Not your regular ol’ banana bread. This is browned butter banana bread and it is the BEST. The addition of browned butter adds a level of complexity to the flavours, a sort of je ne sais quoi. It’s moist, delicious and so pretty with the extra roasted banana on top.
Browned Butter Banana Bread
I had no idea that banana bread was such a big dealio until coronavirus. Literally every other #quarantinebaking story was about banana bread!
For some reason, everyone was making loaf after loaf of this stuff. I didn’t get it, my only memories of banana bread were bland at most. I mean, isn’t it usually a little dull and kind of on the dry side?
So, I set out to discover why and to come up with my own recipe.
After a couple trials, this beautiful browned butter banana bread was born. I guarantee you, this is the best banana bread you will ever eat!
Moreover, not only is this delicious, the name is a cute little string of alliteration for all you word nerds out there 🙂
First, what is browned butter?
Ahhhh, browned butter. The star of this browned butter banana bread.
Browned butter is butter that has been gently cooked to bring out the Maillard reaction which transforms the colour, aroma and flavour of regular butter. Serious Eats goes in depth with the science of it if you want to learn more!
With heat, butter deepens into an amber colour, tastes like caramel and smells aromatically nutty.
It’s a magical ingredient that adds a certain je ne sais quoi to everything it touches. Flavours become more complex, heightened, and rich with notes of deep caramel. Once you make it, your kitchen will be filled with a warm fragrance of nutty, buttery caramelization. Imagine living in a house made of butterscotch candy, THAT’S the smell I’m talking about.
Honestly, it is the most intoxicating aroma. After you try this, you won’t ever go back to regular butter. The way it transforms your recipes, it’s so worth the extra effort of browning your butter. I do it for just about everything I would use regular butter in – cookies, rice krispies, sauces, etc.
How to make moist browned butter banana bread
Moist.
Sorry, I had to do it.
Here are some things that I do when I bake banana bread or any kind of cake to make sure the crumb is nice and moist:
- I use yogurt! There’s 1/3 cup of regular full-fat balkan yogurt in this recipe. The added fat plus liquid helps to prevent the bread from drying out
- Melt the butter and stir it into the sugar versus beating solid butter with the sugar
- I use super ripe bananas, like, they have to be all BROWN before I bake with them
- Stir with a gentle hand. Over-mixing will cause more gluten to form which makes a tough crumb and you’ll get lots of tunneling!
- Bake at a lower temperature. Instead of the usual 350 degrees F, I bake this loaf at 325 degrees F. Slow and low is key for nice browning on the outside without drying out the inside.
Check out more dessert recipes that incorporate fruit:
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Caramelized Peach Chocolate Dutch Baby
- Classic French Lemon Tart
- Skyscraper Strawberry Shortcake
- Simple and Healthy Apple Pear Crisp
Recipe for browned butter banana bread:
Browned Butter Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter browned
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup mashed bananas about 2 medium bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup full fat plain yogurt I used balkan style
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 extra banana for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a loaf pan with oil spray and parchment paper.
- Browning the butter: place butter into a small saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Keep it there and let it simmer. Once in a while, swirl the pot to stir the butter. Slowly, it will caramelize to a dark amber colour. Take off heat and set it aside while you prepare the next steps.
- Peel bananas and mash with a fork until no lumps remain, measure to make sure you get 1 1/4 cup.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, white sugar, and salt. Then pour in browned butter, stir until well combined.
- Mix in mashed bananas, egg, and yogurt.
- Gently fold in dry ingredients, walnuts and chocolate chips. Do not over mix.
- Pour batter into loaf pan.
- Optional: if using extra banana for topping, cut it in half and place right on top of the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour until the top is nicely browned. Test with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it's ready. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a comment below and tag @chocolateandconnie on Instagram.
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the extra roasted banana on top really makes this banana bread imo