Today’s Bake…Banana Bread

Today’s Bake…Banana Bread

1/2 cup unsalted butter-softened

1 Tbs Vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1/4th cup of dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mash ripe bananas in a small bowl, and set aside. Cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add in lightly beaten eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Pour half flour mixture and half mashed banana into wet ingredients, combine. Repeat until batter pulls together. Lightly fold in chocolate chips (optional, but I have no idea why you would leave out chocolate on purpose). 

Pour batter into a greased bread loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes at 350, then turn oven off and let cool in oven for an hour. Take loaf out of pan and let cool on a rack until at room temperature. Slice and enjoy! 

I got the basic combination for this recipe from a church cook book that was issued in the early 90s. You know, one of those spiral bound, compilations of hot-dishes and Jell-O marshmallow desserts from all the old church ladies. I made a few of my own alterations for personal tastes. 

For one, the original recipe calls for shortening instead of butter and oil. You could leave the oil out and use a stick and two tbs (10 tbs) of butter. I switched this for two reasons, I never have shortening in the pantry and I have found the softened butter and oil result in a very moist inner bread and a outer crumbly crust similar to a coffee cake. I also replaced the 1/2 cup of walnuts/ pecans with 1/4th cup of large dark chocolate chips simply because my family doesn’t like walnuts or pecans. My husband likes the bread with the chocolate chips, but you can certainly leave it out or replace it with any nut. 

I use my KitchenAid mixer for this batter. It combines the egg, butter and sugar better than I can with a whisk or hand mixer. It’s a wet batter, so I really don’t want to use my hands! It also helps to have all of your ingredients at room temperature. This requires setting out the eggs and butter at least an hour before you start the bake. 

Typically Sundays are my baking days. I am able to put together a week’s worth of grab and go breakfast baggies for my husband to take to work and the girls like to have them for a quick breakfast. Banana bread is usually an option due to always having the ingredients on hand. My girls love bananas so every week it’s easy to pull two off the bunch and put them in the fridge for two days to ripen quickly.This batter easily makes muffins too, just decrease the baking time and pull out when complete instead of letting them cool in the oven. A great option for individual servings and they freeze beautifully for up to three months. Simply put them in the microwave for 15-25 seconds and they’re just as delicious as the first day.