Nutella Banana Bread

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This is a recipe which I have had printed out and in my “To Bake Someday” folder, for about two years now.  It is a recipe I found on a little blog called Chef In Training, and I remember it looking really, really tasty.  I often spy things on the net which catch my eye, and I think  I would like to try baking sometime.  I print them out and stick them in a file . . .  and sometimes . . .  I actually DO get around to baking them!

I had bought a HUGE jar of Nutella a few months back.  What was I thinking???   There is no way I could ever hope to use it all up, unless I use it for extra things like baking.   It tastes really good spread onto malt biscuits . . . but that would be an awful lot of Malt Biscuits . . . it’s a 750g jar! (That’s over a pound in weight!)

So the other day I dug through my recipes and pulled out this banana bread recipe to try out.  It worked out well because I also had a bunch of brown bananas that I had bought before Christmas that just didn’t get eaten . . . there is nothing better to do with brown bananas than to bake a banana bread!

My bread didn’t come out of the oven near as tasty looking as Chef In Trainings did . . . it actually looked rather ugly and I did have to add about 15 minutes time to the baking . . . but wow, cut it open and it more than makes up for it’s ugly surface. 

That’s kind of like people don’t you think???  Some of the prettiest ones are the ones who aren’t much to look at on the outsides . . . but dig a bit deeper and you’ve found a gem!  Anyways, it was rather, RATHER tasty sliced and eaten plain . . . but then again, we quite, QUITE like it sliced and spread with softened butter because . . . that’s just how we roll around here.

*Nutella Banana Bread*
Makes one medium loaf

Your favorite bread swirled with your favorite spread.  What’s not to like about this one? 

280g plain flour (2 cups)
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 TBS unsalted butter, softened
190g caster sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs
287g of mashed bananas (1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp vanilla paste
80ml of whole milk (1/3 cup)
145g of nutella (heaped 3/4 cup) 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin and line with baking paper.  Butter the paper.  Set aside 

Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in a beaker.  Set aside. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly amalgamated.  Beat in the bananas, milk and vanilla.   Stir in the flour mixture just to moisten.   

Soften the nutella in the microwave for about 20 seconds.   Stir in 1/3 of the batter until well blended. 

Alternate the banana and nutella batters in the prepared baking tin.  Swirl together with a chopstick or knife.   Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until well risen and done.  It may seem a bit underdone in the centre, but that’s how it should be.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes in the pan before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. 

In for a penny, in for  pound I guess.  Yum!  This is very good.  Bon Appetit and a very Happy New Year!