Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

* 4 teaspoons dried yeast

* 60 g caster sugar or soft light brown sugar

* 150 g wholemeal flour

* 150 g strong white flour

* 1½ teaspoons ground allspice

* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* 4 ripe bananas

* 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, beaten together

* Vegetable oil for greasing

Preparation

* Dissolve 1 teaspoon of the sugar in 75 ml of lukewarm water, then sprinkle in the dried yeast and set aside for 15 minutes, or until it is frothy.

* Sift the two flours, allspice, cinnamon and remaining sugar into a large bowl, adding any bran left in the sieve.

* Mash the bananas into a smooth paste, then stir them into the spiced flour with the egg and egg white.

* Pour the yeast mixture into the centre. Stir to form a dough, adding a little extra flour if the mixture is too wet.

* Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth.

* Grease a bowl with a little oil and roll the dough around so that it is lightly coated with oil.

* Loosely cover the bowl with a moist cloth and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile, lightly grease a loaf tin measuring about 19 × 12 × 9 cm (7½ × 4½ × 3½ in) and set aside.

* Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch it down, knead for 1-2 minutes, then roll it into shape and place it in the tin.

* Cover it loosely and leave to rise for 45 minutes, or until it reaches the top of the tin. Heat the oven to 200°C.

* Bake the bread for 40 minutes, or until brown on top and a skewer comes out clean.

* Stand the tin on a wire rack for 20 minutes before turning the loaf out. Serve it spread with your choice of topping.