Chocolate-Flecked Farro Banana Bread
Issue 35: Bonus Issue! A recipe from Emma Zimmerman's, The Miller's Daughter.
Why hello there! Welcome to on hand! If you’ve landed here and somehow aren’t subscribed, I got you:

Hi there -
We’ve got a recipe takeover today! Below is a recipe from Emma Zimmerman’s new book, The Miller's Daughter: Unusual Flours & Heritage Grains: Stories and Recipes from Hayden Flour Mills. Enjoy!
It’s a bit like choosing a favorite child, but if you really twisted my arm I would admit that farro is my favorite grain. Besides having the flavor of toasted walnuts, it has the seniority of being among the world’s oldest grains. There are very few recipes for farro flour, so I began by using it in place of half the flour in my favorite baked goods. Recently I tried replacing the whole lot with farro flour and found to my delight that it always works! There’s no turning back now.
This is a very basic banana bread recipe, designed to let the farro flour shine and convince you of the ease and deliciousness of heritage grain swaps in your baking. This is a perfect recipe to bookmark if you’re just getting started, or are perhaps a bit skeptical about baking with these new flours.
Chocolate-Flecked Farro Banana Bread
Serves 8
3 ripe bananas (see Tip)
115 g (4 oz/1/2 cup) Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 ml (2 fl oz/1/4 cup) melted coconut oil
110 g (4 oz/1/2 cup) brown sugar
2 eggs
200 g (7 oz/1 1/4 cups) Farro Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
60 g (2 oz) bittersweet dark chocolate
2 tablespoons turbinado or raw sugar
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease or line a 23 cm × 13 cm (9 in × 5 in) loaf (bar) pan with parchment (baking) paper, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) overhang on each long side to help lift the bread out easily.
Mash the bananas in a bowl and mix in the yogurt and vanilla.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the coconut oil and brown sugar together on medium speed, adding the eggs one at a time. Mix for about 3 minutes until creamy and light in color, then add the banana mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly add to the banana batter and mix on low speed until just combined.
Using a sharp knife, splinter the chocolate. This doesn’t have to be a precise process as varying sizes of chocolate will create the flecked look when you slice into the banana bread. Gently fold the chocolate into the batter – be careful not to overmix
or let the chocolate melt into the mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface, then sprinkle the turbinado or raw sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Cut into thick slices. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Tip: I always have a stash of very ripe black bananas in the freezer. I set the bananas on the counter in a bowl to thaw for an hour or two before I start baking. Interestingly, I’ve found that letting the ripe bananas sit out for longer, say the whole day, gives them a nice caramelized flavor.
Get this recipe and so many more great recipes in The Miller's Daughter: Unusual Flours & Heritage Grains: Stories and Recipes from Hayden Flour Mills which is out now!