BANANA JUICE the key to perfect BLACKBERRY BANANA BREAD

Did you know that Banana's have juice? Don't worry, most people don't.  But, they do and the juice is the best part of making a moist banana bread.  The key to banana juice is using a banana that is "JUST RIGHT", one that is heavily speckled, in my opinion, one that is just short of rotting.  I take it one step farther many times and when they are "JUST RIGHT"  remove them from their skins and freeze them in recipe ready proportions.  Freezing them yields the liquid readily without the steps I'm about to tell you about.  I didn't even know I'd been doing  "JUST RIGHT" for years with the freezing process and then I read an article about how to juice a banana.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 large very ripe bananas
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 medium not so ripe banana, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted & cooled
2 JUMBO eggs
3/4+ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons crsytalline sugar

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease your loaf pan with the butter wrapper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Dust with flour.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Place 5 bananas in a microwave safe bowl and cover with a food cover lid with the vents open.
• Microwave on high for 5 minutes - until the bananas are soft and have released their juice.
  
• Transfer bananas to a sieve and allow them to drain over a small saucepan for about 10-15 minutes.
• Place bananas, raisins and blackberries in a medium mixing bowl.
  

• Cook juice over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes until juice is reduced to 1/4 cup.
• Stir reduced liquid into the banana/blackberry mixture and mash together until well blended.
• Add butter, eggs, vanilla and brown sugar and mix to a smooth consistency.
• Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and with a wooden spoon fold together until just combined.
• Fold in walnuts gently.
• Pour into prepared loaf pan.
• Layer banana slices around the edges.
• Sprinkle with crystalline sugar.
• Bake 50-60 minutes based on loaf pan size.