Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My family has always loved banana bread but I do get flack when I change the recipe even a little. There are purists among us and they think it should have only bananas, nothing more. But I really love chocolate in mine so this recipe is perfect. It makes a nice high loaf with a moist tasty center. Plus the walnuts add a little crunch. So good!

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas, peeled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (3 oz) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (toasted if you prefer)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9x5" loaf pan. Line the bottom and long sides of the pan with parchment paper.Butter the top of the paper. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. Using a fork, mash the bananas in a bowl; you should have about 1 cup. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In another bowl, using a handheld mixer on high speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light in colour and texture, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs and then the mashed bananas. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed, beating until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips and half the walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.

4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Turn out onto the wire rack and remove paper. Invert again, and let cool completely. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature. We like a smudge of butter on ours!

Makes 1 loaf

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

 I finally- FINALLY- got a KitchenAid Mixer! I guess I deserved it after using a handheld one for so many years. And ohhhh boy! Is it fun to use! I love the freedom of being able to do other things while it works on its own. You can easily wash up a bowl or two while it does it's thing. One of the reasons I really wanted one was to have it do some kneading for me. I've wanted to learn to make my own bread for years but the thought of the kneading rather scared me off (I know it isn't that hard ~ I just didn't want to do it). 

My mother smelling the bread!

 Since last week I made a pretty successful white bread, I thought this week I'd try the bread I think we all should be eating- a good oatmeal whole wheat loaf. The KitchenAid comes with a few basic recipes so combined with one in a bread cookbook from the library, I 'winged it' and invented my own- Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread. It's "really delicious " according to my sweet hubby.

The ends aren't very pretty are they? The dough was definitely NOT sticky by the time I was shaping the loaves and I couldn't get them to pinch and seal. Oh well! I almost forgot to brush the loaves with a beaten egg white and sprinkle with oatmeal but luckily I remembered at the last second- good thing because they do look so much nicer that way. This was a definite winner and I'm going to make this bread again tomorrow!

Kim's Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) honey
1/3 cup (75 ml) butter or margarine
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups (1.375 - 1.75 L) all-purpose flour (I used about 5 cups whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups white bread flour)
1 cup (250 ml) quick cooking oats
2 tsp (10 ml) salt
2 packages active dry yeast (Since I bought a jar of dry yeast, I measured out 4 1/2 tsp yeast)
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 tbs (15 ml) water
oatmeal
and I added about 1/2 cup ground flax to the mix

Place water, honey, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is very warm (120F to 130F, 48C to 54C). Use a thermometer because you will kill the yeast if the water is too hot.

First place oats, then 5 cups flour, flax, salt, and yeast in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and  dough hook to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 15 seconds. Continuing on speed 2, gradually add warm mixture to flour mixture and mix about 1 minute. Add eggs and mix about 1 minute longer.

Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup (125 ml) at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Knead on speed 2  about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise in warm place, free from drafts, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf by rolling out into a rectangle with a rolling pin then roll it up into a loaf shape. Pinch ends under. Place in greased bread pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).

Beat egg white and water together with a fork and brush tops of loaves with mixture. Sprinkle with oatmeal. bake at 375F (190C) for 30 to 40 minutes. (Mine were done at just under 30). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 loaves.