Whole Wheat Honey Walnut Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Lightly oil and flour a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the honey and oil together until well blended. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until beaten and incorporated. Incorporate the mashed bananas. Stir in the flour and salt until all of the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix at this point as there are still ingredients to stir into the batter.

In a small bowl or cup add the baking soda to the hot water, mix well and then stir into the batter. Add 1/2 cup of the chopped walnuts and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Then remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Cool the loaf in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool on a wire rack for an additional 20 minutes before slicing.