This simply irresistible Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is the best I’ve ever had. It’s light and fluffy, perfectly moist, and full of banana flavor. I spent four months and tested over 20 different banana bread recipes to find the perfect Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Here’s what I found.
I’m sharing with you today what is probably my favorite dessert. It might even be my favorite food, second only to pasta. Would you believe that four months ago I didn’t even like banana bread? It’s often tasteless and gummy, almost rubbery. Even if it is cooked right, it can be rather bland. When I have bananas that are too ripe for eating, I have a little collection of banana recipes that include anything but banana bread.
So what happened four months ago? Well, a friend mentioned that Chocolate Chip Banana Bread was her favorite dessert. And I was just like, “You’ve GOT to be kidding! Of all the fabulous desserts, how can banana bread possibly be your favorite?” And I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
About the same time, I saw a picture of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread online, aaaaand it looked pretty good. Being a sucker for food porn and having over ripe bananas on hand (and my little collection of anything-but-banana-bread recipes 7,000 miles away in Dubai), I decided to give it a try. And you know what? It was pretty darn good. It was so good, that I set off on a four month journey to perfect the recipe.
If you google “banana bread recipe,” you will find 238 million results. If you look at the recipes on the first couple of pages or so, there are many variations: Butter, oil. 3 bananas, four bananas. Added airy, no added dairy. Brown sugar, white sugar. Baking soda, baking powder. There’s only one way to find out which one was best, my friends, and that was by baking A LOT of banana bread.
I tested over 20 different recipes for banana bread. Here’s what I learned along the way.
Use very ripe, heavily speckled bananas
Heavily speckled or even mostly brown bananas make the most moist and flavorful Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. As bananas ripen their starch turns to sugar, becoming sweeter and more flavorful. I’ve settled on one and a half cups of mashed bananas (about 3 medium) for a light fluffy loaf full of banana flavor. Any more than that makes a dense, almost wet, bread that doesn’t rise as well.
Mash the bananas with a fork, don’t puree them
The bananas should be so soft that they’re easy to smash with a fork. Smashing with a fork gives the bananas the perfect consistency. When you bite into the banana bread, those tiny chunks will be big bursts of banana flavor. You want to smash the bananas well, though, so there aren’t big chunks of banana in the bread.
Using a food processor or pureeing the bananas makes the batter too thin which affects the leavening agent’s ability to rise the banana bread. The batter must be thick enough to trap gases produced by the leaveners.
Which is better for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: butter or oil?
I’m guessing this is the most controversial question I had about banana bread. There seems to be strong opinions in both camps. I found that I preferred melted, cooled butter. Butter made the bread moist, and it also added a rich, buttery, nutty flavor. Using melted butter allows the batter to be gently folded together for the most tender crumb. Melted butter instead of softened butter also means you can stir it up by hand which makes it easier – a plus. The banana bread made by creaming softened butter turned out more dense. Oil made the banana bread a little too moist. It was heavier and wetter, almost greasy.
Brown sugar or white sugar?
I think that both have their good sides. Brown sugar adds a caramelized flavor to the bread. It also makes a browner bread, something I struggled with until I used light colored pans. (See below). I’ve stuck with white sugar, though. I don’t want anything to distract from the banana flavor (besides all that chocolate!)
Baking soda or baking powder?
This is one of the questions that made me test the most cakes. Recipes online are pretty much split, with half using powder and half using soda.
Baking powder and baking soda both produce carbon dioxide, which helps raise the banana bread. However they do not work the same, and they’re not easily interchangeable in recipes.
Baking soda is a base and needs acid in the recipe to react and raise the bread. In the case of banana bread, this may be yogurt, buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses, or the bananas themselves. Recipes generally include just enough baking soda to balance the acidity in the batter, after that it can give a bitter, metallic taste. If the recipe doesn’t have enough acid for the baking soda to react, it won’t rise properly.
Baking powder contains both baking soda and cream of tartar, a dry acidic ingredient. It doesn’t need acid in the batter to raise the bread.
