Happy Saint Patrick's Day folks!

Finally I got to stick my fingers into a new dough. After a long break it was great to be back in the old familiar kitchen. :) This recipe is actually from one of those new cookbooks I got from there. I needed to do some converting before I got in to the business but I think I got everything right. At least the result was delicious! I remember tasting warm banana bread for the first time at my est friend's. I fell straight in love with that but forgot to ask the recipe for it. This all happened before my trip so of course I forgot all of this until I found this book which included the recipe.

I don't know if you guys noticed but I put a little poll on my Facebook page, whether I should write this in Finnish also or not. I'd really appreciate if you would give your opinion there so I'd know how to improve this blog. :) Therefore this is the last "normal" post here and depending on the poll answers, who knows, maybe the next post will be written also in Finnish! So remember to give your vote on http://www.facebook.com/ChictasticBaking

After all this rant, shall we get started?

You'll need 2 loaf pans (size 8,5 x 4,5 x 2,5 inch; 21,5 x 11 x 6cm)

Butter for greasing

6,5 dl (2 3/4 cups) Flour + extra for the dusting

2 tsp Baking powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Salt

2,4 dl (1 cup) Chopped walnuts

3 Eggs

3 Bananans (prefere ripe ones)

1 Lemon zest and juice

1,2 dl (1/2 cup) Vegetable oil

2,4 dl (1 cup) Sugar

1,2 dl (1/2 cup) Brown sugar

2 tsp Vanilla extract

Start by greasing and dusting the loaf pan and preheat the oven to 180°C (350F). Mix the following ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Chop the walnuts roughly and mix them into the flours. Create a little well in the middle of the flours for the wet ingredients to be mixed in.

Mash the bananas until they're smooth paste. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs just enough for them to be mixed. Apply the bananas into the eggs and stir well.

Mix the lemon zest into the eggs as well. Then it's time to add both of the sugars, oil, vanilla extract and lemon juice into the mixture and we're almost there!

Pour 3/4 of the mixture into the well and stir it well. When you're done with that, you can pour in the rest of the mixture and kind of fold it in. Try to avoid extra stirring since the bread will loose its fluffiness if done so. 

Move the batter into the loaf pan with spoon. As seen from the picture, the pan should be about half full.. or half empty if you're pessimist :D

Bake the bread on the middle level for 35-40 mins (mine actually took 50 mins for some reason). Just check it with a tooth pick or what not so it will be fully baked.

The one we have here turned out to be extremely delicious but I feel like it was missing some fluffiness. Just need to remember next time not to stir it too much. :) I'll probably make some more on next week since my brother also fell in love with this. I got a kind request from him yesterday that if I'd have any time to make some more of it soon. :D

10/10 and two thumbs up from P-chic. This is definitely going to my "best recipes" archive!