Brown Butter Banana Bread

a recipe from sonia at saltnpepperhere 👩‍🍳

This is the banana bread I make on repeat and it’s our absolute fave. Tender and moist with rich nutty notes from brown butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add chocolate chips and/or nuts if you want or keep it unadorned. The crunchy course sugar on top is a non-negotiable!

Want the full experience? Printable recipe, video, step photos, tips and extras live on the blog! Go to Brown Butter Banana Bread

I held off sharing this recipe for a while because well, didn’t banana bread saturation peak in 2020?? But I was actually testing a variation on banana bread last week (sneak peak below) and my family begged me to make a batch of this too while I was in banana bread zone. So I did! And decided to publish it too, just in case you’re someone still out there looking for a banana bread recipe to call your fave ☺️

Here’s a video teaser of the banana bread spin-off I was working on. Looks good right? It needs at least another iteration before it’s perfect and ready to be shared. Stay tuned.

For now, please enjoy…my favourite Brown Butter Banana Bread 👇

BROWN BUTTER BANANA BREAD

Makes one 9” x 5” loaf or 9 thick slices.

INGREDIENTS

Wet ingredients:

½ C (114g) unsalted butter (to be cooked into brown butter)

2 C (485g) mashed ripe bananas, from 5 large bananas – note 1

½ C (108g) light brown sugar, lightly packed

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract or hazelnut extract (optional)

Dry ingredients:

2 C (260g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp kosher salt (increase to 1 tsp for Diamond Crystal brand)

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Optional add-ins:

Up to 1 cup of chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts like walnuts and pecans

Topping:

2 tbsp course sugar such as turbinado and demerara

METHOD

Heat oven to 350f (180c) with rack in middle position. Line 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper with 2" overhang on each long edge.

Brown the butter: Place butter in small pot over medium heat. Cook until foaming and sizzling subside, smells nutty, and there are brown bits at the bottom of the pot when you swirl and tilt the pot. Swirl the pot occasionally and keep a close eye on it to prevent burning. This step takes about 5-8 minutes total. Immediately transfer to large mixing bowl to cool.

Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside for the moment.

Add brown sugar to brown butter. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute – this will aerate the batter. Add bananas and mash with the whisk until mostly smooth with some small banana lumps remaining.

Whisk in eggs, vanilla and optional almond/hazelnut extract until evenly combined.

Add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing with a spatula until just incorporated and no hidden pockets of dry mixture remain. Some flour steaks are okay. Do not overmix.

Fold in chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts if using, reserving some for the top of the loaf.

Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar. Bake at 350f for 55-60 minutes or when a wooden skewer inserted in the center emerges clean. An instant thermometer should read around 180f (80c).

As soon as loaf emerges from the oven, sprinkle reserved chocolate chips on top and allow them to melt a little from the residual heat.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. If needed, run a dull knife on both ends of the banana bread to loosen from the pan. Use parchment overhangs to pull loaf out and onto a cutting board. Slice into 9 thick slices.

Note 1: If you don't have enough mashed bananas, you can replace up to 3/4 cup out of the 2 cups with plain Greek or regular full fat yogurt.

Go to the full post on saltnpepperhere.com for Brown Butter Banana Bread