Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Tip: Buy bananas on sale, let them sit out on your counter or wherever you put them and let them turn black.  By doing this it releases the natural sugars in the bananas making them sweeter.  Remove the bananas from their skins and place in a freezer zip lock bag or freezer-proof container.  Use the bananas at a later date for banana bread, smoothies, etc.,.


Ingredients:
2 1/4-Cups All-Purpose Unbleached Flour.  *I use unbleached it's better for you than bleached.*
1-Tablespoon plus and additional 1/2-Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2-Teaspoon Salt
1-Cup Brown Sugar firmly packed
1/4-Cup Sugar *I use unbleached*
2-Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
2-Cups Mashed Bananas ripe
1/3-Cup Whole Milk
3-Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1-Egg large
1-Teaspoon White Vinegar
1-Cup Walnuts Chopped *Optional*
1-Cup Chocolate Chips
Solid Shorting ie,. Crisco.  You can use liquid if you don't have solid

What You Will Need:
"5x9" 1.5-Quart Bread Loaf Pan. I use glass.
Spatula
Wooden Spoon
Whisk
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Large Mixing Bowl if using Hand Mixer
Another Large Bowl for liquid ingredients
Piece of Paper Towel
Oven mitts
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup
Tooth Picks

Pre-Heat your oven to 350-Degrees Farenheit

Directions:
Scoop out a little bit of the Crisco using the paper towel, or pour a little of the vegetable oil into the bread baking dish.  Wipe the sides and the bottom of the baking dish with the paper towel, coat evenly and set aside.

Combine the first 6-ingredients in a large bowl, or using your stand mixer bowl.  Make a well in the center of the ingredients. **Well means to make a small hole.** Using the large mixing bowl combine the bananas, milk, oil, egg, and vinegar; beat using the whisk or use the wooden spoon. Mix until well combined. Now, take the liquid mixture and add into the dry ingredients in the middle of the well. Use low-speed to start so you don't blow the ingredients all over your kitchen.  Slowly increase to medium speed until all of the ingredients are well blended. Stop your mixer and add in the nuts and chocolate chips, stir with the wooden spoon, by using the spoon you won't break up the chocolate chips.

*I had made 2-breads on this day, 1-Pumpkin Nut shown on the left and 1-Banana Bread on the right.* The recipe for the Pumpkin Nut is listed here on my blog.





















Using your spatula, scrape the banana bread mixture into the greased bread baking dish.  Scrape the sides of the bowl to get it all.  Place the baking dish into your oven and bake for about 60-minutes depending on your oven.  After the 60-minutes, remove the dish with your oven mitts and place on to a heat-resistant surface. Insert a tooth pick half-way down the tooth pick, pull the pick out. If it still has some batter attached, put the loaf pan back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes. Discard the tooth pick.  Repeat and remove and check again. Once the pick is clean... no batter on the pick, then it is completely cooked through.  Discard tooth pick. Serve warm or cold.