This Store-Bought Mix Is Key To A Bakery-Worthy Banana Bread

Let's face it: Making banana bread from scratch often tastes so much better than making it from a store-bought mix. Sometimes, though, you might not have all the dry ingredients on hand when you get a hankering for this slightly sweet snack. Other times, it just feels daunting to measure out each individual ingredient. That's where Bisquick (a pancake and baking mix) comes in to save the day and make your banana bread easier to make but no less bakery-worthy.

One of the things you might not know about Bisquick is that it was used to make the biggest peach shortcake in the world in 1981. Part of the reason may be because it simplified the dry ingredients required, and it can do the same for a small batch of banana bread. Generally, banana bread recipes call for all-purpose flour, leavening (usually either baking powder or baking soda with an acid), and salt. Bisquick is specially blended to contain all of these ingredients, but it also contains corn starch, vegetable oil, dextrose, sugar, and monoglycerides. This combination is what makes it so versatile when it comes to baking everything from breads and cakes to dumplings and pies.

Since Bisquick is a blend of flour, leavening, salt, and fat, incorporating it into an extra moist banana bread recipe is super easy. The exact ratio of ingredients in the product isn't known, but it's similar to self-rising flour, which blends 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1.25 teaspoons of salt. These ratios are similar enough to easy banana bread recipes that you can do a cup-for-cup substitution of flour for Bisquick. Just don't forget to abstain from including the leavening and salt in your mixture.

There's one caveat to keep in mind, though. Bisquick differs from self-rising flour with the addition of vegetable oil. Based on copycat recipes, the ratio is estimated to be equivalent to about 1 tablespoon of butter per cup. Unfortunately, that's not enough to accommodate the fat required for making banana bread, so you'll need to add the difference. Let's say that your recipe calls for 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter. If you're using 2 cups of Bisquick for your substitution, which includes about 2 tablespoons of butter, then you need to add 6 tablespoons for the additional fat.

Swapping Bisquick into your banana bread recipe might not make baking this quick bread as easy as the three-ingredient banana bread that only requires cake mix, bananas, and eggs. However, you might get more of a made-from-scratch flavor and a fluffier texture.