Monday, April 18, 2011

Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bread


As the weather gets warmer, I am often left with spotty bananas as my warmer kitchen makes them ripen faster than we can eat them. Sometimes they get cut up for smoothies, but often they get made into banana bread.

This recipe is adapted from the Flour Bakery recipe. I recently bought the Flour cookbook and I'm discovering the wonderful recipes, which include many of the measurements in grams as well as cups.

This banana bread was delicious. The chocolate played well with the banana, pecans and slight hint of cinnamon. Healthy and delicious don't always go together but this one was a winner. Here's my take on Flour's recipe.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bread (adapted from Flour Bakery)
Printer-friendly recipe
1 1/2 cups/210 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/230 grams sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup/100 grams canola oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups/340 grams)
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup/75 grams pecans, toasted and chopped
3/4 cup/125 grams semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with the whisk attachment of your mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly drizzle in the oil. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture, pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until it tests done. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out on the rack to cool completely (unless you don't mind if your banana bread looks as mangled as mine, which was cut 10 minutes out of the oven.)

7 comments:

natalia said...

Dear Leslie, I even have a banana drawer in my freezer ! I'm very curious about the flour book too ! I send you a super hug !

Kayte said...

Okay, everyone is buying and baking from this cookbook...I have yet to even find it on the shelves to have a look at it...probably because you are all buying it so quickly! I will continue the search...guys would like the chocolatey things like this, but we all know there is more in there than chocolate...yes, there is, I've seen blog posts!! ;-)

Unknown said...

This recipe received rave reviews when I made it & shared with my in-laws. I had some trouble with the baking time though - mine took way longer than the recipe stated and seemed to bake unevenly. I need to try it again and see if I can get it right! :)

spike. said...

love chocolate in banana bread!

Katrina said...

I love everything about this--banana anything is my favorite.
If you haven't tried the Flour ccc's yet--they are darn good!
http://www.bakingandboys.com/2011/02/flour-bakery-joanne-chang-chocolate.html

AmyRuth said...

I love chocolate in almost any kind of quick bread or muffin. Always glad to have knowledge of a good 'nana bread recipe. Thx Leslie
AmyRuth

Anonymous said...

If I hear about that Flour cookbook one more time...I'm going to have to buy a copy! I've seen so many great-looking recipes that are in it, and I've tried one that I hope to get on my blog soon.