About This Recipe

Banana chocolate chip bread is the version of banana bread that most people default to once they have discovered it. The addition of dark chocolate chips to the already excellent banana bread formula produces something that is simultaneously richer, more complex, and more satisfying than the original, with the chocolate providing a bittersweet counterpoint to the caramelised sweetness of the very ripe banana that makes every bite more interesting.

The chocolate chips should be dark, at least 60 percent cocoa solids, for the most effective contrast with the sweet banana batter. Milk chocolate chips are too sweet and too mild to provide the contrast that makes this bread genuinely excellent. A good quality dark chocolate bar roughly chopped produces the best pools of melted chocolate in each slice.

The quantity of chocolate chips can be adjusted to personal preference but more is generally better. One hundred grams provides a pleasant chocolate presence. One hundred and fifty grams, the quantity in this recipe, produces a loaf with visible chocolate in every slice. Two hundred grams starts to compete with the banana but works for truly committed chocolate lovers.

History and Origins

Banana chocolate chip bread developed as the most popular variation of the banana bread tradition established in the 1930s. The addition of chocolate chips to the already beloved banana bread formula became one of the most widely adopted recipe adaptations in American home baking. It is now consistently one of the most searched banana bread variations.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Recipe by By butter u0026 berriesCourse: Bread

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Calories

2900

kcal

Ingredients

• •t3 very ripe bananas mashed

• •t150g brown sugar

• •t80ml neutral oil

• •t2 large eggs

• •t1 tsp vanilla extract

• •t200g plain flour

• •t1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• •t1 tsp cinnamon

• •t0.5 tsp salt

• •t150g dark chocolate chips plus extra for topping

Directions

• very ripe bananas mashed
• 150g brown sugar
• 80ml neutral oil
• large eggs
• tsp vanilla extract
• 200g plain flour
• tsp bicarbonate of soda
• tsp cinnamon
• tsp salt
• 150g dark chocolate chips plus extra for topping

Notes

• Use very ripe bananas with fully blackened skins. The concentrated banana flavour from an overripe banana is the foundation of everything good about this loaf.
  Press extra chocolate chips onto the surface of the batter before baking so that the top of every slice reveals visible melted chocolate pools. This is the visual detail that makes this loaf look bakery-quality.
  This loaf is better on day two. The chocolate and banana flavours meld overnight and the crumb becomes more cohesive. Wrap tightly and wait.
  Fold in the chocolate chips very gently with the minimum number of strokes. Vigorous stirring breaks some chips and produces an uneven distribution of chocolate through the loaf.
  The loaf is done when the top is cracked and deeply golden and the skewer comes out with only a few moist crumbs. The centre should feel just slightly springy under a gentle finger press.
  If the chocolate chips on the surface start to burn before the loaf is cooked through, tent loosely with foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.
  Slicing the loaf while warm causes the chocolate chips to smear and produces untidy slices. Wait until completely cool for clean, bakery-quality slices.

Make Ahead Tips

Make 1 to 2 days ahead for the best flavour. Keeps wrapped at room temperature for 4 days. Freeze for 3 months.

Storage and Serving

Wrap tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days. The chocolate chips remain soft within the loaf. Freeze whole or in slices for up to 3 months. Excellent toasted with butter.

Variations and Substitutions

Add 80g of toasted walnuts alongside the chocolate chips for a banana walnut chocolate chip bread that combines the three most popular banana bread additions. Replace dark chocolate with peanut butter chips for a banana peanut butter chip bread. Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the wet ingredients along with the peanut butter chips for maximum peanut butter intensity. Use white chocolate chips for a sweeter, creamier version. Make swirled Nutella banana bread by dropping spoonfuls of Nutella over the batter in the tin and swirling with a skewer before baking. Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients for a banana mocha loaf. Make muffins from the same batter at 190C for 18 to 20 minutes

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