The most important thing to remember when making banana bread is to use ripe bananas. Ripe bananas are usually yellow with some brown spots on them. You should avoid using bananas that are all brown or have green spots. The riper the banana, the more sweetness it will add to the bread. Ripe bananas are also easier to mash, which is an important step in making banana bread. If you only have unripe bananas, you can place them in a paper bag with an apple or a pear. The apple or pear will release ethylene gas, which will help ripen the bananas. Once the bananas are ripe, you can begin making your banana bread.