Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread

I had a few over-ripe bananas on hand that needed to be used and had just recently made my favourite banana bread from Flour so I went on a search for something new and came across this recipe. It appealed to me for a variety of reasons: it was low fat, made with olive oil and part whole wheat flour, used weights and metric measurements (yeah!), and the combination of banana-chocolate-lemon flavours sounded intriguing.

The method was simple and quick, wet ingredients folded into dry, and didn’t require any specialized ingredients. My loaf baked a little longer than the recipe indicated, 1 hour instead of 50 minutes, but was moist with a tender crumb. It did taste of whole wheat, but it also had good banana flavour with a hint of lemon from the grated rind, and then, of course, there was the chocolate. I don’t normally add glazes to my quick breads, but this one was made with dark brown sugar and lemon juice so I thought I would try it. It was a great addition, adding the tanginess of lemons to the loaf.

I really enjoyed the texture of the loaf and the flavour combination. Some family members thought orange would go better with the chocolate so I might try that next time. This recipe’s definitely a keeper!