Okay, so I’ve been seeing this Alison Roman chocolate banana bread recipe everywhere lately, and you know I can’t resist a good banana bread, especially if chocolate is involved. So, naturally, I had to try it out myself. Here’s how it went down in my kitchen:
Gathering the Goods
First things first, I grabbed all my ingredients. Needed the usual suspects:
- Bananas: Super ripe, almost black. The riper, the better, as always.
- Flour: Just regular all-purpose.
- Sugar: Both granulated and brown. I love the extra flavor brown sugar brings.
- Eggs: Room temp, of course.
- Butter: Melted and slightly cooled.
- Baking soda & powder: Gotta get that rise!
- Salt:A pinch.
- Chocolate: Alison’s recipe calls for chopped chocolate, and I went good quality dark chocolate.
- Sour Cream: Full Fat, The secret ingredient I guess.
Mashing and Mixing
I started by mashing the bananas in a big bowl. I like to leave them a little chunky, because I want some texture in the bread. Then, I mixed melted butter, sour cream and eggs together. Next, I whisked together the sugar, brown sugar, and the banana. After that, I added baking soda, powder, and a bit of salt.
Time to add flour, and folded in the dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing is a big no-no with banana bread, you don’t want to create tough bread!
Chocolate Time!
Then came the best part – the chocolate! I stirred in those beautiful dark chocolate chunks, making sure they were evenly distributed. I always sprinkle chocolate to top of batter, because you can never have too much chocolate.
Into the Oven
I poured the batter into a greased loaf pan, it has to be 9×5 inch, I think. I baked it at 350°F (175°C), Alison suggested around 50-55 minutes, but my oven’s a bit wonky, so I started checking it at 45 minutes to get the top nicely browned and the bread cooked. The toothpick test is key – it should come out with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter.
The Hardest Part: Waiting
Once it was out of the oven, I let it cool in the pan for like 20 minutes, then transferred it to a wire rack to cool completely. This is always the hardest part – the smell is incredible, you want to have it right away!.
The Verdict
Finally, I sliced into it, and oh man, it was worth the wait. Super moist, rich chocolate flavor, and the perfect balance of sweetness. This recipe is definitely a keeper! I will make it again.
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