Sometimes both baking soda and baking powder are called for in recipes that contain some kind of acid, but baking soda isn’t enough to give it the necessary lift. Baking powder is added to give it extra volume.
Baking soda and baking powder both expire so be sure yours is fresh for the best rise.
Added dairy or no added dairy?
This was the second big question I had, and it goes hand in hand with what kind of leavener is used. Adding dairy, such as yogurt, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk, to Chocolate Chip Banana Bread can add moisture. It can also make the bread heavier.
When I thought that I had settled on a recipe for my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, I came across a recipe in Baking Illustrated written by Cook’s Illustrated. (You may wonder why I didn’t just start there. I asked myself the same thing.)
Cook’s Illustrated tested different kinds of dairy in their banana bread: milk, buttermilk, sour cream, and yogurt. Sour cream added richness, but gave the bread a heavy texture and unattractive, pebbly crust. Milk didn’t add any flavor, but gave a slick crust. Buttermilk gave the bread a nice tang, but plain yogurt let the banana flavor stand out and made a more solid loaf.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves bring out the banana flavor.
The aroma profile of bananas contains 49 components. One of these components is eugenol. The chemical compound eugenol found in bananas smells spicy, like cinnamon. Eugenol is also found in cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Adding cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves deepens the banana flavor of the loaf. Just a bit though, you don’t want to overpower the banana flavor. We’re also aiming for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread bread here, not spice bread.
What is the best mixing method when making banana bread?
Creaming softened butter and sugar together creates a soft, cake-like texture, however it also gives the bread a lighter color, not the beautiful golden brown color we associate with a delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
The quick bread method is where the dry ingredients are mixed in one bowl and the liquids are mixed in another. The two are then gently combined. This method created delicate texture. It also gave a heartier crumb, and it rose higher.
The quick bread method is the method I preferred. Be sure to use a light hand when combining the dry and liquid ingredients. Stirring them into a smooth batter produces loaves that are small and tough. The more you stir, the more the gluten develops, preventing the bread from rising well. Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be thick and chunky, but without any streaks of unincorporated flour.
Use a light colored baking pan
Because the bread bakes so long and because of the sugar content, I had a really hard time baking this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a darker colored baking pan. Dark pans get hotter around the sides and bottom. The bread would turn too dark before the insides were fully cooked. I found a light colored baking pan that I liked and the problem was solved.
Some tips if you only have a darker colored pan:
Cook the bread for 50 minutes at 350 F then lower the oven to 325 F until it’s finished.
Line the pan with parchment.
Try Bake-Even strips to insulate the sides.
Use a non-stick baking pan, and butter and flour only the bottom.
This was a nifty trick I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. By buttering and flouring (or using non-stick baking spray) only the bottom, the bread can cling a little better to the sides of the pan as it rises, producing a lighter, higher loaf. If the loaf doesn't easily come out, just run a knife in between the pan and the loaf.
If your pan isn’t, non-stick, butter and flour the sides as well.
The final recipe….
After testing more than 20 recipes, some more than once and often two at a time to have a side by side comparison, I narrowed my search down to two recipes. Both are fabulous. One is adapted from Baking by Flavor, by Lisa Yockelson, the other is adapted from Baking Illustrated by Cook’s Illustrated.
These two recipes are surprisingly similar. The Yockelson recipe uses butter, white sugar, and baking powder. It’s a lovely, simple recipe, full of banana flavor, moist, with a light crumb.
The Cook’s Illustrated recipe swaps out two tablespoons of butter and replaces it with plain yogurt. It also uses baking soda instead of baking powder. From what we learned about baking soda and baking powder, this makes perfect sense. Because yogurt is an acid, along with the bananas, baking soda can be used. This loaf was every bit as lovely as the Yockelson loaf. Baked side by side, I slightly preferred the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread made with the yogurt and baking soda. The taste was identical, however the baking soda bread rose slightly higher, giving a fluffier crumb.
