Brown Butter Banana Bread – Home Grown Happiness

By
Admin
-
0
4


This tender brown butter banana bread has lovely caramel notes complementing the banana flavour.

Brown butter is simply butter that has melted and then cooked a step further so that the milk solids in the butter caramelize. It brings this amazing depth of flavour. This recipe is also a great way to use up overripe bananas. The riper they are, the sweeter they are, and the easier to mash! The batter has a little yogurt in there, too to make it extra tender.

A few notes

  • Use over-ripe bananas – The riper the better. They provide sweetness and flavour, and add moisture to the bread. I use 2 large bananas in the batter, and an extra banana sliced for the top.
  • Butter – You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. This will be browned first and left to cool before using in the recipe.
  • Milk Powder – An optional extra, but a spoonful of milk powder toasted with the brown butter brings more milk solids to to toast!
  • Plain yoghurt – This can be Greek yoghurt or natural yoghurt. You can also use sour cream. These bring a bit of acidity for a tender texture.

Let’s make this brown butter banana bread!

  1. Brown your butter, and add milk powder if you’re using it!
milk powder added to butter.
When your butter starts to foam, add in milk powder if you’re using it.
Adding milk powder will make it extra foamy. Don’t stop whisking til the milk solids have browned.
  1. Mash bananas and whisk in your wet ingredients.
mashed banana
I use a fork but you can also use a hand mixer to mash the bananas!
eggs and sugar and butter.
Once your butter has cooled, add it in!
  1. Fold in the dry ingredients and the yoghurt.
spatula stirring yoghurt.
Fold everything in gently so you don’t over mix.
banana bread batter.
Look at those lovely flecks of browned butter!
  1. Add the batter to a tin and bake!
halved bananas on batter.
A halved banana and some coarse sugar makes a great topping.
baked banana bread.
A beautiful banana bread!

Serving and storing

Serve the banana bread loaf in slices with a pat of butter. Leftover brown butter banana bread can be covered and stored at room temperature for three days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Banana bread freezes very well, too, so this recipe could be doubled or tripled, and extra loaves can be frozen. Cover the cooled bread tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Let it defrost at room temperature, and slices can be warmed in the toaster or microwave. 

sliced banana bread.

Brown Butter Banana Bread

Elien Lewis

This tender brown butter banana bread has lovely caramel notes complementing the banana flavor.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Course Snack

Cuisine American, New Zealand

Servings 8 people

Calories 343 kcal

  • 115 g unsalted butter
  • 7 g milk powder optional
  • 240 g bananas very ripe
  • 150 g soft brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 125 g natural yogurt or use sour cream

Topping

  • 1 large banana sliced lengthwise
  • Coarse sugar Optional

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease or line an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper

  • Let the butter melt in a small saucepan over medium heat.. Avoid using a dark pan, as you will struggle to see the caramelization of the butter at the bottom of the pan and run the risk of burning it.

  • Once the butter melts, let it cook for around 3-4 minutes, regularly whisking.

  • Once it starts to foam, add in milk powder if you’re using it, and whisk until the milk solids in the milk powder and butter brown into a deep amber colour and the butter smells nutty.

  • Let the butter cool for around 10-15 minutes.

  • Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.

  • Add the cooled butter, including all the caramelised bits, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the mashed bananas. Whisk it well until combined.

  • Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients along with the yogurt. Fold it together with a rubber spatula combined.

  • If you add chocolate chips or nuts, these can also be folded through the banana mixture now.

  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Slice the extra banana lengthwise and place the sliced banana on top of the batter. Sprinkle with a little coarse sugar.

  • Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50-60 minutes until the top of the bread springs back when touched and a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. The baking time will depend on your oven.

  • Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing.

Brown Butter Banana bread muffins – You can bake this batter in muffins too! Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and grease or line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Make the batter, then divide it over the muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven heat to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The total time will depend on your oven.
Cup sizes – The cup sizes given are US-sized. Note that these are smaller than metric. For best results, use grams.
Add-ins – Feel free to add nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruits like cranberries or raisins to the batter for added texture and flavor.

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 227mgFiber: 2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 447IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg

Keyword banana, Banana bread, brown butter

Sharing is caring!