Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Focaccia
If you love chocolate chip banana bread and homemade focaccia, this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Focaccia combines the best of both. It has the soft, airy texture of focaccia with the sweet banana flavor and melty chocolate chips you’d expect from chocolate chip banana bread.
If you are like me, you never throw away super ripe bananas, because there’s always some way to put them to good use. I usually opt for something like my Sourdough Discard Banana Bread or my irresistible Banana Crumble Bread. Since my Easiest Focaccia Bread Recipe is one of my favorite recipes to make, my creative wheels starting turning and I started thinking about how I could possibly add mashed ripe bananas to the dough. The result – the most delicious banana bread focaccia with chocolate chips. It turned out so much better than I could’ve ever imagined. Every bite better than the last, it’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
I love giving you options, so if you like easy sourdough recipes, look in the recipe notes for a sourdough version of this focaccia bread recipe.
Quick Look: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Focaccia
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Fermentation Time: 3 hours
- Bake Time: 26 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Servings: 16 slices
- Calories: 460 kcal/slice
- Cook Method: Baked at 400°F
- Flavor & Texture: Fluffy and tender, crumbly topping and caramelized crust. Perfect banana bread flavor with lots of chocolatey bites, brown sugar and cinnamon flavor.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Fermentation Type: both Yeast & Sourdough options
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Flavor: If you love chocolate chip banana bread, this focaccia version plays perfectly into the yummy flavor profile. It’s not overly sweet, has just the right amount of banana bread flavor, and is packed full of chocolate chips in every bite.
- Easy: The dough comes together so quick and easy. And you have the option to put it in the refrigerator if you need a more flexible baking schedule.
- Fun and impressive: I love getting creative with recipes, and this is a fun twist on a classic focaccia recipe. Anyone you share it with will instantly love it!
The Secret to the Best Focaccia
I use all these tips for any focaccia I make, including my Best Easy Focaccia and my Cinnamon Roll Focaccia.
- Hydration – Using a high hydrated dough (a high water/liquid to flour ratio) gives focaccia those signature air bubbles, making it a light, airy bread. Focaccia dough can feel really sticky and wet, but it is all part of what makes it airy and bubbly. For banana bread focaccia, the mashed ripe bananas act as part of the liquid and create more moisture in the bread.
- Bread Flour – A higher protein flour like bread flour (12-15% protein) is more effective at developing gluten, the structure which holds bread dough together as it rises and bakes. Bread flour also yields a bread with a chewy crumb, the signature texture of a good focaccia.
- Cold Ferment – Letting the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight helps develop the flavor and makes for a yummier focaccia.
- Rise Time – Allow the focaccia to get nice and puffy during the final rise time in the pan. It should just almost reach pan level.
- Dimpling – When dimpling the focaccia, you’re creating pockets for the topping to get incorporated into the dough. It also deflates some of the air bubbles, preventing the focaccia from puffing up like a cake when its baked.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Focaccia
- Bread flour – Using bread flour, a higher protein flour, is ideal for bread recipes. Bread flour has a protein content of around 12-15% and is excellent at developing gluten – the structure necessary for bread to hold its shape as it rises and bakes. For focaccia bread will yield a chewy tender crumb.
- Instant Yeast – When using instant yeast, you can add it directly to the dough instead of having to bloom it first (like with active dry yeast). I have an article called, Active Dry Yeast vs. Instant Yeast if you’d like to learn more about how to use each type of yeast.
- Ripe Bananas – Overly ripe bananas are perfect for making banana bread because the ripening process naturally converts starches into simple sugars. So the ripe bananas act as a natural sweetener. They also help your bread to maintain a more moist texture.
- Olive Oil – A classic focaccia is made extra rich with a good quality extra virgin olive oil. It adds flavor and crisps up the bottom crust.
- Butter – Adding butter to the olive oil to coat the pan, combined with a sweet focaccia dough, creates an even better, caramelized crust.
- Cinnamon – A buttery cinnamon filling creates ribbons of warm, cozy flavor throughout this banana bread focaccia.
