Does anyone else purposefully buy extra bananas, just so they can let them go brown and then they will have to make banana bread? Well, if not, I hope this recipe will make you start! This is delicious served solo or with a generous dollop of nut butter (especially when the loaf is a few days old). My friends ate the testing batches for breakfast while on holiday in New Zealand and can confirm that it goes down pretty well at any time of day.
SERVES 8–10
125g (4½oz/scant 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
50g (2oz/6 Tbsp) oat flour (or blitz jumbo/old-fashioned oats in a food processor until fine)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 large ripe bananas
75g (2⅔oz/6 Tbsp) soft brown sugar
1 medium egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g (5½oz/¾ cup) full-fat Greek yoghurt
100g (3½oz/7 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
30g (1oz/3 Tbsp) white chocolate chips
30g (1oz/3 Tbsp) milk chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and line a 900-g (2-lb) loaf tin (pan) with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
In a separate bowl, thoroughly mash the bananas. Stir in the sugar, egg, vanilla and yoghurt, then carefully stir in the melted butter (make sure it’s not too hot so the egg doesn’t cook).
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 55–60 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Alternatively, you can cut it carefully and serve slightly gooey. It’s perfect after a long run, with a cuppa!
