Banana Bread

Ever wonder how your banana bread always looks anaemic compared to the ones you see online or in cookbooks? 'How can I get mine that beautiful caramelised, rich brown colour?' you ask? Well, it's as simple as getting a nice, sweet, over-ripe banana and mashing it a good 10 minutes before you add it to the mix so that it oxidises and goes all smooshy! Using rich brown sugar also helps a bit!
This actually isn't my banana bread because I somehow lost the image of mine, but it looks quite similar!
Image from http://kichencorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/oatmeal-banana-bread.html
You will need... For 12 slices

1 ¼ cups (185g) SR flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 vanilla pod
20g butter
½ cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup (60ml) milk
½ cup mashed banana (done a little while in advance)
½ cup chopped walnuts
Oats, brown sugar and a few extra walnut pieces to sprinkle on top.

Method...
1.    Preheat oven to hot (200°C).
2.    Grease a loaf pan and line with baking paper.
3.    Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl and rub in butter.
4.    Stir in sugar, egg, milk and banana, DO NOT OVER-MIX, the batter should be lumpy.
5. Mix together a handful of oats, brown sugar and walnut pieces.
5.    Spoon mixture into prepared pan, sprinkle over oat mix and bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked when tested.
6.    Allow to stand in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

N.B. Add some frozen raspberries or blueberries to the mix if you want some extra fruitiness! 

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