I’ve given a range of 6 to 8 ounces of chocolate chips to be used in the batter. This is up to personal preference and how much chocolate you want in your Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. The idea is to find the perfect balance between the banana and the chocolate. You don’t want the chocolate to overpower the banana. The Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in the photos have 8 ounces of chocolate chips in the batter and another 2 ounces sprinkled on top.
If you notice in the photos, there are two different loaves. On one loaf, the chocolate chips are just sprinkled on top. On the other, I used a rubber spatula to gently smooth over the chocolate chips so they would sink into the batter a little bit.
To summarize the preferred ingredients and techniques for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
*Use heavily speckled, almost entirely brown bananas that are mashed with a fork
*Use melted, cooled butter for a light texture and delicate crumb.
*Use white sugar to let the flavor of the bananas shine through, so the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread doesn’t get too dark.
*Using plain yogurt and baking soda resulted in my preferred loaf.
*Using cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves bring out the natural banana flavor.
*Use two bowls to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Using only one bowl may result in improperly mixed or over mixed ingredients.
*Use a light hand when mixing and only mix until just combined.
*Use a light colored, non-stick baking pan and only butter and flour the bottom of the pan.
Variations
* Leave out the chocolate chips to have a basic banana bread.
* Add ¾ cup walnuts or pecans.
*Replace chocolate chips with fresh, frozen, or dried berries.
I will give the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with yogurt, and give the alterations for the bread without yogurt in the notes. You may or may not have yogurt in the house when the craving for banana bread strikes, but that won’t stop you from enjoying a warm slice of the perfect Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a little over an hour.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Description
This simply irresistible Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is the best I’ve ever had. It’s light and fluffy, perfectly moist, and full of banana flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ((10oz, 283g))
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs (beaten lightly)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar ((5.25oz, 149g))
- 1 ½ cups very ripe bananas (soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (13.65oz, 387g) (about 3 medium))
- ¼ cup plain yogurt ((2oz, 57g))
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled (3oz, 85g))
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6-8 ounces milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips ((170-228g))
- 1-2 ounces chocolate chips for sprinkling on top (optional (28-57g))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place rack in middle of oven.
- Prepare a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan by buttering and flouring the base only if it is nonstick. Butter also the sides if it is not nonstick. Nonstick baking spray can be used instead of butter and flour.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk to combine. Reserve ½ tablespoon flour and mix with 6-8 ounces chocolate chips.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Add mashed bananas, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be thick and chunky, but without any streaks of unincorporated flour.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips that have been tossed with flour.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth. Sprinkle on additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on rack. (If you didn't butter and flour the sides of the pan, you may need to run a sharp knife in between the sides pan and the loaf.)
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
For a no-yogurt Banana Bread:
*Replace yogurt with 2 additional tablespoons of butter, bringing the butter to 8 tablespoons (4oz, 113g).
*Replace baking soda with 1 teaspoon baking powder.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread freezes very well. After cooling completely, either wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap. Let the whole loaf thaw to room temperature. Individual slices can be microwaved for about 30 seconds directly from the freezer.
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Wowow! You have done your homework and then some! I only wish I lived nearby to help you taste-test! 😉 I can see why this is a favorite of yours!! Can't wait to try it!!
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The taste testing was the best part! 🙂 Thanks so much, Annie!
Banana bread is one of my favourite thing to bake! This looks fanfreakingtastic loaded with chocolate chips!
Haha! It really is fanfreakingtastic! Thanks so much, Angie!
I could see why this would be a favourtie! Just look at it! Love the generous amount of chocolate chips on top too! Just looking at your pics is making me wish a huge chunk of this was literally in front of me right now. I can only image how tasty it is straight from the oven. I couldn't possibly wait for it to cool down! Have a wonderful week, Kelly 🙂
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I made so many loaves and even while I was taking pictures of this one, I was feeling very impatient to finish so I could eat it! 🙂 Thanks so much, Dawn!
I'm so impressed with your banana bread testing! I totally believe you that this is the perfect chocolate chip banana bread! The photos alone actually suggest that! But your detailed testing is so informative. What a great post Kelly! Thanks for sharing.
