June 16
We have a really hard time letting bananas go bad in our house. I will only eat bananas if they still have a little bit of green at the top of the stem, but regardless, it seems like no matter how many I buy they always get eaten. Why do I care? Well, because of this banana bread.
At first, I thought that this was too simple. Surely, everyone has a standard banana bread recipe that they go to whenever their store of rotten bananas reaches its peak? Then I remembered that just because I always make banana bread, doesn’t mean other people do. When I was in London, it was the only thing I baked on a regular basis. I always cut chunks and wrapped them in little tinfoil parcels and left it on my flat mates’ door handles so that I wouldn’t eat the whole loaf.
Whenever I manage to sneak four rotten bananas to the freezer it means that I get to make this banana bread. It is probably the only sweet recipe that I make over and over again and it never fails. It’s the easiest thing to throw together: you don’t have to be too worried about measurements, it’s quite forgiving; you only have to use one bowl; and it’s hard to over or under cook as long as you keep an eye on it. I am always so satisfied by the moist cake that tastes like true banana (and chocolate!) and the crispy outside (which invariably only lasts the first day, once you cover the loaf with aluminum foil and it sits for a day, the crispiness goes away).
Make sure that you use overripe bananas for this. It really gives the loaf a stronger banana flavour. Personally, I was a little afraid of the blackest banana that you can see in the picture. I've never used one that rotten before, but when I opened it up in just smelled so banana-y that I knew it would only add more flavour. This loaf was actually the best that I have ever made, maybe thanks to that little guy?
Also, I strongly suggest that you use semi-sweet chocolate, but if you choose to use milk, consider decreasing the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup to counteract the extra sweetness.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your overripe are frozen rinse under warm water to defrost or let defrost on counter until soft enough to mash.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
Add sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Stir until incorporated.
Add all purpose and whole wheat flours and stir until incorporated.
Chop semi-sweet chocolate into different sized chunks and mix.
Pour mixture into 9x5 loaf pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a cooling rack and eat warm or at room temperature.
http://mysecondbreakfast.com/banana-bread-with-chocolate-chunks-recipe/Banana Bread with Chocolate Chunks Recipe was last modified: June 16, 2013 by