This here is a great banana bread. It’s jazzed up with chunks of bittersweet chocolate which I just love. The chocolate is coarsely chopped for the most part but I advocate leaving some bigger chunks in there so that you encounter a super satisfying melted chocolate explosion every now and then. If you cut big enough chunks they won’t melt entirely and you’ll get a nice added chocolate crunch.
The flour combination here is half all purpose (UK: plain) and half wholewheat which gives it a slightly grainier flavour and ever so slightly mellows the sweetness factor.
It’s a real treat, especially enjoyed warm out of the oven.
Chocolate-Chunk Banana Bread
adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125g all-purpose flour
- 1 cup / 5 oz / 140g whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g muscovado or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup / 4 oz / 115 g bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar), some coarsely chopped and some chunkier pieces
- 1/3 cup / 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups / 12 oz / 340 g very ripe bananas, mashed (2-3 bananas)
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml plain, whole milk, or Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and place a rack in the centre. Grease a 9- by 5- inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan, or equivalent.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate pieces and combine well.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the greased pan and bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Test the bread’s doneness by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the centre – it should come out clean, but you don’t want it to dry out so err on the side of less done versus over baked.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan to cool completely.