See the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Substitutions and Variations
- Flour – You can replace the bread flour with all-purpose flour. If so, reduce the water by 10%. You may need to knead the dough 2-3 minutes longer, until it’s cohesive and elastic.
- Nuts – Pecans are so yummy in the brown sugar crumble topping. However, you can leave them out or replace with another type of nut you prefer.
- Yeast – If using active dry yeast, bloom it first by adding it to the water first. Pour the honey in the bowl as well, and allow it to rest about 15 minutes, to bubble (activate). If you’d like to use your sourdough starter, I’ve included directions for that in the recipe notes.
- Chocolate chips – I love milk chocolate chips in this banana bread recipe – they’re just the perfect amount of sweet and milky flavor. Feel free to swap out milk chocolate for your favorite kind of chocolate chips. Just make sure you use baking chips or baking chocolate – it holds its shape as it bakes and gives the most chocolate flavor.
How to make Banana Bread Focaccia with Chocolate Chips
Make the dough
Step 1: Mix the dough in a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment. You can mix it by hand, but it will be rather sticky.
Step 2: Once the dough is holding its shape well, and cleaning the sides of the bowl, add the chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
Step 3: Add the dough to a bowl coated in olive oil. Turn the dough so that all sides are covered in oil. Cover and let it rise until it doubles in size.
During bulk fermentation, the dough should double in size, which at a temperature of around 78°F/25°C should take about 2 hours.
My tip for Bulk Fermentation
Bulk fermentation is a term used in sourdough bread recipes for when the dough rises and the yeast ferments before shaping. Putting your dough in a clear container will help you see the progression as it rises. It’s easier to see how the size has increased, and you’ll also see aeration throughout the dough. It’s a simple way to monitor bulk fermentation better.
Fill and Pre Shape
Step 4: Coat the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan with butter and olive oil. Turn the dough out of the bowl and into the pan. Flip it so that both sides of the dough are coated with butter and oil.
Step 5: Spread half the cinnamon filling over half the dough. At this point, all the familiar smells of homemade banana bread will be flooding your kitchen!
Step 6: Fold the focaccia dough in half, over the cinnamon filling.
Step 7: Spread the remaining cinnamon filling over the top of the focaccia dough.
Step 8: Fold the focaccia dough in half again, covering the cinnamon filling. At this point, the dough will feel a bit tight and dense. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Step 9: Once the dough has rested, stretch the focaccia out to fill the pan. It’s okay if it doesn’t completely reach each corner at first – as it rises, it will fill the pan completely. Let it rise until it’s puffy and nearly reached pan level. At a dough temperature of 78°F/25°C, this should take around 60-90 minutes. Preheat the oven towards the end of the rise time.
A note about shaping bread dough: If your dough keeps shrinking back when trying to shape it, that indicates the gluten has been worked and has tightened up. The more you handle the dough, the more difficult it will be to shape. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. When you come back to it, it will be relaxed and easier to stretch. I’ve found this technique especially helpful when rolling out Homemade Crescent Rolls, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, and Homemade Soft Pretzels.
Dimple and Bake the Banana Bread Focaccia
Step 10: Drizzle some olive oil over the dough, followed with the yummy brown sugar pecan crumble topping. Use your fingertips to dimple the dough.
Step 11: Bake the banana bread focaccia until golden and the interior reaches 200°F/93°C. After it comes out of the oven, sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips over the focaccia. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool the focaccia another 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s a few reasons why this can happen. First, the gluten may not have been properly developed during mixing. Make sure your dough is cohesive and holds its shape (not a shaggy dough) by kneading it a few minutes in your mixer or performing a few stretch and folds. Focaccia can also be dense when not risen enough during the final rise time in the pan. Also, don’t be too aggressive with the dimpling – too much dimpling will deflate all the bubbles creating during fermentation, resulting in a dense focaccia.
Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 days. Reheat a slice of focaccia in the microwave for about 20 seconds to enjoy leftovers warm and soft.
