NYT Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread
This recipe for Level 6: Soft & Bite-Sized NYT Chocolate Chip Banana Bread comes from the New York Time Cooking app. It’s easily modified for the perfect soft and bite sized dessert!
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Tricky, tricky breads
One of the most common complaints I get from people with dysphagia is this – “I can’t eat bread!” Bread is always one of the toughest things for people to chew and swallow, even for the average person without dysphagia.
For the record, I am SO SORRY bread is essentially off limits according to IDDSI standards. It really makes me sad too. I’d love to bring bread to the table in a non-disgusting way, but it’s really hard to modify.
However, sweet breads, such as banana bread, are a little more palatable when modified than a crusty baguette. I modified the recipe “Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread” by Erin Jeanne McDowell. I found this recipe on the New York Times Cooking app, something that I use frequently. They have a really great subscription for a cheap annual price.
I liked this recipe because it used a lot of bananas, so I knew the end result would be really moist, which is something we’re obviously looking for.
It’s easily modified to be a soft and bite sized dessert just by adding a bit of milk to the finished product.
I made the batter and cooked it exactly according to the recipe.
After that, I just took a couple of tablespoons of milk and poured it right onto a sliced piece of bread. It’s better to do this when the bread is still slightly warm, though not crucial.
The crust is the trickiest part. If your edges got too crusty, you can just cut them off and enjoy the middle. When I soaked my bread, I made sure to soak the edges really well because those will naturally be the tougher pieces.
As you can see, this bread easily passed the fork test! If you’re still confused on how to do that, you can find more information here. After that, just cut it into bite sized pieces and you’re good to go!
I actually loved this bread when it was soaked in milk. It had a cookies and milk vibe that I really enjoyed.
Level 6: Soft & Bite-Sized
Level 6: Soft & Bite-Sized is appropriate for individuals who have good tongue control and force and can manage chewing. At this level, the size of each bite is predetermined, and can be appropriate for individuals with some pain or difficulty chewing, or those who may not choose appropriate bite sizes without help.
Food pieces can be no larger than 15mm square for adults or 8mm square for children. Foods must have no separate thin liquid, but should be soft and moist. The pressure from a fork or spoon must be able to mash the pieces easily; this is called the Fork Pressure or Spoon Pressure Test. In these tests, the utensil must be able to easily cut through or break apart the food using only the side of the utensil. When mashing the sample to test, only use as much pressure as causes your thumbnail or fingernail to blanche white. After mashing, the food must not return to its original shape. We recommend watching IDDSI’s Youtube video of the Fork Pressure and Spoon Pressure Test before you cook as well as during the testing of your final modified portion.
Always test your food before serving to ensure that it meets all the IDDSI testing guidelines.
We want to hear from you!
Let us know if you enjoyed this as much as we did! Hopefully it’s a way you can get your ‘bread fix,’ and still be safe when eating it. Leave a comment below! We love hearing from all of you lovely people.
If you loved this recipe, check out our other Level 6: Soft & Bite-Sized, or learn more about us!
Level 6: Soft & Bite-Sized NYT Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe medium bananas peeled
- 6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup/80 milliliters plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup/220 grams light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup/135 grams finely chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips
- 4-6 tablespoons milk per slice
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a standard 8x4 loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas coarsely using a fork. They should be fully broken apart, but it’s OK if some larger lumpy pieces remain. Whisk in the melted butter, yogurt, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt to combine. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir to combine using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Scrape the sides and base of the bowl well to make sure the mixture is uniformly combined.
- Gently stir in the chocolate until combined, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the edges of the loaf start to pull away from the edge of the pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 65 minutes. If the top of the loaf is becoming too dark before it’s baked through, loosely cover with foil.
- Transfer from the oven to a cooling rack and run a thin knife around the edge of the banana bread to separate it from the pan. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding.
- Remove bread and cut off one slice. Using a spoon, gradually pour milk over the sliced piece of bread, be sure to well soak the edge pieces. The bread will be completely soaked through. Serve warm!
Best thing I’ve ever baked! It was easy to follow steps and everyone loved it. My uncle had three pieces before I could say, “Hi.” Will be making this again. Oh, and my dad, the one with swallowing issues, loved it and didn’t have trouble eating it. All preferred it slightly warm.
I’m so happy to hear that your whole family loved this recipe! For your dad, warming the bread likely helps it modify to Level 6 with less milk added, as well as taking away some of the “crumb” feeling that can be difficult with dysphagia–meaning it’s extra easy to eat and extra delicious!
I really appreciate recipes for IDDSI level 6 diet! Can you confirm the number of loaf pans used? The recipe is confusing in that regard. I did check that the original NYT recipe uses one. Thank you!
Hi Diann, sorry for the late reply. Louisa confirmed it is one loaf pan, I’ll edit the recipe to make it more clear!