Best banana bread (because it is)
Best banana bread from Marie Mitchell's Kin really delivers on that 'best' qualifier. And it's so easy too.
Equipment
- Oven
- Loaf tin 900 g
- Small saucepan
- 2x Medium mixing bowl
- Stand mixer, handmixer or whisk
- Spoon or spatula for folding
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter +extra for greasing
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar see notes
- 2 t vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas the riper the better, see notes
- 4 T whole milk semi-skimmed works too, see notes
- 190 g self-raising flour see notes
- 2 t baking powder
- 1 egg beaten
- 10 g 70% dark chocolate roughly chopped, see notes
- pinch sea salt optional, but not really - see notes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan. Grease a loaf tin with butter and line it with parchment.
- Melt 125 g unsalted butter with 100 g dark muscovado sugar and 2 t of vanille extract in a small saucepan on medium-low heat until the sugar has melted.
- In the meantime mash your bananas in a medium mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer for this, with the balloon whisk attachment).
- Pour the melted butter and sugar into the bananas and whisk to combine. Add in the 4 T of whole milk and mix in.
- Combine 190 g of self-raising flour with 2 t baking powder in a separate bowl and mix to combine before slowly incorporating it into the banana sugar butter mixture, until fully combined and then gently fold in the egg until fully combined.
- Pour the mixture into your loaf tin and top with a sprinkling of 10 gr of roughly chopped dark chocolate and sea salt.
- Bake the loaf for 40 minutes to an hour until a skewer comes out absolutely clean. If the loaf looks like it may burn on top before the skewer comes out clean, cover it with foil and continue baking.
- Remove from the oven once a skewer comes out clean and dry. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes and then remove. Be sure to have a warm slice because this best banana bread is absolutely divine while still warm.
Notes
- I've used dark 'basterd' sugar all previous times I've made this, 'basterd' sugar being the closest thing we have to muscovado sugar in the Netherlands (never mind France), but of course I'd run out by the time I was ready to shoot - your banana bread will likely come out darker. For the banana bread pictured I used a light brown 'basterd' sugar
- The easiest way to end up with perfectly super ripe bananas for cooking is to throw them in the freezer -skin on- for a couple of days, they will basically ooze out of their skin
- Marie recommends whole milk but obviously since you only need 4 tablespoons if you already have semi-skimmed or skimmed or oat or whatever in-house, don't go out and buy whole milk especially for this
- Self-raising flours differ per country and I haven't been able to find one in France that works for non-French recipes, so I mix my own: 1 cup (128 g) all purpose flour, 1 1/2 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt. For this recipe I double the amount and am left with extra for next time
- Yes 10 grams of dark chocolate seems like nothing but it makes a huge difference to the final result, feel free to be cheeky and double the amount
- Marie says the pinch of sea salt is optional but I find it's essential for making this banana bread the best, seriously most desserts benefit from a sprinkling of sea salt, try it on your ice cream or on some chocolate mousse when you get a chance