Banana Bread with Oatmeal Cinnamon Streusel

This bread is how I became a blogger. It's an interesting story, actually. I have collected quite a line-up of food blogs that I visit on a regular basis. One of them is Heidi Bakes. This woman knows how to tempt me. When I saw this recipe on her blog early last summer, I decided I had to make it. Unfortunately, I made it wrong. Really wrong. As in, bread batter all over my oven, wrong.  Fortunately for me, she is a patient, encouraging and understanding woman. She returned my questioning e-mails and was full of concern, compassion and helpful hints to baking success.

As we got to talking and sharing more about each other, I mentioned how much I would love to learn more about photography and how much I love to talk about food. Heidi promptly suggested that I could do that; that I could do what she and so many others were doing-- taking pictures of food and telling stories about them. She is basically my "blog-mom". With generosity and encouragement, she guided me into this uncharted territory, and while I'm still feeling my way around, I owe that first plunge into the unknown to her. Thank you so much, Heidi, for sharing your experience, your knowledge and your love for baking and making people happy.

So, about this bread. It's as delicious as it looks. This loaf has a nice, sturdy crumb that is moist without seeming soggy like some quick breads I've tried. The star of the show, however, is the oatmeal streusel on top. A generous amount of streusel, I might add. No point in skimping on the crowning glory, after all. Is there anything more comforting, more satisfying, than buttery clumps of cinnamon and sugar studded with oats? No, no there isn't. I hope you'll try this bread and I hope it reminds you, as it reminds me, that we can be an inspiration to someone. We can guide them. We can be the one to say "Yes, you can. Here's how."

Banana Bread with Oatmeal Cinnamon Streusel

adapted from Heidi Bakes

makes 2 8x4" loaves

3 c.flour

1/2 t. salt

 2 t. baking soda

5-6 ripe bananas

2/3 c. melted butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

Streusel:

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. rolled oats

1 t. cinnamon

6 T. cold butter, in cubes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottoms of two 8x4" loaf pans with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda and whisk to combine. In another large bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher until smooth. Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Add flour and fold in gently until mostly combined. Pour into pans. In another medium bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until medium size bits remain. Add oats and continue cutting in butter until crumbly and bits are pea-sized.  Sprinkle over batter. Place pans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.