Chocolate Banana Braided Yeast Bread
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2ounces or 1-2 tablespoons fresh yeast
  • 1/4cup sugar
  • 6tablespoons butter
  • 1cup whole milkat room temperature
  • 4 1/2cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2teaspoon salt
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 2 eggs
  • 3-4tablespoons chocolate chipsdivided
  • Powdered sugar for dusting(optional)
Instructions
  1. Crumble yeast into a small bowl. Add sugar and stir to combine thoroughly.
  2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk, and then remove from the stove immediately.
  3. While still warm, combine melted butter and milk with the yeast and sugar mixture.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
  5. Peel the banana. Thoroughly mash with one egg in a mixer or by hand, then stir to combine with the flour mixture.
  6. Add the milk-yeast mixture to the flour-banana mixture. Knead with a stand mixer with dough hook attachment or by hand until smooth.
  7. Form dough into a ball, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until the dough appears to have doubled in size.
  8. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate chips and set aside, then knead the rest into the dough. Divide dough into three equal portions.
  9. On a floured countertop, form dough into three elongated, similarly sized rolls (with each snake of dough rolled out to be approximately 20 inches long). Braid these together.
  10. Place the braid diagonally on your baking sheet or tray, so it will fit. Cover and let rise in a warm place for another 25 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  12. Whisk the remaining egg and brush to coat the top of the braid. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top – the egg should help them to stick. If any fall off onto the tray, stick them back onto the bread so they won’t burn.
  13. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. If you think the outer crust of your braid is getting dark too soon, cover it with aluminum foil around 10-15 minutes before the end of your total baking time.
  14. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for at least 30-45 minutes. The cooling loaf can be moved to a wire rack if necessary after that, but you may risk tearing it if you attempt to move it while it’s still hot. Dust with powdered sugar if you like, then slice and enjoy!