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Perfect Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnuts

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This banana bread features nutty browned butter and toasted walnuts for a deep, toffee-like flavor. It’s quick to prepare, uses simple ingredients, and is perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter
  • 3 large ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed or 340g)
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain yogurt or sour cream (or dairy-free coconut yogurt)
  • 1 cup (120g) raw walnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides.
  2. Brown the butter: Place ½ cup unsalted butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Melt completely, then cook, swirling occasionally, until it foams, subsides, and brown specks appear (about 5-7 minutes). The butter should smell nutty and be amber honey-colored. Pour into a heatproof bowl immediately to stop cooking.
  3. Toast the walnuts: Spread chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and slightly darker. Set aside to cool.
  4. Mash the bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher, leaving some pea-sized chunks.
  5. Mix the wet ingredients: Add sugar, room-temperature egg, vanilla extract, and yogurt/sour cream to the mashed bananas. Pour in the slightly cooled brown butter (warm, not hot). Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
  6. Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  7. Fold the dry into the wet: Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Fold gently with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix. Fold in toasted walnuts, reserving about 2 tablespoons for topping.
  8. Pour and top: Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle reserved walnuts on top, pressing gently.
  9. Bake: Place pan in center of oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. At 45 minutes, check if top is browning too quickly; tent with foil if needed. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs (or internal temperature reaches 200-205°F / 93-96°C).
  10. Cool: Let bread cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then lift out using parchment overhang and transfer to wire rack to cool completely (at least 1 hour) before slicing.

Notes

Don’t skip browning the butter—it’s key for flavor. Use room-temperature ingredients to prevent the butter from seizing. Measure flour by spooning and leveling. Do not overmix the batter. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to avoid crumbling. For best flavor, wrap and store at room temperature for up to 4 days; flavor improves after the first day. Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: banana bread, brown butter, walnuts, easy banana bread, moist banana bread, breakfast bread, dessert bread

Find it online: https://dahliadishes.com/perfect-brown-butter-banana-bread-with-walnuts-easy-recipe/