Luscious Banana Bread Breakfast~

Confronted with the situation of too many ripe bananas due to the fact that A. hadn't peeked at the fruit bowl before visiting the grocery store, I scanned my favourite Moosewood Desserts cookbook. Having settled in to make muffins, a new package of paper muffin tin liners already on the counter, A. complained "I thought you were going to make banana bread!" Ever the eager- to- please wife (except when it comes to anything soccer related), I relented and decided to use my large loaf pan (9 x 5) for the recipe. It turned out deliciously moist and flavourful--little pockets of not quite mashed banana here and there providing great texture. I adapted the recipe by adding unsweetened apple sauce to make up the remainder of the 3 cups of mashed banana called for, by using white sugar with a spoonful of blackstrap molasses in place of the brown sugar (mine is too hard!), by reducing the oven temperature and increasing the baking time (since it was originally for muffins) and by reducing the sugar overall. Probably as far from an Italian recipe one can get, this loaf nevertheless makes an enchanting breakfast as is, and an addictive snack spread with butter or apple butter.... Enjoy!

Recipe:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2- 3/4 cup brown sugar (or 1/2 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses)
2 eggs
4 bananas, mashed (or combination of banana and applesauce to make about 3 cups)
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and butter a loaf pan (9 x 5 inches)
2. In a large bowl mix the oil, sugar, eggs and banana mixture until well combined
3. Sift the dry ingredients together into a small bowl and fold them into the wet mix carefully, until just combined, folding in the vanilla near the end
4. Scoop the batter into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes, until a tester inserted comes out clean
5. Cool on a rack in the pan for about 10 minutes before unmoulding, and wrap well in a cotton towel once completely cool
6. Feed to loved ones or take heart in it yourself!