BANANA BREAD
There are few things as comforting as smelling a loaf of banana bread baking in the oven. So it makes sense that an entire day would be dedicate to this delicious bread!
And I always get on a banana bread kick when fall comes around; so I am sharing my all time favorite, easy banana bread recipe! And it’s amazing for one simple fact…it’s a CHOCOLATE recipe. Doesn’t chocolate just make everything better.
But First, A Little History
Early 1900s – Thanks to new refrigeration techniques, bananas are able to be transported to the US easier and become readily available.
1929 – The Great Depression made money tight and people were reluctant to throw away food, yes even those overly ripe bananas. People began to use these bananas that might have once been thrown away.
1930’s – Hooray! Banana bread makes it first appearance in print.
1950 – The “Chiquita Banana Recipe Book” features a banana bread recipe and well, let’s just say the rest is history.
Why Banana Bread Is Worth Celebrating
- Thanks to the bananas used in the recipes, this wonder bread is heart healthy.
- Since most banana bread recipes don’t require yeast, it is a fast and easy bread to make.
- We love bananas and it’s a fact with the average American eating around 30 pounds of bananas in a year!
- Banana bread is radioactive! Yes you read that right, because bananas are high in potassium the bread has small amounts of radioactivity in it. Weird or fun??
Double Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup (115 grams) butter, melted
3/4 cup (145 grams) brown sugar (I use dark here; either light or dark work)
A large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional; I skip it)
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup (about 6 ounces or 170 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
Heat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or spray it with a nonstick baking spray.
Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. (You’ll have a little over 1 cup mashed banana total.) Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and sift over wet ingredients. (My cocoa is almost always lumpy, so this is essential for me.) Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. (A melted chocolate chip smear is expected, however.) Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve banana bread warm or at room temperature.
We Love Those Mushy, Overripe Bananas
I hope you stop to use those black, over ripened bananas to get ready for fall. You won’t regret it!!!
Do you have a delicious banana bread recipe? Please share it in the comments below.
