Golden Banana Bread

I’ve been spending the summer determined to relax and rest with the kids as much as possible. Even though we have been doing occasional outdoor activities, it is so darn hot and we don’t feel the need to keep up with the sun-scorched Jones. We are natural home bodies, and it is wonderful to do nice projects with them around the home or yard. We’ve been doing a fair amount of cooking and testing recipes for the freezer too. The reason this is so important to us is because during the school year, and when sports come back into season for our family, it feels like we have an activity nearly every night. This gets taxing on me since I have an infant and still fight on a daily basis to keep my thyroid energy levels optimal. As a result, I love doing as many things as I can in advance to lighten our burdens once it is the busy season.

I’ve been going bananas! Literally, bananas are constantly on my mind lately. Hah. It’s officially summer time in the valley, and for Las Vegas that means HOT. We like to eat as much fresh produce as possible this time of year to keep our bodies hydrated and not overheated. Sadly, one of the fruits that gets passed over is the overripe bananas. My family isn’t terribly picky. We all love bananas, but once one of them gets a bruise, my kids think it is ruined. That means I had to come up with a way to not let them go to waste. This was particularly difficult as I’ve never actually found a banana bread recipe which I absolutely loved. I mean, they’re all good, but none of them are outstanding.

I think I finally found the perfect banana bread recipe. It is adapted from Nigel Slater’s black banana cake, and I increased the volume of the recipe to make it more practical for a large family. The best part? These beautiful loaves freeze wonderfully!! It will last up to 4 months in the freezer when packaged properly. Just take it, parchment paper and all, and wrap it up in a bread bag, and a freezer bag after that. When you’re ready to use it, pull it out of the freezer 8 hours in advance or the night before.

Print Recipe

Golden Banana Bread

Perfectly ripe, golden banana bread. Not overwhelmingly sweet, and no little strings. Dark chocolate chunks. Sublime.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana, batch baking, bread, dark chocolate, freezer, freezes well, fruit, quick

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 2 medium bananas
• ½ cup butter
• 2 ounces brown sugar
• 2 ounces granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 10 ounces soy-free dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease and line with parchment one 2lb bread tin.
• Mash bananas with a fork in a small mixing bowl and set to the side.

  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars.

  Add bananas, mix. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until smooth.

  Gently stir in the flour and baking powder. Do not over mix or it will make the bread tough.

  Fold in optional chocolate chunks and nuts. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.

  Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges.
• Tip: A plain toothpick should be able to come out clean when inserted into the center of the banana bread.