Actually THIS is the best Banana Bread recipe ever

December 4th, 2009

Seriously….throw out that one that your grandmother gave you that’s forty generations old.  On second thought, just burn all of your cookbooks because you will probably not want to eat anything but this particular banana bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of your life.

I found this recipe in a lovely little book called A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.  I really do love books about food as I always find the recipes to be much more exciting than the ones I find in standard cookbooks.

I made this bread without the ginger (because I spaced on getting it at the store) but the end result was shockingly delicious.  The warm oozing chocolate chips coupled with the spongey banana-ness of it all was a perfect combo.  I pretty much ate the whole thing over the course of a day.   It is also a fun thing to bake with the kids — we do it often.  Time for Physique 57.

Here’s the recipe:

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger:
Makes 1 loaf

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 large eggs
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup well-stirred whole-milk plain yogurt (not low or nonfat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Set a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350F. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

2. Melt the butter on the stove or in a microwave and set aside to cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla and stir to mix well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides as needed, until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter with be thick and somewhat lumpy.  Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top.

5. Bake into the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 mins to an hour. If the loaf seems to be browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.

6. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then tip out and enjoy.  I ate it while still hot but it is easier to slice when fully cooled.

Enjoy!

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

-Dina

Entry Filed under: Books & Paper, Food, Recipes