Why does banana bread need salt?

Banana Bread Ingredients Baking soda: Baking soda acts as a leavener, which means it helps the banana bread rise. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor, but it won't make the loaf taste salty .\ Butter: A stick of butter lends richness, moisture, and irresistible flavor.

What happens if you forgot salt in banana bread?

If you forgot the salt, your dough will rise too quickly, and your bread will taste bland.

What happens if you don't add salt to bread?

If you bake bread without salt, you may notice the dough rising much more quickly than normal during the proofing stage. This is because the yeast is able to run wild without salt to slow down and control it. This might seem like a good thing — more proofing means lighter, fluffier bread!

What can I use instead of salt in bread?

KCl can be used in bread formulation as a NaCl replacement up to 0.92% of the regular salt content (2%) undetected by its characteristic taste.

What happens when you leave salt out of baking?

Cutting out the salt completely would mean the cake or cookie wouldn't taste as sweet . But there is such a small amount of salt in baked goods and most home cooking, cutting it out won't remove that much sodium from your diet. And if the flavors aren't as satisfying, you could end up eating more.

Can you put too much banana in banana bread?

Fight the urge to use more banana than called for in your recipe. Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing . If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.

Does bread really need salt?

Next to its role in boosting the flavor of your bread, salt plays a role in tightening the gluten structure and adding strength to your dough . It helps the loaf to hold on to the carbon dioxide gas that is formed during fermentation, supporting good volume. Salt slows down fermentation and enzyme activity in dough.

Why is salt important in baking bread?

Next to its role in boosting the flavor of your bread, salt plays a role in tightening the gluten structure and adding strength to your dough . It helps the loaf to hold on to the carbon dioxide gas that is formed during fermentation, supporting good volume. Salt slows down fermentation and enzyme activity in dough.

Why is salt necessary in baking?

Dear Diahn, The main function of salt in cake recipes is to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients . Its presence perks up the depth and complexity of other flavors as the ingredients meld. Salt also provides a balance to the sweetness of cake batters—but a salty flavor should not be discernible.

What does salt contribute to bread?

Salt is also an essential ingredient in bread making; it contributes to the structure and flavor of the bread , and is necessary for the yeast to work properly.

What if I forgot to add salt to my cake?

And if the cake is already baking, all will be OK: The cake won't be as flavorful, but it will rise just the same and still be a perfectly fine cake. Just add an extra-flavorful frosting or topping (like this pineapple icing or salted caramel vanilla icing).

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (2024)

By: Bill

Posted: Dec 21, '19

Updated: May 7, '21

Jump to Recipe

This Low Sodium Banana Bread is moist and bursting with delicious banana flavor. I get a craving in the morning for the nutty banana bread a few times a year. Or when I hate just seeing a bunch of bananas that turned brown so quickly go to waste. So I really wasn’t surprised when re-evaluating my recipe how much sodium was in it like most breads. So I changed it up to make it low sodium. And since it is really hard to mess up banana bread it was really easy to make this classic into a low sodium banana bread version.

Table of Contents

Typical sodium amount per slice	200+ mg
Sodium per slice for this recipe	14 mg
Calories per serving	199

A VERY LOW SODIUM BANANA BREAD

The typical banana bread recipes sodiumlevels vary quite a bit but most of them seem to be in the 180-260 mg’s ofsodium range per slice, knocking big chunks out of your sodium budget and itjust doesn’t have to be that way. How about a slice of banana with just 14 mgof sodium per slice? And it’s simple to do with just a hand blender and nostand mixer required. You could even do totally by hand if need be since lowsodium banana bread is more of a batter than a dough.

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (3)

Speaking of which, I believe standmixers are more for “doughy” recipes and since this is a batter I would use ahand mixer or do it by hand with a whisk and spatula. And since I like keepingthings in the kitchen fast and easy as possible, a hand blender is used in thisrecipe.

OVER RIPE BANANAS ARE BEST

The best bananas for the bread are when they are getting heavily spotted brown. And the fruit inside is getting almost mushy. It bakes up with a richer more robust banana flavor. When you prepare the banana you can leave it a little more “pulpy” if you prefer, I personally like to mix it out smooth.

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (4)

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (5)

Quick Tip: To soften butter quickly cut butter into tabs and stick to the inside of bowl.

WHAT FLOUR TO USE FOR LOW SODIUM BANANA BREAD

I also use bread flour as I think it makes a less dense loaf of bread. But don’t expect it to be light and airy, banana bread makes a heavy loaf. But you can use just about any flour you want as just about any ingredient in this recipe is interchangeable. Except for the Hain Featherweight no sodium baking powder, which is indispensable for low sodium baking.

HOW TO KEEP BANANA BREAD MOIST

Banana bread is supposed to be moist, so the best way to keep banana bread moist for days is to wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Once your bread is baked and cooled, I actually like wrapping tightly in aluminum foil, it’s just easier to open and such for me. And then store in a large zip lock freezer bag or a plastic Tupperware type container. Then just store it wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (7)

[su_box title=”A few other recipes you may enjoy!” box_color=”#a92224″]

Low Sodium White Bread
Homemade Low Sodium Corn Bread
Low Sodium Blueberry Muffins

[/su_box]

Low Sodium Banana Bread

Written by: Bill

December 21, 2019

A Low Sodium Banana Bread with bursting banana and brown sugar flavors, moist texture and soft crumb, this is the best easily made banana bread recipe.

4.80 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Baked

Cuisine American

Servings 18 slices

Calories 199 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups all purpose flour (I personally like to use bread flour)
▢ 2 tsp Hain’s no sodium baking powder
▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
▢ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
▢ 1 stick unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
▢ 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
▢ 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
▢ 1/3 cup plain yogurt
▢ 2 cups mashed bananas (3 to 4 large ripe bananas)
▢ 2 Tbsp honey
▢ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
▢ 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preparation

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or coat with nonstick spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
Use a handheld mixer fitted with beater blades, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth, light and creamy. Then on medium speed, add the eggs. Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, honey and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined and smooth. With the mixer running on low speed or spatula, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the nuts, if using.
Pour and scrape batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Cover the bread with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to help prevent the top from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow pan to cool and then place the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I use, own and recommend these products and ingredients used in this recipe.

Amazon Links (Details>>)

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal (10%)

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Details »

https://tastyhealthyheartrecipes.com/a-la-cart/baking/low-sodium-banana-bread/

Did you enjoy this recipe?Leave a comment and let me know how it was!

Nutrition Information – The information shown is provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be substituted for a doctor’s or nutritionist’s advice. Please understand that not everyone’s sodium requirements are the same, therefore some recipes may be higher than you’re allowed. Always consult with your doctor for your recommended daily sodium allowance.

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (10)

As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I get motivated when I hear from you and am interested to learn about how you liked and served your Low Sodium Banana Bread. And please leave a comment or rating and share any tips you might have.

Similar low sodium recipes you should try!

Low Sodium Pita Bread Homemade
Low Sodium Flour Tortillas
Low Sodium Hamburger Buns

Low Sodium Banana Bread - Tasty, Healthy Heart Recipes (14)

Hello, I'm Bill

Welcome! After my stroke, I began to prepare low-sodium and reduced-fat meals. Tasty, easily prepared meals that can help you change to a low-sodium diet for a healthier life. Read more…

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