Banana Bread with Chocolate and Pecans

Notes

• Caramelizing the bananas ahead of time helps a lot with flavor. Slice bananas, roll in sugar, then sautée in butter on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown. Let cool.
• Do not underbake! Make sure the banana bread springs back when poked, otherwise it’ll collapse and become gummy.
• To speed-ripen bananas, bake in a 300 °F oven for 15-20 minutes, until black. Let cool before caramelizing.

Yield

• One 9” x 5” loaf.
• 24 standard-size muffins (fill liners halfway, not more than that).

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) mascarpone, sour cream, or whole-milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 60 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 4 large very ripe bananas, partially mashed (1 1/2 cups, 375 g)
• 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped pecans (optional)
• 1/2 cup (90 g) chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly coat 9” x 5” loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on long sides.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat brown sugar, mascarpone, and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition and scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
4. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas and mix just until combined – it’s fine (and indeed desirable) for chunks of banana to remain. Fold in chocolate and/or pecans, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
5. Bake bread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60–65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let bread cool in pan 1 hour. Turn out bread and let cool completely (if you can resist) before slicing.

Source

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/banana-bread