Dear GIGI,

This recipe is dedicated to you. My fondest childhood memories were always coming to your house on UofM game days, the minute I walked in I got an instant aroma from the fresh, baked banana bread you had just made. My favorite part was the chocolate chips. GO BLUE!

Supplies

Preheat oven to 350

Kitchen aid mixer ( substitutes: large bowl with electric beaters, or large spoon with strong arm)

Rubber spatula

2 loaf pans

Step 1: Ingredients and Supplies

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, fresh or freeze thawed

2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening - Crisco

Non stick cooking spray

2 eggs

1 cup semi-sweet morsels chocolate chips or 1 cup walnuts

Step 2: Mix Your Dry Ingredients

Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a medium size mixing bowl. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Step 3: Small Bowl

Mash the bananas until there are very little lumps.

Step 4: Same Bowl As Bananas

Beat eggs and add to mashed bananas. Blend

Step 5: In the Same Bowl As the Eggs and Bananas

Add the required amount of crisco - shortening

Step 6: Large Bowl With Dry Ingredients

Combine the dry ingredients with the banana mixture.

Use rubber spatula or mixer on medium speed to to blend.

Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Step 7: To Ensure Bread Doesn't Stick to the Bottom of the Loaf Pans

Spray each pan with non- stick spray before adding the dough mixture

Step 8: Bake

Pour batter into two greased loaf pan and bake at 180 C/350 F for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Pop it out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack until it's only slightly warm to the touch - if you cut it when it's super hot it will fall apart.

Step 9: Three Mistakes That Could Ruin This Banana Bread :(

Make sure you are using overripe bananas. Not only are they easier to mash but they will give your bread more moisture and flavor
Don't over mix the batter. Instead, use a gentle stirring approach when mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. This will result in softer bread.
Don't use more banana than what the recipe calls for. This will result in bread that is damp in the core and may look to be undercooked.

Fincher, M. (2019, October 30). 6 Little Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Banana Bread. Retrieved May 24, 2020, from https://www.allrecipes.com/article/banana-bread-m...

Step 10: Troubleshooting Guide:

How to fix undercooked banana bread:

- Heat the oven to 350 F, return the bread to the oven and bake for another 10 - 20 mins.

- This should cook the rest of the inside

- Make sure to let fully cool again

How to fix banana bread that is too moist:

- Continue baking bread for 5-10 minutes

- Allow bread to cool thoroughly

- Don't wrap the bread while it's still warm - it can cause steam to be trapped and the bread to become soggy

MacDowell, S. (2019, November 30). How to Keep Banana Bread From Being Too Wet. Retrieved May 24, 2020, from https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-keep-banana-b...

Introduction: Gigi's Go Blue Banana Bread