>< Shivers >< wrote:

> Greetings all,
>
> I was wondering if someone could help me out here, actually my mother.
> When she bakes banana bread it always splits down the middle while cooking.
> Not entirely in half but a big split down the middle.
>
> This weekend she made 6 banana breads, and they ALL split.
>
> We aren't sure why this happens. Any info/help would be appreciated.
>
> Thank you!

The outer crust hardens while the innards are still expanding. You can
think of the splits as stretch marks. If you score the top in an
interesting pattern with a very sharp knife -- a box cutter with a wet
blade is good -- you can have the splits where ans in the pattern you
want. My local supermarket carries "Split Top Bread". Getting the loaves
to split all the same without scoring is a symbol of expertise.
Congratulate your mother and tell her to boast.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
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