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I thought I'd give the breakdown for why I liked it. There's really so many ways to make a good banana bread! Thanks so much, Leanne!
OMG, I'm drooling over this loaf Kelly! I just want to grab a slice right through my computer screen! Would be perfect with my morning coffee!
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Morning coffee, afternoon coffee, and evening decaf! I can't stop eating it! Thanks so much, Mary Ann!
That’s one good looking, fantastic banana bread , enough said.
It's delicious! Thanks so much, Cookie Monster!
Foodtasia is the land I would like to live in 🙂 🙂
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Hahaha! 🙂 Thanks so much, Davorka!
The prettiest chocolate chip banana bread. Beautiful pictures show that your hard work over the past months has paid off 😉 . This looks wonderful. Take care.
It was a lot of work, but we sure did enjoy eating lots of banana bread! Thanks so much, Stacey!
What an amazingly detailed, thorough post!! Those chocolate chips are glistening and calling my name, LOL! I love chocolate chip banana bread - perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert! I especially would love a piece of this warm with lots of butter! YUM! Great recipe my friend 🙂
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You know what, all the banana bread I ate and didn't even try it with butter! Gonna have to make another loaf! 🙂 Thanks so much, Haylie!
If this is the bread that completely changed your mind on banana bread, and made you love it THAT much, then I've GOT to try it. I always add yogurt to my baked goods too! Your pictures are lovely!
I used to really dislike banana bread, and now this is the one thing that I crave if it's not in the kitchen! Thanks so much, Katherine!
Wow, this post should be called "The End All, Be All Expert Version of Banana Bread!" I love the different tests you've done here, Kelly. Growing up, my Mom baked banana bread all the time. Seriously. I think we had loaves of banana bread on an almost weekly basis. As such, it's always been one of my favorites! Now I'm curious to go back and compare her recipe with the winning recipe here. I don't typically go for chocolate chips in banana bread as I prefer pecans or walnuts...but I can make an exception here given how amazing your bread looks! Well done. *claps and bows* 🙂
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Hahaha! Thanks so much, David! There are a lot of really good recipes for banana bread. I enjoyed most of the ones I made. But one thing's for sure: Mom's is the BEST!
You made over 20 different banana bread recipes!!! Yowza!!! Can you believe I've never had chocolate chips in my banana bread? I'd better change that soon. This recipe looks amazing.
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It must have been the chocolate that got me hooked! Thanks so much, Kathy!
Kelly!!! What an amazing banana bread! I can't believe how many loaves you baked along the way, and what a spectacular result. This is the exact kind of banana bread I'd love to sink my teeth into. Thanks for doing all the hard work, can't wait to try!
It was a lot of loaves, but the pleasure was all mine! Even though the testing is done, I can't stop making it - I'm addicted! Thanks so much, Allie!
Love the combo of chocolate and bananas, and this bread sounds delightful. Terrific post -- very thorough discussion of making banana bread -- everything anyone could possibly want to know! Thanks.
It's a magical combination! Thanks so much, John!
Thank you for doing the work to perfect this - it really looks like you did!! I'm swooning over all of those chocolate chips and the bread's amazing texture!!
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Loved every minute of it! It's so delicious! Thanks so much, Marissa!
Perfectly chocolate chip studded banana bread is one of our weaknesses. Thanks for doing all the research so we could enjoy the perfect bite. BTW if you ever need a taste tester for 20 quick breads, we can help you out with that delicious problem!!!
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It's my weakness now too! It is a very delicious problem to have! Thanks so much!
Oh my gosh, Kelly, this is amazing! I was literally hanging on your every word. I JUST completed a chocolate chip banana CAKE, which made all of this information so fascinating to me. My recipe is gluten-free, so it's quite different, but there are also a few similarities. Your research is outstanding and I can only imagine how perfect this version you came up with tastes. I'll will just have to try it to know! (And as always, your photographs are beautiful.)
