Brown Butter Banana Bread

I originally published this recipe for brown butter banana bread way back in 2013, and this is an updated version of it. The original recipe called for buttermilk, but this isn’t an ingredient I usually have on hand so I suspect it isn’t something you might, either. So I’ve updated the recipe to use Greek yoghurt in its place, without any notable change to the finished banana bread whatsoever.

You can use either brown sugar or caster sugar here too – I do either or, depending on what I have on hand (a big theme for this recipe!). If you use brown sugar, the banana bread will be slightly darker in colour and have a lovely caramel note. Caster sugar results in more of a classic banana bread flavour, which I really dig.

Now this might be a controversial opinion, but I think if you have to toast and smother banana bread with butter then you’re trying to hide some sins. Banana bread for me needs to be incredibly moist and in its most perfect state served fresh. I can’t tell you how many dry slices of banana bread I’ve had from cafes when I have refused the toasted option and it’s always such a disappointment.

If I’ve got one tip for you it’s this: once your banana bread has cooled entirely, wrap it tightly in clingfilm. This gives it that moist banana bread vibe that you often find with those individually packaged ones you get at the shops (I low key love those).

Brown Butter Banana Bread

This is my go-to banana bread recipe. I love the nuttiness the brown butter brings to this. It's the best way to use up overly ripe bananas and the resulting loaf is sweet, moist and of course, perfectly banana-y.

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Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: baking, banana, banana bread, easy recipe

Servings: 1 9×5″ loaf

Ingredients

• 175 g unsalted butter
• 240 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 60 g plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
• 300 g very ripe bananas roughly mashed with a fork (approx 4 medium bananas)
• 185 g caster sugar or 175g dark brown soft sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°c (180°c fan-forced) and prepare a loaf tin with parchment paper

Brown butter

• First brown the butter. On a medium heat melt the butter, whirling the pan occasionally. It’ll crackle and pop for a while, then you'll find the sound will suddenly stop and you'll have a wonderful, nutty aroma.
• Give it a few swirls then pour it into a bowl to stop it from burning and to allow it to cool slightly.

Banana bread

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and Greek yoghurt.
• Add the sugar to the egg mix and whisk well, then add the mashed banana and finally the brown butter.
• Next add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk roughly until combined and there are no pockets of flour visible.
• Pour into your loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the bread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool entirely.
• Once cooled, wrap tightly with clingfilm and let it rest for a few hours before slicing and serving. You can of course eat the banana bread right away, but I like this extra step for a seriously moist crumb!