Banana Bread

This is my favorite banana bread recipe.  I like to make it a little bit healthier, so I substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour, egg whites instead of eggs, and leave the chocolate chips out.  Today was an exception with the chocolate chips....what can I say, the kids run the show.  The picture below is the whole wheat version.  You can do half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour if you want, get crazy!

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar (I use brown)
1/2 melted butter

Optional:  1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and/or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease your loaf pan.

Combine flour, powder, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Make a well in centre of flour mixture and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, vanilla, bananas, sugar, and butter.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in nuts and/or chocolate chips.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centre comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Help Hints:

If you can, freeze your bananas and then thaw.  You get much better taste this way.  It is also a great way to use over ripe bananas, stick them in your freezer until you have 5.  They also thaw quickly at room temperature.

If you find your bread is browning quicker then it is cooking, cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.