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Valentina, isn't the combination of banana and chocolate chips just magical! It's so addicting! Your chocolate chip banana cake looks heavenly! I'll have to give it a try. I welcome any excuse to make another loaf! Thanks so much!
Wow! Thank you for doing ALL the work for us, Kelly!! This banana bread looks irresistible, I LOVE the copious amounts of chocolate – luscious!! And buttering and flouring only the bottom of the pan is a killer trick, I never would have thought of that!
The amount of chocolate was another thing I tested. I usually go overboard on fillings - if some is good, lots is even better, right?! I was getting a bit too much chocolate in it, and the chocolate was overtaking the banana flavor. 6-8 ounces of chocolate was just perfect. The banana flavor still shines through. Buttering and flouring only the bottom of the pan is a nifty little trick. I get a good half inch higher rise in the loaf. I usually need to run a knife around the sides of the pan before taking the loaf out, but I think that's worth it. Thanks so much, Nicole!
I absolutely love banana bread with chocolate in it. The funny thing? I don’t really like playing banana bread! And I especially don’t like banana-nut bread. Go figure. There is just something about the combination of bananas and chocolate that makes me very happy…
I might be with you on that one, David. The chocolate could be why I finally love banana bread! The two flavors really complement each other. The walnuts were the first thing to come out because my son wouldn't eat it with the walnuts in, and I
couldn'tshouldn't eat all those loaves myself! I did test a number of loaves without the chocolate in it to be sure I was perfecting the banana bread part. I managed to take away the things I didn't like about banana bread - too dry or too moist, dense, flavorless. Adding the chocolate chips sure does make it magical though! Thanks so much, David!Kelly, you've seriously developed this one and I like that. I make banana bread with cardamon (it's a Swedish thing) often, but never thought to add chocolate. Great idea and as I'm a firm believer that everything is better with butter I always go that direction. Also, great tip on not pureeing the banana, as I'm guilty of that. I'll be giving this "four months in the making" banana bread a go real soon. But, I have a question. We don't get chocolate chips here, I'm thinking I'll just chop-up 170-228g of fine Swedish 70% chocolate and add that. What do you think?
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Ron, I did test some loaves with chopped chocolate and it worked great. And a fine Swedish 70% chocolate sounds absolutely decadent! I bet the cardamom gives a wonderful flavor. I'll have to give it a try. Always looking for an excuse to make more banana bread these days! Thanks so much!
Wow!! That's a lot of banana cake. I stick to my favorite one most of the times, we love it so much! But I am tempted to try this one next time, the pictures look amazing!
One thing I have learned is that there are a lot of ways to make a really good banana bread! Thanks so much, Adina!
Oooh, this bread looks absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! I love banana bread with chocoalte chips and the fact you added the warm spices makes me want to get these bananas super-ripe right.this.minute. So I can put this together! Thanks for the inspiration! Pinning!
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The bit of warm spices really brings out the banana flavor! Thanks so much, Laura!
Excellent!!! I really learned alot. Thank you for your time and sharing your knowledge.
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Aw thanks so much, Dianne! I really appreciate that! 🙂
Hey, this is a seriously spectacular post. Thanks for doing all that research! This will definitely be the next banana bread recipe that I try. The amount of chocolate chips is obscene - I can't way to try that. But the bread itself also sounds really fantastic.
The research was definitely a pleasure! I tested the banana bread without the chocolate chips as well, so that nothing would distract from finding the best banana bread. I figured all that chocolate could make almost anything taste good! Thanks so much, Jeff!
Love the banana bread with chocolate chips. This flavor combo is awesome.
It's so addicting! Thanks so much, Naveen!
What an awesome, informative post! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and whoever got the 20 loaves of banana bread you made when recipe testing are some very lucky people hehehe. I just made banana bread the other day and now I question why I have never added chocolate chips to my bread before?! This looks perfect Kelly!
I have some very happy neighbors! It's so addictive. After all that banana bread, if I don't have any in the kitchen, I feel like something's missing. 🙂 Thanks so much, Kelly!
