Whole Wheat Roasted Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8×4-inch loaf pans or four mini loaf pans; set aside.

Place bananas on a baking sheet and roast, with peels on, for 15-20 minutes. They will darken and blister. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

Remove the roasted bananas from the peels, placing the insides in a medium bowl. Mash the bananas with a fork.

In a large bowl, combine the bananas, sugar, canola oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Using a mixer or whisk, mix until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until completely blended.

Divide the mixture into the prepared pans. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of each loaf, if desired. For large loaves, bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. For the mini loaves, bake for 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If the loaves begin to get too dark before they are done in the middle, cover with foil. Let the banana bread loaves cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.