BANANA WALNUT CRANBERRY BREAD

Banana Bread

I just love this bread like anything and so, whenever I head to stores like Safeway, Fred Meyer, the first thing I search for is BANANA WALNUT Bread in the Bakery Aisle.
I was curious whether i could try this at home. But I’m Pretty sure it involved breaking of an egg, in which I’m not a perfectionist. Our house menu usually doesn't not include egg in regular diet except for cases like today, where I’m trying to bake a cake.
Then I came across this recipe in which case, egg can be eliminated for Complete Egg Haters or use ready made beaten egg carton available in stores , which reduces the smell and mess of a beaten egg hovering around your home!
So my very first bread turned out to be a big Winner in the house. And so there you go! I get to share with u all! Try and Enjoy for your Breakfast,Evening Treat..etc. Good Luck


Things Needed:

1 cup	Walnuts
1¾ cup	All purpose flour
1 cup	Sugar (brown or white)
1 tsp	Baking powder
¼ tsp	Baking soda
¼ tsp	Salt
1 tsp	Vanilla extract
2 nos ½ cup	Eggs or Beaten Egg {Optional}
3 nos	Banana (ripe)
½ cup	Butter (or 1 stick)
few	dried Cranberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and keep it ready. Spread the walnuts in an oven proof tray and toast for 7 minutes or less depending on your oven. Keep an eye on them while toasting to avoid them getting too brown. Remove and cool. Reserve half of the walnuts for topping and chop the rest roughly.
2. Melt the butter and cool.
3. Keep a loaf pan ready all buttered or sprayed with PAM  for baking.
4. Mash the bananas using your hand removing all lumps. The riper the bananas are the tastier and moister your bread will be. This also requires less of sugar as the riper banana you use.
5. Take a bowl, combine all purpose flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and finely chopped toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
6. Take a bowl, light beat the eggs with a whisk, add butter, vanilla and mashed bananas. Combine all these to make a thick batter. Its better to use white portion alone as its less cholesterol content than the yellow where its high.
7. Now slowly add the dry ingredients combined above to this wet batter. gently fold with a spatula until all well combined to make a chunky batter.
8. Pour this over the greased pan and top them with the remaining toasted walnuts and bake for about 55 to 60 minutes (depending on your oven) in the middle rack or until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean.
9. Once baked, cool it completely by placing the bread on a cooling rack ,later,  slice and serve. 
10. Don’t close it while its warm as this will lead to the formation of fungus over after certain period. Cooling it completely is VERY VERY IMPORTANT.

Slice it up and Box it, ready to eat!