Brown Butter Banana Bread Recipe
Banana bread is one of the most popular recipes in American cuisine. With its soft texture and delightful aroma, it is a treat that captivates everyone who tastes it. There are many different versions of banana bread. It can be made in a variety of ways by adding chocolate, cinnamon, walnuts, etc., to suit different tastes.
Ever since I tried the lusikkaleivät recipe a few years ago, I’ve been wanting to use browned butter in a recipe other than that cookie. I’ve been going back and forth with many different recipes in my mind. I was particularly certain that it would bring a fantastic flavor boost to chocolate chip cookies, but I didn’t want to use this method in a cookie again—at least not for my first attempt. So, I turned my attention to cake recipes.
To be honest, banana bread wasn’t the first recipe that came to mind. I initially thought of using browned butter in cakes with already strong flavors, like peanut butter bundt cake or cherry bundt cake, as a surprising flavor enhancer. But then I decided to start with something simpler and settled on banana bread. I will, of course, try the others in due time.
Because banana bread contains a wet ingredient like bananas, it’s a cake recipe that is prone to being too wet inside if not enough flour is used. For this reason, using a thicker batter than in classic cake recipes helps reduce this risk. I want to emphasize once again the importance of adjusting the flour amount according to the other ingredients each time. In my classic banana bread recipe, I use 2 cups + 1 tablespoon of flour, but in this recipe, I omit that extra tablespoon because the walnuts, which can absorb moisture, are added. Obvious ingredient changes like this clearly call for a change in the flour amount, but the size of the bananas or eggs can also lead to surprising variations in the amount of flour needed—from as little as a teaspoon to as much as half a cup, depending on the situation.
Therefore, in ALL CAKES AND BAKED GOODS, you should always add the flour gradually, controlling the consistency of the batter, and use only as much as needed. This rule applies even if you change the ingredients or the type of flour. EVERY TIME, EVERY SINGLE TIME, you should use just the right amount of flour. In fact, this rule also applies to the amount of sugar, which you can adjust according to your taste. But I won’t push it further and will highlight that in another recipe.
Enjoy the recipe...
Brown Butter Banana Bread Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 2 eggs,
- 2 bananas,
- 150 g butter,
- 3/4 cup sugar,
- 2 cups flour,
- 1 cup chocolate chips,
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts,
- 10 g of baking powder.
Preparation
- Place the butter in a saucepan and cook over low-medium heat until it melts and turns brown, then remove from heat,
- Mash the bananas in a deep bowl,
- After waiting for about 5 minutes for the butter to cool slightly, add it to the mashed bananas and mix,
- Add the sugar and mix,
- Add the eggs and mix,
- Gradually add the flour while continuing to mix,
- After adding half of the flour, add the baking powder along with the flour and mix,
- Add the remaining flour and mix,
- Pour 1/3 of the mixture into a greased 24 cm loaf pan,
- Add the chocolate chips and walnuts to the remaining mixture and mix,
- Pour the mixture into the pan,
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Enjoy your meal...