1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) soft whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5-6 large very ripe bananas that have been frozen and thawed out
1 banana, not too ripe (for the top)
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, plus a little for the top
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F.
Peel the skin off the bananas and place it in the fine mesh strainer over a bowl. You a spoon to push as much liquid as possible out of the bananas. Take out 1 cup of banana mush.
Transfer banana juice to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons.
Add the banana syrup to the mush. Add the oil, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients on top and mix until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into thin slices. Shingle banana slices on top of both side of loaf. Sprinkle sugar evenly over loaf.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Store at room temperature for a couple of days or freezer for up to a month.
If bananas are not frozen, peel them and put in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, make a couple of holes and microwave for 4 minutes. Drain and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