More Banana Recipes You’ll Love
Equipment
- 1 9×13-inch pan
Ingredients
Dough
- 360 g water (1 ½ cups), room temperature ~74°F/23°C
- 7 g instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons), see notes for sourdough option
- 40 g honey (2 tablespoons)
- 240 g mashed ripe bananas (1 cup) 2-3 bananas
- 8 g fine sea salt (1 ½ teaspoons)
- 720 g bread flour (6 cups) divided
- 300 g milk chocolate chips (1 ¾ cups)
- 56 g extra virgin olive oil (¼ cup) divided
- 28 g melted unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
Cinnamon Filling
- 78 g melted unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
- 110 g dark or golden brown sugar (½ cup, packed)
- 4 g ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons)
Pecan Crumble Topping
- 40 g all-purpose flour (⅓ cup)
- 28 g dark or golden brown sugar (2 tablespoons, packed)
- 15 g granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)
- 36 g chopped pecans (1/3 cup) optional
- 28 g melted unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
- 28 g extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons)
- 42 g milk chocolate chips (¼ cup)
Instructions
Make the bread dough
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, yeast, honey, mashed banana, salt, and half the flour (370 g). Using the dough hook attachment, on low speed, mix together until smooth, about 1 minute. While on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour. Knead the dough on low until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated. 360 g water7 g instant yeast40 g honey240 g mashed ripe bananas8 g fine sea salt720 g bread flour300 g milk chocolate chips
Bulk Fermentation
- In a large bowl, coat the bottom with olive oil. Turn the dough out into the bowl. Turn it so that all sides of the dough are coated in olive oil. Cover and let rest until doubled in size, about 90 minutes to 2 hours. (See Notes for schedule suggestion.)28 g olive oil
Make the Cinnamon Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set it aside.78 g melted unsalted butter110 g dark or golden brown sugar4 g ground cinnamon
Fill and Pre Shape
- Drizzle 28 g (2 tablespoons) olive oil and 28 g (2 tablespoons) melted butter over the 9×13-inch (23×33-cm) pan to coat the bottom. Turn the risen dough out into the pan and flip it so that both sides are coated in the olive oil and melted butter. 28 g olive oil28 g melted butter
- Stretch the dough to a rectangle (it doesn't have to fill the pan yet). Spread half the cinnamon filling over the dough. Fold the dough in half. Spread the other half of the filling over the dough and fold it in half again. Let the dough relax for 10 minutes. Then stretch the dough to fill the pan.
Final Proof
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's puffy and about 1/2-inch from pan level, about 60-90 minutes.
Make the Pecan Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and chopped pecans. Add the melted butter and stir until combined.40 g all-purpose flour28 g dark or golden brown sugar15 g granulated sugar36 g chopped pecans28 g melted unsalted butter
Final Shape
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C.
- Drizzle 28 g (2 tablespoons) olive oil over the risen dough. Sprinkle the pecan crumble topping over the top. Press your fingertips into the dough, creating dimples. 28 g extra virgin olive oil
Bake
- Bake the focaccia on the rack just below the center position for 24-28 minutes, or until the center of the bread reaches 200°F/90°C. Check the focaccia 12 minutes into the bake – if it's browning quickly, loosely place a piece of foil over it to keep it from burning.
- Remove the focaccia from the oven. Sprinkle the remaining 42g (1/4 cup) chocolate chips over the hot bread. Allow the focaccia to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. To remove it from the pan, insert a spatula under one side of the bread. Hold the pan as you slide the focaccia out and onto the rack. Cool at least 10 more minutes before serving. Slice and enjoy.42 g milk chocolate chips
Video
Notes
- Yeast: If using active dry yeast, combine it with the water and honey and let it rest for 15 minutes until it bubbles.
- Timeline Suggestion: After the dough has doubled in size, you can place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for around 15 minutes, to soften a bit. Then proceed with the recipe instructions.
- Sourdough Option:
- 310g bread flour
- 100g active starter
- 40g honey
- 240g mashed banana
- 8g fine sea salt
- 670g bread flour
- Mix the dough as instructed in the recipe. Bulk Fermentation can take 3-6 hours. After the dough has doubled, you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours or proceed with the recipe instructions. Final Proof can take 1-2 hours.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.