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Longtime readers will smile knowingly when I say that I can’t live without brown butter – I’ve added the golden, nutty beurre noisette to everything from doughnuts to blondies. A recent revelation over brown butter banana bread led me to this new loaf, and it turns out that brown butter is just what my banana bread has been missing (but of course!).
In this effortless quick bread, rich brown butter and vanilla pair brilliantly with banana. Add a golden, slightly crisp crumb topping, and breakfast bliss is yours!
Brown Butter Banana Bread
- Yield: 1 loaf, 12 slices
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp brown butter (from above)
Banana Bread
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown butter (from above)
- 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Pour brown butter into a glass measuring cup and let cool slightly.
- For the crumb topping, combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl; add vanilla and brown butter and toss mixture with a fork until crumbly. Chill topping until ready to use.
- For the bread, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine banana, sugars, brown butter, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture and fold in just until combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top with an offset spatula; sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake for 55 minutes, until bread is golden and springs back to the touch. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; carefully remove bread from pan and cool completely.
A brown butter kindred spirit! I bake for a local coffee shop, and one of the most popular cookies is a chocolate cookie topped with a swirl of b b buttercream. They fly off the shelf! Thank you for the inspiration to make bb banana bread.
You’re welcome! Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
Do you think a 50-50 with whole wheat flour would work well in this recipe? Maybe whole wheat pastry flour? Looks delicious!
Hi Holly, I think you could swap in up to 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, but I’d probably start with 1/2 cup and see if you like the results, then go up from there. Hope that helps!