Image

Banana Bread

Test Kitchen's Favorite Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread

It's an easy-to-make anytime treat.

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 overripe bananas, preferably frozen and thawed, mashed (1 ½ cups)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush a standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and cinnamon, 30 seconds.
  • In another bowl, whisk together butter, bananas, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
  • Make a well in flour mixture and pour banana mixture into it.
  • Stir together until mostly combined but some dry flour remains.
  • Add chocolate chips and continue stirring just until evenly distributed throughout and no dry flour remains.
  • Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes.
  • Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer loaf to a wire rack and let cool completely.