I do love banana breads however, never thought that chocolate chips can be added to this bread. The photos looks delicious and mouth watering. I do love the part when you added lots of chocolate chips. Can't wait to try this one. Pretty sure that my family will love this specially the kids.
It's definitely a family favorite! Thanks so much!
I have this banana bread in the oven right now- it smells AMAZING! Chocolate chip banana bread is one of my favorite treats, so I scoured Pinterest for the perfect recipe. I love all of your information along with the post!!
Question- I followed the recipe and measured everything out, but my banana bread has been in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes so far, and it’s still wet in the center. I lowered the temperature to 325, cause I don’t want the top to burn. What do you think could’ve caused this long baking time?
Hi Bonnie! Turning down the heat and covering the top is exactly the thing to do. Any factor that is different between my oven and baking pan and yours can cause a change in the bake time. It’s difficult to give an exact number of minutes. I give a baking time as a rough guide rather than a rule. Baking pans of different materials and colors bake at different rates. All ovens are different, with hot and cold spots. Some ovens run hotter, and some run cooler. No oven temperature is ever stable, it has to drop several degrees below the stated temperature before the heating element kicks in and blasts the temperature several degrees above the stated temperature. This happens over and over again. Ovens also go out of whack over time and need adjusting. I use a Viking Professional oven and I still don't rely on the thermostat. I keep an oven thermometer inside the oven and I don't even trust that.
The best way of telling when food is done is exactly as you have done, by keeping an eye on the signs that the food is giving you. In this case the toothpick test and the firmness of the center. I also like to check for doneness with an instant read thermometer. I usually bake the banana bread until the middle registers 206 degrees F.
Thanks so much for your question, Bonnie. I hope you enjoyed the banana bread!
Hello,
Have you tried alternating dry and wet ingredients? I’ve seen this mixing method and some say it produces a fluffier end result. Also, is there a reason eggs and sugar aren’t whipped until pale and fluffy? All recipes call for mixing eggs until fully incorporated but not until fluffy. Will that not help in creating an airier and fluffier bread?
Hi Meemz! Great questions!
I do alternate wet and dry ingredients on most of my cake recipes and it does produce a light and tender crumb. In those recipes, softened, as opposed to melted butter, is also creamed with the sugar until light and fluffy and then the eggs are added one by one. I did test the banana bread that way. But for a banana bread with its moist and more rustic texture, I preferred to use melted butter. Oil is also often used.
I have a banana cake recipe that produces a very fine and tender crumb that uses the softened and creamed butter method.
For the melted butter/oil method of mixing, that fat being most of the liquid besides the mashed banana, I mix in the dry ingredients last, very gently, and only until just combined. In this method of mixing, the more the flour is stirred, the tougher the cake becomes.
As far as the eggs being whipped until pale and fluffy, I would see that in the banana cake recipe that uses creamed butter. You're right, it would create an airier and fluffier cake.
I guess it comes down to the texture of the final cake that you're aiming for. If you want a fluffier end result, you would go for a banana cake. If you want a more rustic, denser, sturdier loaf, you would go for a banana bread.
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your comment!
Hi Kelly, I’ve made mine already, but I tasted a bit stranger, I tasted a bit salty and the baking soda, is it normal? Another question, I don’t know why my got brown instead of white, do you have any suggestion?
Hi Lola! If you find it too salty for your taste, you can reduce the salt by half. Don't leave it out entirely or it will taste very flat.
I make this bread weekly and haven't noticed the taste of baking soda. The acid in the bananas and the yogurt should counter act the bitterness of the baking soda. Some people are sensitive to the aluminum in baking powder which will give them a bitter taste. You could try using aluminum free baking powder.
This cake is supposed to be a deep golden brown on the outside. Using a light colored pan helps it not get too dark. You can also cover the top with aluminum foil if you see it browning too quickly. If it is the inside getting too brown, it could be from the bananas. Are you mixing the bananas in as soon as you mash them and getting the loaf into the oven as soon as it's mixed? Bananas will brown if they sit too long exposed to the air. However, it is normal for the inside of the bread to have a light brown color due to the cinnamon, banana, and chocolate.
