Variation on a Theme: Chocolate Chip Wholemeal Banana Bread (Wheat- an Dairy Free)

I haven't done banana bread in ages, and seeing as I have a load of overripe bananas hanging around, it seemed timely...

This banana bread is made with wholemeal flour, with the naughty addition of some milk chocolate chips. You can't always be healthy in this life, and this doesn't have any butter so the odd chocolate chip should be okay!

I used the same recipe as my vegan banana bread, with the totally un-vegan addition of two medium eggs. I mixed them into the bananas, oil, and sugar before adding the dry ingredients. I personally like to add eggs for texture and structure, but you don't have to add any eggs if you want to keep it eggless. I also stirred in some milk chocolate chips for added interest.


If you would like to make the bread yourself, here is how you do it.

INGREDIMENTS
This will yield one 8x4 inch (20x10 centimeter) loaf.

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) wholemeal spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) baking powder
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) mixed spice
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large overripe bananas
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) soft brown sugar
• 3 fluid ounces (85 millilitres) sunflower oil
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) chocolate chips, milk or dark, or use dairy free chocolate
• Optional: Golden syrup or honey, for brushing

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate). Grease and flour a loaf pan.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and spice into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl or large jug, mash the bananas with the sugar and salt until smooth and runny. Beat in the oil and eggs.
• Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon only until combined. You don't need to beat it, as the texture will be tough if you do.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. Test the loaf with a cocktail stick, and if it's still sticky in the middle, bake for a further 5 minutes. Repeat this process if needed.
• Remove from the oven once baked and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• If you would like to glaze your bread, brush the top of the loaf with some golden syrup of honey as soon as it comes out of the oven.
• Eat when it has fully cooled, and store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

American Style Cornbread (Wheat Free, with Dairy Free Option)

I was feeling ill yesterday and avoiding college work, and still am right now! Although I have finished my 2000 word essay, I still have about a million blogs left over and a 20 second short animation. To say I feel overwhelmed is an understatement.

But yesterday, I was wrapped up in a blankie on the sofa, bingefesting Netflix true crime documentaries, and wishing I felt better. So, I decided to try something simple, a kind of mix-it-all-together-in-one-bowl simple.

I found inspiration in a strange place: recently, I moved in with my beloved companion, and had to move the contents of my kitchen cupboards. In the process, I rediscovered some ingredients that I hadn't had the change to use in my previous abode, one of which was a jar of fine cornmeal. I had actually bought it from the Polish shop, where it is called kasza kukurydziana, a year or so ago, and seeing as it was in a jar I had no idea of its sell-by date, but it didn't kill me so it must still be good.

The sight of the beautiful sunny golden hue of the cornmeal inspired me to make a Southern United States staple. It's something I always see in African American TV and films, and I've always been attracted to it as a food. So, I turned to one of my go-to cookery books, 1000 Recipes: From deliciously light snacks to fabulous gourmet dishes, by Martha Day (Anness Publishing Limited, London. 1997), however the recipe was pretty much exclusively butter. I improvised, using a few recipes I sourced on recipe forums (like AllRecipes UK) to make a version using sunflower oil, and much less than suggested.

Although it is called bread, don't be fooled! It's more like a cake, or a tea bread. I certainly wouldn't eat it like bread, but then again I have no idea how it's eaten by people in the Deep South where it originated.

INGREDIMENTS
For one loaf

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white spelt flour
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) fine cornmeal
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 6 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) milk, or milk alternative
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) sunflower oil
• 1 medium egg, beaten

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (4000°F, Gas Mk.6), and lightly grease and flour a loaf pan.
• In bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix together thoroughly.
• Make a well in the centre and add the milk, oil, and egg. Mix together gently until everything is just combined: no over-mixing!
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin, and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on doneness. Check for doneness at the 45 minute mark by poking a skewer into the thickest part of the bread, and if it comes out clean the bread is done. If it comes out sticky, continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
• Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out gently and cooling completely on the rack.
• Enjoy in slices with butter, or jam.

Seeing as we ate this over the course of three days, I actually don't know how long it keeps generally. However, it was still good on day three! I recommend keeping this in an airtight container and enjoying within a week.

THIS TIME IN 2016: No recipe
THIS TIME IN 2015: Dessert Mashup: Millionaire's Shortbread Ice-Cream (Egg and Wheat Free)
THIS TIME IN 2014: No recipe