Foodie Fridays: Yogurt Dark Chocolate Chunk Loaf

I don't like dark chocolate.  I prefer the sweetness of milk or even white chocolate to the bitter taste of the darker varieties.  And yet, for some reason, we receive a lot of dark chocolate as gifts at Christmas.  I now have a rather extensive stockpile of dark chocolate in my pantry (everyone should have such a problem, right?) and I am desperate to find a use for it all.  Fortunately, like many people, I do like dark chocolate pieces in baked goods, so I decided to hunt for some easy recipes that use a large amount of chopped chocolate.  I did not find exactly what I was looking for, but I did find several recipes for chocolate chip banana bread, which gave me an idea. I am not especially fond of banana bread, but I figured if I could find a good basic plain quick bread recipe I could add as much chopped chocolate as I liked.  A recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread suited my needs.  I simply left out the cinnamon swirl and added chocolate instead.  I do intend to make the cinnamon version some time, as I love cinnamon, but until then I now have the perfect recipe for using up large quantities of dark chocolate.  Best of all, quick breads freeze well, so even if I get tired of eating this bread I can always freeze some for later!

Yogurt Dark Chocolate Chunk Loaf

2 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 C. chopped dark chocolate*
1/2 C. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. Greek yogurt, at room temperature (I used nonfat plain)
1/2 C. milk, at room temperature (I used nonfat)

In a large bowl, stir together the first seven ingredients.  Mix in the chocolate chunks.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the first mixture.  Stir until just combined (do not overmix).

Spread the batter into a greased, floured 9x5-inch loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove the bread from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.  Serves 10.

*Yes, you read that right -- 2 cups!  As I said, I have a surplus of dark chocolate, but if you are not suffering from an overabundance you can certainly reduce the amount to a mere one cup.