Banana Chocolate Bread

Banana Bread. The first thing I ever baked. And it is probably the only baked good that I can blindly rely on when all else fails. I have perfected it enough to even improvize a little! And believe me, that’s a huge start for someone who treats baking as an exact science and meticulously measures everything.

I baked my first banana bread thanks to a colleague and friend of mine who invited me to her place for an evening of baking and heart-to-heart conversations. What a wonderful way to be introduced to baking lessons!

So here is the recipe for one of my most tried and tested (and beaten to death!) dessert!

Ingredients

1. 4 over-ripe bananas - the kind that makes you want to toss them in the trash. Please don’t! Put them in the freezer and they will last for several weeks till you find the time to make some banana bread!
2. 1 stick unsalted, melted butter
3. ¾ - 1 cup of white sugar/brown sugar (brown sugar will taste much better than white sugar)
4. 1 egg (or 1/4 cup yogurt)
5. 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch cocoa/Ghiradelli chocolate powder)
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8. ½ teaspoon all-spice
9. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10. 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
11. 1 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
12. ½ cup of finely chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)

Preparation

1. Mash the bananas into a fine pulp (if your bananas are frozen, thaw them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or more, till they soften)
2. Mix the bananas with the melted butter.
3. Add the sugar and mix again. I have baked this at a time when I didn’t possess any fancy electric mixers or beaters. So a simple spatula should do as a mixing tool.
4. Beat the egg in a separate bowl (if using an egg). Add the egg/yogurt to the above and mix again.
5. Now, add the vanilla extract, Kosher salt, cocoa powder, nutmeg, all-spice, and cinnamon and incorporate them in the batter.
6. Finally, add the all purpose flour and gently mix till the batter evenly comes together with the flour. As I keep stressing, do not enthusiastically over-mix the batter at this stage. Just stir till the flour is just combined.
7. If you’re adding any nuts, add them at this point and gently give a stir.
8. Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan. Spoon out the batter into the loaf pan. Lift the pan about 1 inch from the counter and then drop it down on the counter a couple of times to release air bubbles. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes (or until a cake tester comes out clean)
9. Allow the bread to cool for 15-20 minutes. When cool to the touch, loosen the sides of the bread with a knife, smack the bottom of the pan on the counter again, and invert the bread onto a plate.

I have reached that phase in my life where I believe chocolate will elevate the taste of any dessert. Hence, the addition of the chocolate/cocoa powder. And true to the hypothesis, it indeed does make the bread taste all the more better! And the spices add a deeper layer of flavors. 

 
And finally, the more mushier the bananas, the moister the bread.