Orangette's Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger

My husband and I are now celebrating a long weekend in his hometown of Cleveland.  To show my appreciation for my in-laws, I decided to bring some banana bread.  While I have a favorite recipe, I thought it would be nice to try out the recipes from Molly Wizenberg's (aka Orangette) book, A Homemade Life, that I recently finished and reviewed.

I modified it slightly to our taste, and we are definitely enjoying it.  We had another slice for breakfast this morning with our coffee.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger
Makes 1 standard-size loaf

6 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz of chocolate chips
2.5 oz of chopped crystallized ginger
2 large eggs
2 large ripe bananas
1/4 cup low fat plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Set a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a standard-size (about 9 x 5 inches) loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, microwave the butter until just melted.  Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger and whisk well to combine.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with a fork.  Add the mashed banana, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla and stir to mix well.

Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a silicone spatula, scraping down the sides as needed, until just combined.  Do not overmix.  The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy, but there should be no unincorporated flour.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top.

Bake until the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  It took me an hour, but I covered it with aluminum foil after about 50 minutes.

Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Then tip it out onto the rack, and let it cool completely before slicing.

According to the recipe, this bread freezes well when fully cooled.  We started scarfing it down immediately.

Book Review: A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

I just finished a charming book - A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.   I was introduced to Wizenberg's writing through Bon Appétit where she is a regular contributor, but she is also the author of the blog, Orangette.

The book is a story of her life told through her love of food and cooking.  It is in the same format as her blog – favorite recipes paired with personal reflections, but with a much tighter narrative.  Without straining for connections, Wizenberg describes how food has been woven into her personal experiences: the death of her father, her decision to bypass a career in academia, young romances, and her marriage.  Some of these reflections are clearly difficult and you almost sense a great need on her part to tell the story.

Wizenberg draws you in and makes you feel a part of the story.  However, some of the chapters are a bit too short and don’t provide much substance or deepen our understanding of the author.  I left those sections not entirely satisfied with the happily ever after tone. 

I found most of the memoir to be relatable to the under-40 crowd and I’m intrigued by most of the 50 recipes.  As it turns out, my mother is reading it now, too, and thinks it is entertaining.  Overall, the book is a pleasant, quick read that would be a nice treat over a weekend.