The Worst Starbucks Bakery Item Is Exceptionally Dry

When a Foodie feature writer tasted every Starbucks bakery item on the menu and ranked them, a few patterns emerged. Although it has experimented with fresh-baked bakery items in the past, the chain currently receives all its sweets frozen and does nothing more than thaw them before serving. Sometimes, you can get them heated up, but there is no "cooking" involved. Consequently, sometimes your least-favorite Starbs baked goods can skew dry. Our writer was particularly unimpressed with the arid, crumbly texture of the Banana Walnut & Pecan Loaf.

"I feel like banana nut bread's calling card as a breakfast bread is that it's moist and comforting," she wrote. "[Starbucks's version] was exceptionally dry. It needed to be so much more moist for it to be enjoyable for more than a bite or two." Strangely, Starbucks's other dessert loafs, like its Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf and Iced Lemon Loaf were much more successful... the latter made it all the way to second place in her ranking! 

While we can't say for certain what made the siren's take on banana bread such an epic fail that it competes with Starbucks's new dress code policy for most-notable company screw-ups, we do know a few things about banana bread. We can advise you as to how you can avoid similar disasters with your own home loafs, since there's not much of a point in wasting money on a subpar pastry at Starbucks.

Of the mistakes you are making when baking banana bread, there are several that can contribute to dry, undesirable loaves. Using too much flour, failing to add enough eggs, messing with the ratio of sugar, or being stingy with the banana content can all dry out your banana bread. How you store your banana bread matters as well — experts insist that it does best at room temperature, and that putting banana bread in the fridge can mute flavors and suck the moisture from the bread, which we suspect is what happens to the Starbucks loaf slices. On the other hand, without chilling, banana bread has a very short shelf life. Wrapping each slice individually to protect it from the elements is your best bet if you require the fridge.

What happens if, despite all your best intentions, you end up with dry banana bread like that from Starbucks? Social media has brainstormed this issue and concluded that, while a short spin in the microwave under a damp paper towel might resurrect your loaf to some extent, your best bet with stale, dry banana bread is to transform it. Use it as the basis for French toast, or stick it in the toaster oven for a crispy, golden texture and slather it with cream cheese, peanut butter, or salted butter for a kick of moisture and a delicious added flavor.