashed
bananas, and for the other loaf, use 2
cups of mashed bananas. All loaves should
be baked at the same temperature for the
same amount of time in order to keep the
other variables in the experiment consistent.
We want to measure our bread
quantitatively and qualitatively and there are
a few ways to do that. The main way we
qualitatively measured out banana bread
was with a blind taste test where
participants were each given a slice of each
banana bread (A, B, and C) and asked to
rate them on a scale of 1-5 in terms of
softness, moistness, and fluffiness,
respectively. They were also asked to
choose a favorite variation of bread so we
could have an overall result of which bread
was most desirable. All data from the taste
test was placed into tables, one for each
bread variation. To quantitatively measure
our bread, we used a soil moisture meter to
measure the moisture content of each bread
variation. All values from the moisture test
were recorded and placed into a chart.
Results:
To test the banana breads, a blind
taste test was performed with the breads
labeled as A, B, and C in no particular
order. All participants tasted the breads and
then took a survey which asked them to
evaluate each of the breads in terms of
moistness, softness, fluffiness, and allaround taste.

For our experiment, Bread A had 2

cups of bananas, Bread B had cup of
bananas, and Bread C had 1 cups of
bananas, which was the original recipe. All
other aspects of the banana bread recipe
and cooking were kept the same.

participants. Of the 15 responses we

received, 9 picked Bread A as their favorite,
2 picked Bread B, and 4 picked Bread C.
On average, Bread A also was rated the
fluffiest, softest, and moistest by
participants. Bread B was rated the lowest
in all categories, and Bread C was rated
second. The results received during our
taste test can be found below.

Our results show that, overall, Bread

A (with 2 cups of bananas) was the
favorite of the majority of this experiments

Table 1: Average, median, min, max, range, and standard deviation of banana bread A,
gathered through blind taste test
Bread Property and
Scale

Fluffiness (1-5)

Average

Softness (1-5)

Moistness (1-5)

3.5

4.285714286

4.142857143

Minimum

Maximum

Median

Range

1.035725481

0.809039835

0.6030226892

Standard Deviation

Table 2: Average, median, min, max, range, and standard deviation of banana bread B,
gathered through blind taste test
Bread Property and
Scale
Average

Fluffiness (1-5)

Softness (1-5)

Moistness (1-5)

2.5

2.428571429

2.357142857

Minimum

Maximum

Median

Range

0.687551651

0.5045249791

0.6466697907

Standard Deviation

Table 3: Average, median, min, max, range, and standard deviation of banana bread C,
gathered through blind taste test
Bread Property and
Scale
Average

Fluffiness (1-5)

Softness (1-5)

Moistness (1-5)

3.357142857

3.714285714

3.5

Minimum

Maximum

Median

Range

0.8201995323

0.809039835

0.8201995323

Standard Deviation

Figure 1: Moisture levels of breads a, b and c

Discussion:
This experiment was done to
determine the amount of bananas
necessary to create the perfect banana
bread when moistness, fluffiness, and
softness is considered. It was expected that
the banana bread with 1 cups of bananas
(Bread C, or the original recipe) would be
the favorite bread during our blind taste

tests. However, Bread A (2 cups of

bananas) was the favorite bread of the
majority of the participants in our study, as
seen in the comparison of Tables 1, 2, and
3. These results are not quite what was
expected, but close, as Bread C was the
second favorite of participants. Bread B was
also the least favorite, which was expected,
as it had the least amount of bananas and

was significantly drier than Breads A and C.

In terms of moistness, Bread A was the
most, Bread C was second, and Bread B
was last, as seen in Figure 1. We are fairly
confident in our results, as all the values
received from the blind taste test were
relatively consistent. Based on this data, it is
safe to say that Bread A was the most
desirable banana bread with all aspects of
the experiment considered. There were few
outliers or unexpected results in our
experiment, which also helps to solidify our
confidence in our results, and all results
from this experiment and how participants
voted on bread can easily be logically
explained; Bread A was the softest, fluffiest,
and moistest, and therefore was the
favorite. Bread B was the driest, and
therefore the least favorite, while Bread C
set a good baseline for the experiment, as it
was the original recipe.

Conclusion:
After this experiment was finished,
we found that overall, more bananas cause
banana bread to be softer, fluffier, and more
moist. In our experiment, Bread A was most
desirable because of its softness, fluffiness,
moisture level, and overall taste. It can also
be said that increasing the amount of
bananas will most likely cause the
desirability of the banana bread to increase.
However, it would be expected that if too
many bananas were added, the quality of
the banana bread would decrease because
it would most likely be too moist. We believe
that we have found the perfect amount of
bananas to add to our recipe in order to
create the most desirable banana bread.
These results are significant because
banana bread is a favorite food for all ages,
and finding a way to improve the quality of
banana bread just means that much more
satisfaction in consumers.

Sources:
[1]
Srivastava, Mala. "List of Fruits & Vegetables With a High Water Content." SF Gate:
Healthy Eating. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/list-fruits-vegetable-high-watercontent-8958.html>.
[2]
"The Best Banana Bread." All Recipes. N.p., n.d. Web.
<http://allrecipes.com/recipe/16952/the-best-banana-bread/>.