Whole Wheat Banana Bread

** This is a recipe from "The New High Altitude Cookbook" **

When we moved from California to Utah, none of my baked goods recipes worked. Everything was flat, raw in the middle, cookies spread wide on the baking sheet, and my quick breads were a total disaster. I was devastated!

This cookbook saved me. :) YAY! For those of you living at high altitudes (I'm at 3800 ft), this recipe is perfect. It doesn't rise in the middle like my bread did in California, but it still tastes wonderful, cooks through & stays moist. I also love that it's made partly with whole wheat flour or wheat germ.

This bread freezes extremely well. I like to bake up quite a few throughout the cooler months so we can pull them out during the summer. It also makes a great gift. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

1 cup shortening
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 large bananas, mashed
1/3 cup water
2 cups whole-wheat flour and 1 cup + 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
OR 1 1/4 cups wheat germ and 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp double-acting baking powder (make sure it's "double-acting")
1 cup chopped nutmeats (like walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 325* - 350*F. (In my oven, it's better at 325* and I bake it for 15 minutes longer)
2. Grease two 9x5x3" loaf pans.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening & brown sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, bananas & water. Mix well.
4. Combine dry ingredients & stir lightly with whisk to totally combine.
5. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture, stirring only until blended. Stir in nutmeats.
6. Pour batter into prepared pans.
7. Bake 1 hour at 350*F, 1 hour 15 mins at 325*F, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan.