Recipe: Banana bread (with nuts)

I must admit to not have eaten banana bread (in German it would be a "Kuchen") before moving to the US. But now, I have noticed that my husband and I intentionally let bananas ripe on our kitchen counter: time for banana bread!

Yes, I bake other things than cookies. ;) Usually, I prefer bananas when they are still a little greenish ... But this is an alternative:

Whole grain banana bread (with nuts)!

Ingredients (makes one loaf):

• 3 really ripe (brown!) bananas
• 150g (or 5 oz) butter, not salted, at room temperature
• about 130g (or 4-5 oz) sugar (I usually use raw cane sugar)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp almond extract (optional)
• 230g (or 8 oz) whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 100g (or 3.5 oz) chopped nuts
• 100g (or 3.5 oz) rolled/old-fashioned oats

First, mash the bananas with a fork on a large plate. Really, mash them as if there's no tomorrow. ;) (Sometimes I sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice over them to prevent browning, but that is optional.)

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and eggs (and almond extract) until slightly creamy – I do use a handheld electric mixer, but a fancy kitchen aid might serve as well. ;) 

Then add the dry ingredients and make a dough. Finally, fold in the mashed bananas.

Bake in a bread loaf pan or a square shaped pan for about 45 minutes at preheated (oops, I forgot to mention that earlier) 350°F (180°C). 

After 20 minutes already, the yummy yummy smell should lead everyone to the kitchen.

Enjoy pure with coffee, for dessert or buttered for breakfast with honey!


Remarks:
 * Of course, you can always substitute margarine for butter!
* The almond extract is optional, but does - in my experience - enhance the nutty flavor of the whole wheat flour.