This is the only brown butter banana bread recipe you will EVER need! The carmalized bananas and brown butter gives this banana bread a deep and nutty flavor. The espresso makes it not too sweet and it´s topped off with one sliced banana, making it ultra moist. This is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
The secret ingredients to make the BEST Brown Butter Banana Bread
Carmalized bananas – Bananas are oven-carmalized with brown sugar to bring out the banana flavor. This is also great if you don´t have any ripe bananas as roasting them in the oven with soften them completely!
Brown butter – The brown butter creates a nutty and toffee flavor that is so perfect in this recipe. It adds depth and takes the banana bread to a whole new level!
Brown sugar – Brown sugar will both make the banana bread moist while it also adds delicious nutty flavor.
Espresso – The secret to making this banana bread so moist. It also complements both the banana and brown butter so well! The banana bread will not taste like coffee, it will just enrich the flavors. The espresso will also counteract the sweetness of the bananas, making the result a perfecty balanced banana bread.
How to make oven-carmalized bananas
Typically carmalizing requires a skillet that you put sugar in and heat up until it turns into caramel. The roasting method is so much easier (and cleaner). By roasting the bananas we will bring out more flavor into the final banana bread. The best thing about roasting bananas is that it does not matter if you have ripe bananas or not. Here is how to do it:
1. Slice the bananas lengthwise and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper skinside down.
2. Sprinkle brown sugar on the bananas and flip the banans to face downwards (skinside up).
3. Bake the bananas for 10 minutes or until the skin is black and there are juices released from the sides. If you have really fresh bananas, this could take 15 minutes. For ripe bananas, this might take 6-8 minutes.
4. Peel the bananas after they have cooled down and use in the recipe. The bananas will be carmalized with an amber color. This process will also make them really soft and easy to mix into the batter (no pre-mashing needed).
How to make brown butter
Use a light colored saucepan if you have one, as it helps you see the color changes during the browning process. The process could be divided into 4 phases:
Phase 1 – Melting: Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Phase 2 – Bubbling: The melted butter will start to bubble more and more. The color will shift from yellow to orange.
Phase 3 – Foaming: After about 5 minutes the bubbles will turn into foam. It´s important to stir continuously at this point.
Phase 4 – Browning: Soon after the foaming, the butter will turn into a golden color. There will be chunks of milk at the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat and continue stirring. The butter is very sensitive to burning at this point so the remaining heat from the pot will finish browning the butter. Once the butter has turned to a rich amber color, you are done!
How to store brown butter banana bread?
Since this recipe contains fruit it is susceptible to mold. To keep the banana bread for as long as possible, store it in the fridge in an airtight container. However, if you are planning on eating it within the next 2 days, it is fine to have it in an airtight container in cool and dry place.
Note that the banana bread will keep more moist if you leave it unsliced. If you have leftover (unlikely) slices, then I recommend covering each slice with a plastic wrap before storing.
If you like your banana bread warm, then microwave a slice for 20-30 seconds before digging in!
Looking for more banana recipes?
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 large bananas
- 2/3 cup brown butter
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee, room temperatured
Instructions
Roasted bananas
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice three of the bananas lengthwise and place them on the baking sheet, skinside down.
- Sprinkle brown sugar on the bananas and flip them over, skinside up.
- Bake them for 10 minutes or until the skins are black and the bananas are carmalized with juices running from the sides.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Brown butter
- In small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat.
- Whisk the melted butter consistently as it turns bubbly and foamy. The brown butter is ready once it has developed an amber color along with a fragrant nutty scent. This step occurs quickly after the foaming process, so keep an eye!
- Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Brown Butter Banana Bread
- Change the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease and line a 9×5 loaf form with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown butter with the sugars for 2 minutes.
- Scoop out the soft bananas and toss into the batter on low speed until the bananas are broken up and mixed in.
- Crack in the eggs, followed with the vanilla and espresso. Whisk until combined.
- Sift in the dry ingredients and fold gently. Do not overmix.
- Pour into the prepared loaf form.
- Slice the last banana lengthwise and place on top of the loaf.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out with crumbs and no wet batter.
- Place a kitchen towel on top and allow to cool completely before taking out from its form.
- Slice into thick pieces once cooled and enjoy!