I love quick breads. Most markedly because of the pointed word quick. I love that you can whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl, mash around the wet ingredients in another, combine them, dump the whole lot in a loaf tin and you're good to go. Like muffins, but even lazier.
For me, banana bread is like the queen of the quick breads. I never used to eat banana bread until I moved to Sydney - which isn't to say I never had it at all, but it didn't make any sort of regular appearance. It was one of those elusive baked goods that was more likely to appear in cake form at school bake sales rather than as a loaf.
It is, however, one of Sydney's staple foods, found in practically every cafe, usually sliced thick, toasted and spread with a thick pat of butter. Toasted banana bread is definitely an Australian discovery for me, for which I am ever so grateful.
I've seen so many versions of banana bread in so many flavors all over the food blogosphere. This combination is a classic and probably of no surprise. Peanut butter, bananas, chocolate chips and some peanuts for texture and contrast. If your immediate thought is to add some crumbled bacon into the batter to Elvis-ize it, we can totally be best friends.
To be honest, I underbaked mine just a tad because I got a little impatient towards the end of the hour, which is why the texture in the photos seem a little denser than your average banana bread. However! It tastes as good as it sounds. The addition of roasted peanuts in particular is what makes this stand out for me. If you can get your hands on roasted and salted peanuts, then that's all the better.
Peanut Butter Banana Bread Adapted from Joy the Baker Makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (about 3 very ripe bananas) 1/3 cup plain yogurt 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 3 tbsp butter, melted 2 large eggs 1/3 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup all purpose flour 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp table salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp allspice 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/4 cups chopped roasted & salted peanuts
Preheat your oven to 350F/175C. Grease and line a 9x5 inch loaf tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
In another bowl, mash the bananas, then add yogurt, peanut butter, melted butter and whisk together. Then whisk in eggs and sugars. Keep mixing until there are little to no lumps remaining.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the baking tin and cover the top with chopped peanuts.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes (mine took an hour exactly), or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then take out and cool completely on a wire rack. The bread will last for 4 days in an airtight container.
