Banana Walnut Bread

I have lost count on the number of banana bread recipes I have tried. I think it's one of those recipes we all have tried, right? What prompted me to give this Starbuck's version a try is still beyond me. First, I am not sure I have ever even tried anything from Starbuck's. Some of you are in disbelief, I know. I cannot stand anything coffee related, including it's "smell". I have been in a Starbuck's and have found the various coffee aromas overwhelming and far from appealing. Quite the opposite. Second, a few years ago when Starbuck's refused to send our soldiers anything, they immediately and forever went to my shit list and will never be removed. 

So yeah, why did I give this a try again? I am a sucker for good looking food and this bread looks so good when finished. This isn't the best banana bread I have had, nor is it the worst. It has great flavor and texture, yet I found it a bit too dry for my tastes. It is perfect though with a big dollop of butter on top (or in our house, margarine). 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 TBLS. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas (1 cup mashed)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
rolled oats for the top

Grease and flour loaf tin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg, sugar and oil until pale and well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix well, adding buttermilk and mashed bananas as you go along. Add the 1/2 cup walnuts.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Level it out and sprinkle the 1/3 cup walnuts and desired amount of rolled oats over the top.

Bake 50 - 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before removing loaf from tin and cutting into slices.