I have loved to bake since I was a little girl. I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings specifically so that I could bake breakfast for my family. As I grew older, though, my Saturdays consisted of sleeping in, and baking became something I did mostly during gatherings, holidays or whenever my mum asked me if I could make something.
That being said, something that my family has always loved- and still does- is my banana bread with chocolate chips (no walnuts though because my sister is allergic). Personally, I feel like banana bread is a good recipe to know because it is so versatile and fits many different occasions. For me, that occasion just tends to be Thanksgiving.
Now let’s get started. For the recipe, you’ll need:
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9 x 4 loaf pan, greased with butter
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1 ¾ cup of all-purpose flour
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1 cup of sugar
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½ cup of butter (or 1 stick)
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4 overripe bananas
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½ tsp of cinnamon
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1 tsp of baking powder
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1 tsp of baking soda
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1 tsp of salt
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2 eggs
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2 tbsp of soy milk
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1 tsp of vanilla
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1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
The first thing I do when I start making banana bread is prep the banana mix, or the wet ingredients. In a bowl, I peel all the bananas and tear them into chunks using my hands. After that I’ll grab a fork and start mushing them until they are slightly lumpy, but look like a very thick smoothie. Next I will add the eggs, vanilla and cinnamon to the banana mix and set it aside.
At this point I now use my kitchen aid mixer or a silicone spatula and a bowl, and combine the butter and sugar. Once combined so that it just looks like one spread, I then add in the banana mixture. This creates the wet mix.
Now, we just add the rest of the dry ingredients, minus the chocolate chips. Then, mix until the wet and dry ingredients are mostly combined. At this point, the mixture should be tough, so you can now add a tablespoon of milk and then mix until it becomes smooth. Add the final tablespoon, mix and now you have banana bread!
It is at this point when you can personalize the treat by adding things like chocolate chips, walnuts, blueberries or anything you want! My family (especially my sister) loves chocolate chips, so we add almost the entire bag so that every bite has warm chocolate melting into our mouths.
Once you add the things you would like, pour the batter into the greased 9 x 4 loaf pan and put the loaf into the oven for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees. At the 45-minute mark, start checking it every five minutes to ensure that it does not burn. To check, put either a fork or toothpick in the center and if batter is still on it when you pull it out, the bread is not ready and needs to go back into the oven. When the fork or toothpick comes out clean, pull the bread out of the oven and leave it to cool for around 10 minutes before digging in.
Banana bread is a tradition that means a lot to my family especially around the holidays. And now, hopefully, it can be your family tradition too!