Banana Bread--A perfect antidote to a cold, Canadian Sunday afternoon

It's been a couple of days now that the temperature hasn't budged much above -20 celcius. Dreaded Montreal winters subject your body to intolerable achiness, that goes right down to your bones. This chilly Sunday, I have vowed to stay in, and obviously bake. Soon, the sweet, comforting smell of baking banana bread permeated throughout the house, enveloping me with its warmth. Ok, maybe I'm slighty exaggerating the powers a banana loaf actually has, but let your imaginations get the better of you. Or just humour me.

This recipe was in the Life section of the Montreal Gazette on March 6, 2002. Gazette food critic Lesley Chesterman doesn't say where she got the recipe, but rest assured, it is delicious.

Banana Bread courtesy of The Montreal Gazette, March 6th, 2002

Makes one 9x5 inch loaf

1 ¾ cups white flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large, or 3 small)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the aggs and sugar until it doubles in volume. Pour in the oil. Alternately stir in the dry ingredients and the bananas.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 55 mins to 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes.

Best eaten warm (either right out of the over, after it's cooled a bit, or heated up in the toaster oven or microwave).

Keep warm. Enjoy.