I have a question....this recipe is advertised as gluten free......I’m not sure it is
Please respond to my email.
It's not mentioned anywhere in the recipe that it is gluten free.
Quick question regarding the change when you are omitting the yogurt ... you omit the baking soda and use just 1tsp of baking powder or use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder? I think I’m overthinking it but I don’t want to mess it up!
Great question, Cara! If you omit the baking soda, you will use a total of 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Thanks so much!
I love banana bread, but have only made one of the basic 238 million recipes found off Google. The details of your post make this recipe stand out and a must-try!! You are amazing for sharing your recipe with readers after 4 hard-working months! Thank you!!
With quarantine, I only have vanilla greek yogurt on hand. Do you think that it will completely throw everything off if I used vanilla greek yogurt versus plain yogurt? I am scheduled to pick up my groceries today, but it is too late to add anything to my order now. 🙁
Greek yogurt should do just fine. I'd thin it with a little milk or water so it was the consistency of regular yogurt just in case. Thanks so much, Kristen!
I think this is the best banana bread I have ever made! I used coconut yogurt and a dark chocolate coconut chocolate bar roughly chopped. I also did not include the cloves and nutmeg as I was going for a more coconut taste. It is delicious!!! I think I could’ve cut the bake time down a few mins since I used dark pans- but otherwise it’s definitely the best I’ve ever made. This one is going into my hand written cook book for future use.
Thanks for your extensive research into this it definitely paid off!!
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Oh my, Amanda! I'm drooling just imagining your additions! Sounds fabulous! Thanks so much!
Hi,
Do you use regular or Greek yogurt? Thanks!!
I use regular yogurt. Thanks for stopping by!
Can't wait to try! I was wondering if I could use vanilla yogurt instead of plain because it is what I have on hand!
That would work perfectly! Thanks so much, Nancy!
Wonderful recipe(s) I was tired of making banana bread and craving Zucchini bread so I downloaded both your recipes and was following the Zucchini bread recipe and was distracted by a phone call and continued to follow what I thought was the Zucchini bread recipe oops! Only real difference was the amount of flour so now I have a lovely loaf of chocolate chip banana bread and am starting the Zucchini bread. I will definitely turn off my phone until the bread is in the oven!
Thank You again for your simple and great recipes!!
Thank you so much, Kathleen, for your kind words! Yay for two loaves!
AMAZING!!! We make the recipe twice a month in our house! It’s become a family favorite and my 10 year old daughter LOVES making it! You can eat this for breakfast, sweet treat or dessert because it’s so delicious!
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So happy to hear that! Thanks so much!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, and all your research on make this beautiful banana bread!
Terrific recipe! I was happy to come across this in my search of many banana cake recipes!!
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So happy you found it useful, Sher! There are so many recipes for banana bread and I was curious to find out which one was the best! Thanks so much!
It turns our great !!
Original recipe.. no hidden ingredients of tips.. Thank you so very much..
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Thanks so much! So happy you liked it!
Your chocolate chip banana bread recipe is amazing. ! Followed your advice and made it exactly as you did.
My entire family just loved ❤️ way it came out!! Just perfect!!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
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So happy you liked it, Sheryl! Thanks so much!
I love this recipe!! It is amazing!! Thank you!!
I was wondering If I can make muffins with this recipe?
Muffins should work out just fine! Thanks so much, Daniela!
This is delicious! I didn't use the chocolate chips but put pecans in it. The only thing I had to do different was cook it about 20 more minutes, but totally worth the wait! Thank you for this delicious banana bread ❤
★★★★★
Pecans would be wonderful, Pamela! Thanks so much!
I made this in 3 small pans and added walnuts. I baked them for 35-40 min. They are outstanding! You have hit the nail on the head. My husband loves it, also.
★★★★★
So happy you liked it, Marjorie! Thanks so much!