Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ cups All-Purpose (Plain) Flour
  • ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 3 – 4 medium Very Ripe Bananas (350 grams), mashed
  • ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 Large Eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ cup Whole Milk or Buttermilk
  • 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (175 grams)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the 9x5 inch loaf tin and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
  2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth, leaving a few small lumps for texture.
  3. Add the cooled melted butter, whisked eggs, vanilla extract, and milk/buttermilk to the mashed banana mixture. Whisk briefly until just combined and uniformly moist.
  4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Ensure the leavening agent is evenly distributed.
  5. Pour the wet banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together gently until just combined. Do not overmix; a few streaks of flour remaining are fine.
  6. Fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips. Reserve the remaining ¼ cup for topping.
  7. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and level the top gently with the spatula. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips over the surface.
  8. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a long wooden skewer or toothpick into the centre; it should come out mostly clean with moist crumbs clinging to it. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil.
  9. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the loaf onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely (at least one hour) before slicing.