The Microwave Trick For More Flavorful Banana Bread

Banana bread is the blank canvas of quick bread — it's as versatile as it is delicious, and the perfect way to use up your overripe bananas. You can make it plain, or add pretty much any mix-ins or toppings you want. For a slightly fruity twist, you can add olive oil to make this olive oil chocolate chip banana bread, or for a dose of fall flavors, try this pumpkin banana bread made with pumpkin puree. Other versions include berries, nuts, peanut butter, coconut, caramel, and more.

And while all of these upgrades make for extra-tasty banana bread, sticking to the basics can be just as delicious too. After all, we love banana bread for the banana flavor, so why not amplify it? There are a couple of ways to bring out the banana flavor in your bread — adding spices like cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg will do the trick, as will a pinch of salt. But to make your bread taste more noticeably banana-heavy, try this microwave-safe tip.

If you have a microwave at home, you're a few steps away from extra banana-y banana bread. Before making the bread, you're going to want to make caramelized banana syrup, which will then be mixed back into your wet ingredients. If that sounds intimidating, don't worry — all you have to do is microwave your covered bananas for up to five minutes, drain the liquid, and then heat it on the stove until it reduces. Don't forget to save your heated bananas, as you'll need to mash those too and add them with the syrup into the batter.

Not only do the extra bananas bring more flavor, but the syrup injects a sweet, caramelized, concentrated dose of banana flavor into your bread. But the syrup isn't the only way to add in caramelized bananas — you can also cook banana slices with butter and brown sugar, then layer them in your bread batter and sprinkle them on top. Once the bananas are done, you may be left with a delicious caramel sauce that is perfect for spooning over the top of your finished loaf.

Neither of these options is quite as painless as popping your bananas in the microwave, however. And if you want to take the flavors in your banana syrup-infused bread a step further, try mixing walnut or pecans into your batter to create a salty-sweet combination.