Recipe: Banana (nut) bread

Posting this recipe which has become a favorite of many a friend, colleague, and kid. The recipe uses the oven and not the bread maker. You can make this as just banana bread, or add chopped pecans/walnuts if you like them.

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
4 ripe bananas, mashed (mash should be roughly 2 - 2.5 cups)
3 eggs
0.5 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1.5 cups oil**
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
0.5 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 loaf pans (for baking)
**For low-fat recipe, use 1 cup applesauce and half cup oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Coat the bottom and sides of two loaf pans with butter/margarine, and dust all over with flour. In a mixing pan, mix together all dry ingredients except baking soda. Now add all the wet ingredients and mix well. Finally add baking soda and mix. Pour into two loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 50 mins to an hour.

Cool uncovered, or covered lightly with a paper towel (basically bread should vent without becoming too dry). Then cover and store. Stays fresh outside fridge for 3-4 days. Can store this refrigerated for 7-10 days. Or slice up and freeze the slices, to be thawed and eaten later.

Tip: if you have overripe bananas, don't throw them away. You can use them directly - or freeze them, and use them in this recipe.