Dark banana bread

Disclaimer: This is a mushy post.

Mushy, because its banana bread for one.. LOL and mostly because its my sweetest friend's birthday today..my sole reason to bake this bread. She lives in India, across the ocean from where i live, but that does not stop a small celebration at home here. Reason to load up some extra calories perfectly :)  Best friends , BFFs? Well i think the concept is a bit archaic now ,with both of us on the other side of 30's ;) And yes, 'best' does not capture the higher superlatives at all , nomore!

Words are less as i try to pick some threads, from the remeries of a colorful tapestry, our friendship has been. 

A classical dancer by choice, she and i met during our post graduate program in Mumbai. A butter fingered me , met this prim and proper girl from the land of ghazals and ghalib. A poet too herself, i credit whatever i understand in urdu prose, to her. The first whiff of independence, just out of our respective homes then-  i endearingly remember siting and talking for hours on the edge of her building's uppermost terrace where she rented an apartment. Haven't called her yet to wish ,but frequently our birthday conversations start with what budding double digit the other is rollicking on. Its a tradition now, to tease and giggle. Talking of traditions, we made a pact to celebrate and host birthdays for each other at a restaurant called Pizzeria, facing the bright Marine drive, when in Mumbai.. and we did keep up to it too. The varied discussions later by the sea, on life love career choices .. i remember we totally discovered an algorithm on love .. naive certainly :)  And , how can i forget the ice cream sandwiches at rustomjee's on our way back to churchgate station, those were yum yum!

Hmm ,it's all so fresh ..even after a decade, just  like.. some wet mud on a potter's hand, feverishly working in his own barn.

We were starkly different, complete opposites.. but life has a way for setting up pieces in a jigsaw like one can never imagine.. and here we are today, so connected not literally but in our thoughts and well wishes, that a phone call or an email does not matter really. Wishing you a happy happy birthday my friend, hope u have a  long peaceful and an absolutely beautiful life..

As i savour what i am about to share , the recipe - here's a pointer to what u can do to make your bread even better : bake it for 2 hours minimum. I baked mine for 1.5 hours alone which lends the dark and light hue to the slices. Unless u want the latter, baking for 2 hrs will make the bread darker and help it exude, a much more richer molasses flavor. And by the way, there is no molasses added to this recipe at all :)

Ingredients
Wet:
3 overriped banana, mashed
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence

Dry:
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour / maida
1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Chopped walnuts
1/2 cup Semi sweet chocolate chips

Line your loaf pan with a greased foil , covering on all sides. Set aside and preheat your oven to 325F.

Mix all the wet ingredients- banana, eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla essence, honey. Sieve your dry ingredients in batches of fourths directly in the wet ingredients and whisk completely till all is incorporated as one.

Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour in your prepared loaf pan and bake for 2 hrs. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the loaf , if it comes clean the bread is done. Remove and switch off your oven.

Let the loaf cool and later slice with a serrated / bread knife.

Welcome the moist dense and absolutely gorgeous bread in your home. If you are serving it as your dessert course, lay individual plates with a slice of the bread and a side of sweet vanilla whipped cream(cream sugar vanilla whipped till soft peaks)

I have been devouring the same as i write :) take my word , its the moistest bread i ever had and healthiest too .. no sugar no butter!!