Sandy’s tips and substitutions:

• Storage: Store leftover banana and pear bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. 
• Freezing: Wrap individual slices of this banana yogurt bread in foil and then transfer them to a Ziploc bag. Your banana pear bread will last for up to 3 months and can be thawed later at room temperature before serving as is or lightly toasted.  
• Fruity twist: If you don’t like pears, pair the mashed banana with a different fruit. Try my Hawaiian Banana Bread, Strawberry Banana Bread, Healthy Banana Bread with Dates, or Banana Lemon Bread. 
• Mix-ins: Add in chocolate chips, shredded coconut, or toasted chopped nuts for added flavor and contrasting texture. 
• Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed. 
• Butter: If using salted butter, you can omit the salt.
• Add a sweet topping: For a sweeter dessert option, top the baked and cooled banana and pear bread with a simple vanilla icing/glaze or a luxurious frosting.
• Loaf pan size: I prefer to make 4 small loaves of this banana pear bread by dividing the batter into 4 small loaf pans, but you can make 1 large loaf instead. If you use a large loaf pan, bake the bread for 50-60 minutes. 
• Test for doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of each loaf. It should return clean. If you see wet batter, return the loaves to the oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
• Cover with foil: If the tops of your loaves are browning too quickly in the oven, simply cover them with foil.
• How to ripen bananas: To quickly ripen bananas for this bread, place them in a paper bag on a warm counter. The bag traps the natural ethylene gas the fruit emits, which significantly speeds up the ripening process.
• Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the bread batter or you will create overly dense bread loaves.