Mom's Banana Bread

    

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of cooking oil
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (bread flour can be used, but the bread will not be as soft)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350º F.
• Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan or a 12-cup muffin pan. You can use a loaf pan, but make sure you check for doneness in the center with a knife or toothpick. If doubling the recipe, use a half sheet pan instead.
• Toast the walnuts in a pan on the stove on low heat until golden (approx 5-6 min). Let them cool and give them a rough chop.
• In a medium bowl, sieve and combine all the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) together.
• With an electric mixer with paddle attachment or a hand whisk, beat the oil and sugar in a large bowl for 5 minutes.
• Peel, mash, and add the bananas to the oil and sugar mixture.
• Add vanilla extract and mix.
• Separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Add the yolks one by one to the banana, oil, and sugar mixture and mix.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
• Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and combine until there are no large flour pockets. Do not overmix after adding the flour.
• Add the toasted, chopped walnuts to the batter and gently combine using a spatula. Do not overmix.
• Add half of the whisked egg whites to the batter and fold with a spatula. Add the other half of the whisked egg whites and fold gently into the batter until just combined. Do not overmix and deflate the whisked egg whites.
• Pour the batter into the greased 13 x 9-inch pan or muffin pan, or half sheet pan and bake at 350º F on the middle rack of the preheated oven.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even baking, until golden brown on top. If using a muffin pan, bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown.