Chocolate chip banana bread

No matter how you slice it (a pun!) bread from a breadmaker is not very pretty to look at. It's the only way I make bread though because it's pretty much fool proof. Once you've got some basic recipes down you can experiment a little bit and come up with some yummy stuff. This is a recipe I came up with for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Note this recipe is for a 2 pound loaf but you could probably half it without any problems.

1 egg enough water to equal 1 cup
1 and 1/2 very ripe bananas
1 TBLS oil (can substitute 2 TBLS applesauce)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 TBLS milk
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
3 TBLS sugar
4 cups bread flour (or 3 cups bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
2-4 TBLS ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips. Start your machine and wait for all the ingredients to combine. If you add the chocolate chips during the first kneading the chocolate will melt into the dough and your entire loaf of bread while have a chocolaty flavor. (This is the way I like to do it.) If you prefer that the chips stay intact then add them during the second kneading. Sit back and try to rip the bread out of the maker halfway through baking. Yes, it will smell good enough that you'll consider eating half-raw bread.

I like to add flax seed to most breads that I make. It doesn't really affect the texture and I don't think you can taste it at all but it boosts the health factor a bit.



You can see some swirls of chocolate. That's the result of adding the chocolate chips early in mixing process.

This is a great breakfast or snack bread. Unlike many breadmaker breads it does not form a thick, tough crust. It's very moist and dense. I think this bread tastes best with butter on it but peanut butter would also be good on it.

Enjoy!