At the end of a rough day, all you want is comfort food. Ok, all I want is some comfort. Something warm, and feeds my heart. Today, it was banana bread. Eyeing those increasingly ripening bananas sitting on the kitchen counter, I knew there was no turning back. It was now or never. This now came to nearly three hours after the work day ended. So tired and drained with barely any energy left, I could not embark on a full baking project, as much as I knew how delectable the outcome would be. This was my impromptu solution.
***You got me. I can feel the scorn from all the banana bread experts out there. Their eyes seeping into this, with disdain and contempt. All ingredients in one bowl–you’ve got to be kidding me.***
So this post goes out to all those folks who are having a difficult day, balancing work and home life, going through the rough patches that life bestows upon us, and attempting to overcome all of life’s challenges with a smile. You are not alone. While I cannot help you solve these problems, I can try to make it a teensy bit peaceful. Try this recipe–the time to make the batter was literally the time it took for my oven to preheat. Plus you get the added bonus of unraveling some pent-up energy by smashing the bananas.
HAPPY SMASHING!
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas (riper the better)
1 ½ cups of whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup plain yogurt
⅓ cup oil
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
Equipment and Tools
1 5″x9″ loaf pan
1 fork
1 mixing bowl
1 measuring cup
Procedure
- Pre-heat oven to 350 celsius. Line and grease the loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, smash the bananas with your fork. It’s ok if there are a few lumps.
- Mix in the vanilla essence, yogurt, sugar, oil and eggs.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until mixed.
- [Optional]: Add in a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and level the batter with the fork if needed.
- Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Variations and Tips (Totally optional)
- Mix in some pecans or walnuts as well. This recipe is totally customizable so add in whatever makes you happy! I like to sprinkle some chopped walnuts and chocolate chips before popping it into the oven.
- I used whole wheat flour because we’re trying to be healthy (somewhat!). Feel free to use all-purpose flour, oat flour or even almond flour!
- I used avocado oil but you can also use melted unsalted butter in the same amount.
- A bit of yogurt really seals in the moisture of any cake. You can do without but you risk ending up with a dry loaf.
*If you follow me, you’ll notice I always add yogurt to any form of cake.
This recipe is so easy and so forgiving, it’s hard to get wrong, even if you try. It’s the perfect introduction to baking and you have in your hands the most sumptuous chocolate chip banana bread! I, for one, am certainly looking forward to a slice with my morning coffee. Enjoy it–you surely deserve it!