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Banana Apple Chocolate Bread

Baking is supposed to be about precision but this banana apple chocolate bread was built entirely on gut feel and whatever fruit I had on hand. No mixer, no added sugar, just naturally sweet fruit, Greek yoghurt, and browned butter for that extra depth of flavour. Sometimes the best recipe is the one you make up as you go.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 145 g plain flour
  • 10 g cocoa powder Valrhona recommended

  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 140 g banana peel first, then weigh
  • 160 g apple, diced peeled and cored first, then weigh
  • 80 g salted butter
  • 65 g Greek yoghurt see notes
  • 1 egg approximately 63g each, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon powder optional
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla essence

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C for 15–20 minutes using top and bottom heat mode. For accuracy, use an oven thermometer.
  • Brown the butter over low heat until dark golden brown, with milk solids forming at the bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool.
  • Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift together and set aside.
  • Crumple a sheet of parchment paper and use it to line the baking tin.
  • In a mixing bowl, mash the banana. Add the Greek yoghurt, egg, cinnamon, vanilla extract or essence, and browned butter. Mix until well combined.
  • Fold in the flour mixture until just combined, i.e. no dry flour or lumps remaining. Do not overmix.
  • Fold in the diced apples until evenly distributed.
  • Bake at 180°C for approximately 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  • Cool, slice, and serve.

Notes

  1. Browned butter: Start this step first, before measuring out the rest of your ingredients. It needs time to cool. Use a light-coloured stainless steel pan so you can see the colour change beneath the bubbles and the milk solids form into brown bits. Use your eyes and nose to judge when it is ready. You are looking for a deep golden brown with brown bits, not black. If this feels like too much effort, melted butter works fine too.
  2. Greek yoghurt: Use Greek yoghurt rather than Greek-style yoghurt. Greek yoghurt is thicker and strained, while Greek-style yoghurt contains more moisture, which can affect the texture of the loaf. If Greek yoghurt is not available and you only have Greek-style yoghurt, reduce the quantity by about 20-30% to compensate for the additional moisture.
  3. Banana and apple: Do not worry if your banana or apple is 20 to 30g off the listed weight. This recipe is forgiving and small variations will not affect the overall balance or texture.
  4. Cinnamon: Optional. Skip it entirely if it is not your thing.
  5. Sequence: While it is generally recommended to mix all the wet ingredients before adding the dry ones, do not panic if things go slightly out of order. In my most recent bake, I actually forgot to add the browned butter and only remembered halfway through mixing in the flour. I added it in then and it still turned out perfectly fine.
  6. Baking tin: For reference, I used a loaf tin measuring 17cm (L) x 10cm (W) x 7cm (H). Not everyone has the same size at home. If your tin is slightly larger or smaller, simply adjust the baking time accordingly and check for doneness with a skewer.
  7. This recipe also works as muffins. Simply pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and reduce the baking time to approximately 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a skewer.