I made this yesterday. It came out perfectly. The only difference from the original recipe was that I used chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips because it’s what I had in the house. I wouldn’t recommend it because they migrated to the edges. And I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. My wife doesn’t like bananas or walnuts and she loved it.
zojirushi home bakery
For what it’s worth, please be aware that no two bread machine models are alike. If your machine is not identical to the authors, your results WILL BE different. Any recipe that does not identify the specific brand/model of the machine used, plus all settings and times (including loaf size) the end result will be questionable. This is probably why the previous replies vary so wildly.
If the top center of the bread looks too moist when you take it out of the bread machine, you can try the classic baking “toothpick test”. Gently push a toothpick/chopstick/skewer into the top of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the toothpick/chopstick/skewer. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan and bread machine will still be hot. If batter is sticking to the toothpick/chopstick/skewer then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread loaf pan back into the still warm bread machine for another 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the banana bread again with a toothpick/chopstick/skewer. FYI – Given variability in banana sizes, banana breads tend to have more moistness variability than many other recipes. Moreover, since most bread machines turn off automatically after a specified time and you can not adjust the baking temperature, they are little less flexible than ovens in dealing with baking “variances”. Thus the need to use the toothpick test if the banana bread top looks too moist (or you can skip the toothpick test and just leave the banana bread in the still warm bread machine for an extra 5 minutes if the top looks a little too moist).
Banana bread may be served at tea time or at breakfast, although there is no rule as to when you may eat it. This banana bread recipe turns out really well in a bread maker and it's a great way to to get rid of overripe bananas sitting in the bowl. In our family nobody touches bananas if the skin has any sign of black. I guess we all worry that they are spoiled. So, rather than wasting them, into the bread maker they go.
However, oven-baked banana breads are a little more forgiving as you can stir more gently if needed (and thus less crushed fruit or shattered chocolate chips). In addition, oven-baked banana breads will not have a bread machine mixing paddle “hole” in the bottom. For oven-baked banana bread recipes, please visit our Easy Banana Bread Variations section.
