Hawaiian Bread

This is a good way to use overly ripe bananas if you don't want regular ol' banana bread. Joe is not a fan of banana bread, so I'm always trying to find new recipes that he will enjoy. This one was a winner for him.

HAWAIIAN BREAD

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups white sugar (I used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups mashed very ripe banana
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup maraschino cherries, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, sugar and cinnamon. Add the walnuts, eggs, oil, banana, pineapple, vanilla, coconut and cherries; stir just until blended. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.