Brown Butter Banana Bread

This irresistible brown butter banana bread boasts a delectably soft crumb and a wonderfully moist texture. The star of the show is the brown butter, which infuses the bread with a warm, nutty richness that takes the flavor to a whole new level. Paired with the sweetness of ripe bananas and a touch of sugar, it delivers that comforting, nostalgic taste we all adore in traditional banana bread. To get the perfect loaf, make sure you have 3 large, overripe bananas on hand!

At its core, this recipe builds on my beloved, tried-and-true banana bread formula, which also shines in our Nutella banana bread and apple banana bread variations. It’s a timeless recipe that you'll want to make again and again—perfect for printing, scribbling notes on, and passing down through generations. You might even find yourself memorizing it along the way!

Ingredients

• ▢½ cup (1 stick; 113g) unsalted butter cut into equal slices
• ▢2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (1:1 gluten-free flour if needed) spooned and leveled
• ▢½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢1 1/2 cups (345g) very ripe mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas) plus an additional banana for topping
• ▢2 large eggs
• ▢1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or greek yogurt
• ▢1/4 cup (50g) of granulated sugar
• ▢1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar packed
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line the center with a piece of parchment paper.
2. Brown the butter: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl to melt and continue to stir until it bubbles and foams. Some bubbles will subside around the 5-minutes and the milk solids will toast and turn a golden brown. It should smell buttery and nutty. Immediately remove it from the heat to a separate bowl.
3. brown butter in a bowl
4. Mix dry ingredients: while the butter is cooling, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
5. Combine wet ingredients: Mash the banana with a fork and measure out 1 1/2 cups or weight (345g) it for best results. Mix it with the brown butter, eggs, sour cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. and whisk well until combined and all of the lumps are gone. It's okay to have some lumps of bananas.
6. Combine the batter: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until completely combined. Be careful not to over mix.
7. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Slice another ripe banana down the center lengthwise and add it to the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top and sides are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil if it looks to brown.
8. Cool and serve: Allow the bread to cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to pull it out of the pan then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve plain or with butter.

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