Brown Butter Banana Bread

5 from 13 votes

This incredibly soft brown butter banana bread features a soft crumb and super moist texture. The brown sugar and banana give it a sweet flavor we all love in classic banana bread, while the brown butter gives it a unique, rich, and nutty flavor you can't get anywhere else.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Bread, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: banana, brown butter

Servings: slices

Author: Molly Thompson

Equipment

9x5-inch loaf pan

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

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line the center with a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
Brown the butter: Place the cubed butter in a medium to small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the butter around to melt it and continue to stir constantly for 5 minutes. The butter will begin to bubble and foam and the milk solids will begin to separate. Some of the bubbles will subside around the 5-minute mark and you'll start to see the milk solids toast and turn a golden brown color. It should smell buttery and nutty. When you see the brown bits in the bottom of the pan, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into a separate bowl to cool.
Make the banana bread: while the butter is cooling, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Place the banana in a large bowl and use the back of a fork or a potato masher to mash bananas. You should have 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas (about 3 large ripe bananas). Add the cooled 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.
Pour 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 or the bread will become dense.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly into each corner with a spatula or spoon. If desired, slice another ripe banana down the center lengthwise then place the sliced banana, cut-side-up, in the center of the loaf. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top and sides are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center just barely comes out clean. Start checking the bread for doneness around 40 minutes and tent it with aluminum foil if it's starting to look too brown.
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.

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