Blueberry-Banana Bread

To describe this bread in one word, YUM! As if banana bread wasn't good enough? Toss in some sweet, summer blueberries to make it even better!! I love it when my grandparent's blueberry bushes grow because I get loaded up with blueberries. Whenever I see a ripening banana, the first thing I think of is "banana bread." Bananas are full of potassium and especially great because if you see that they are getting brown, you can toss the whole banana in the freezer; the peel acts as a natural container even in the freezing temperatures. You can thaw them out easily or just toss them into the blender with some milk for a quick smoothie. This recipe also makes an awesome banana bread, just omit the blueberries.

Tips:

Don't go bananas with sugar - Bananas get naturally sweet the more ripe they become; adding very ripe bananas to your bread will naturally making it sweeter, so you may want to reduce the sugar a little bit. 

Flour the berries - Toss the blueberries in some all-purpose flour before you stir them into any kind of batter. The flour will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom when you bake.

Don't over do it - This bread is a "quick bread" (one that doesn't use yeast), so over-mixing the batter will give you a dense, hard, not-so-hot looking bread.

Oven Temperature: 350 degrees

Bake Time: 50-60 minutes

Servings: 1 loaf (16 slices)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

3 ripe bananas

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Quick oats or granola cereal (optional)

Directions:

1) Move the racks in your oven so that the pan will sit in the center of the oven (this is usually the second spot from the bottom). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon). Set the mixture aside.

3) In a large bowl, add bananas and mash them against the side of the bowl. 

4) Add the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla to the bananas and mix until combined.

5) Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined, don't over mix.

6) Carefully add in blueberries and nuts (if desired) to the batter, just until incorporated.

7) Grease an 8-inch loaf pan and pour the batter into the pan.

8) Sprinkle the granola or oats over the top of the batter (optional).

9) Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. 

10) Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remov it from the pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store the bread in a tightly sealed container for up to a week or freeze.