As I'm sure you've already guessed from the nature of this blog, I like to experiment with my food. Sometimes it works and I discover something tasty, and sometimes it doesn't and explodes like so much... exploding... explody stuff. My poor attempt at an analogy aside, I am pleased to say that this time my experimentation not only worked, but worked rather well.
It started a few weeks ago, when I had some bananas lying around that were too ripe to eat out of hand. Obviously, the solution was banana bread, but I didn't have a banana bread recipe I liked. Sure, I had the one I created years ago that used coconut and walnuts, but that one tended to lean towards the explody end of the spectrum. Plus, I was out of walnuts anyway, so no dice. So I went digging around the internets, trying to find a new method. While I found plenty of recipes, I didn't find one that spoke to me. I was about to say, "To hell with this!" and start flipping over metaphorical tables when I had another crazy idea: why not just make something up?
Why was this idea crazy? Because banana bread is baking, and baking is as much a science as an art, and you can mess things up if you don't get the ratios right. But then again, science is about experimenting with the unknown, and trying new things, and laughing maniacally as you're throwing random ingredients together into a mixing bowl. Or maybe that last one is just me?
Regardless, this idea came together as a way to make a new banana bread that I had never tried before, and I am pleased to say it turned out quite well. I was about to try it simple as a cocoa banana bread, and I think it would have been good that way too. But then the idea sprang up to add peanut butter chips, and it took everything to a whole new level. Try it yourself if you don't believe me.
So, without further ado, let's get started.
For Science!
WHAT I USED!!!
2 cups AP flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a good pinch or two of kosher salt
5 very ripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 stick of butter, melted
2/3 cup sour cream
a good splash of vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
WHAT I DID!!!
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. If you feel like sifting, go ahead and do it to break up any clumps and ensure that everything is evenly distributed.
In another bowl, peel and mash your bananas until smooth. Using a hand mixer, work in the sugars, followed by the eggs, butter, sour cream, and vanilla.
Pour the wet stuff over the dry stuff, and fold everything together with a great honking wooden spoon or spatula. Then stir in your chips.
(This is called the Muffin Method, by the way, and is used for everything from muffins to waffles. You don't want to over-mix, or the flour will produce too much gluten and then everything will be tough. We don't have to worry about that too much here, but still, mix everything until it is just combined. Don't fret if it's a bit lumpy; the lumps will cook out.)
Divide the batter evenly between two standard size loaf pans, and bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the load comes out clean.
And that's all folks! It's quick, it's easy, it's delicious.
You get a definite chocolatey flavor throughout the bread, with little pops of sweet and salty peanut butter now and then. But the predominant flavor across the board is definitely the banana, which is good, since that's kind of the point after all. Over all, you get a moist and tasty quick bread with a lot of flavor and a lot of surprise from those eating it.
This experiment, if I do say so myself, is a definite success.
Well, thanks for reading as always. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Until next time, go forth and eat well!
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