Won't-Last-Long Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I know it looks a little roasty-toasty, but give it a chance!

We reallllllllllllllllly love this banana bread recipe. It gets the most gorgeously browned crust I have ever seen! I originally took it from a Food Network recipe, but after about 50 loaves of it, I've adapted it to a yummier and slightly healthier variety.

Here it is. Makes TWO full-sized loaves.

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
3 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
7 or 8 overripe bananas
2 cups of sugar
3 sticks of unsalted butter (I KNOW.)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of walnuts (Love those omega 3s!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip 6 of the bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Finely dice the remaining 1 or 2 bananas. Fold in the nuts and the diced bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

You can eat warm out of the oven, but I think it's best after sitting for a day or so and re-heated in the microwave. Yummmmmmmm! I usually make 6 or 8 loaves in an afternoon. I'll take one to work and one to my parents. Between breakfasts and sack lunches, we usually eat two more before I have a chance to freeze them! So much for getting ahead!

A few additional notes - I've also made this without the diced bananas, and everyone still loves it. Of course, you can omit the nuts. I've also added a couple of handfuls of blueberries for added nutritional benefits, and I really love it that way. I've ALSO done half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose. It is denser for sure, but we like it! It seems to need about 5 less minutes baking time though to prevent it from getting overly dried out. It works just fine with 100% all purpose flour too, of course.

Hope you enjoy! Let me know how it turns out for you!

And a picture of my girls having a bedtime banana bread snack!

See also LifeAsMom.