Walnut and Olive Oil Banana Bread

Recipe extracted from Modern Mediterranean Diet by Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos &  Vivienne Koutsis, Macmillan Publishers, RRP $44.99

Nothing is quite as decadent as a freshly baked moist banana bread, and although this is filed under ‘desserts’, I often end up popping it, slice by slice, in the toaster to have with my morning coffee. Heavily inspired by Mediterranean produce, the yoghurt and olive oil in this recipe give the banana bread an unparalleled moistness that is cut through by the crunchy texture of the walnuts. – Vivienne

SERVES 8–10

Ingredients

• 175 g plain flour
• 150 g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 300 g very ripe bananas (about 3), roughly chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (100 g) walnuts, chopped, plus 6 whole walnuts to decorate

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Lightly grease a 25 Å~ 10 cm loaf tin with olive oil.

Combine the flour, caster sugar, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to incorporate and remove lumps.

Place the banana in a large bowl and mash well, then whisk in the eggs, olive oil, yoghurt and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts, then pour the batter into the tin and arrange the whole walnuts in a line down the middle of the loaf. Bake for 55 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove the bread from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into slices and serve.