Ingredients
For the Banana Bread
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3-4 bananas)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons reserved brown butter
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brown the Butter
Set your oven to 350F. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the bread out later.
To brown the butter, melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. It will melt, then foam, then begin to crackle. Swirl the pan occasionally. You’ll see brown specks forming at the bottom and it will start to smell nutty.
Once the butter is an amber color, immediately pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of this brown butter for the glaze and set it aside. Let the rest of the butter cool down a bit while you gather the other ingredients; it should be warm, not hot, when you add it to the batter.
Make the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Then, whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the sour cream, vanilla extract, and the cooled brown butter.
In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them together with a spatula until just combined. A few streaks of flour are fine; overmixing will make the bread tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. You can drag a butter knife down the center of the batter to help it bake with a nice split on top.
Bake the Bread
Bake for ~50-60 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes before using the parchment handles to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze the Bread
While the bread cools, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, the reserved 3 tablespoons of brown butter, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. If the brown butter has solidified, a few seconds in the microwave will liquify it again.
The glaze should be pourable but not watery.
Once the banana bread is completely cool, pour the glaze over the top. Let the glaze set for about 20 minutes before slicing.
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the Banana Bread
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana about 3-4 bananas
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons reserved brown butter
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F. Line 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang.
- Melt butter in light-colored saucepan over medium heat until amber and nutty. Pour into heatproof bowl. Reserve 3 tablespoons for glaze.
- Whisk mashed banana, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, then sour cream, vanilla, and cooled brown butter.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Fold into wet ingredients until just combined.
- Pour batter into pan. Score center with knife if desired.
- Bake 50-60 minutes until skewer has moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan 20 minutes, then transfer to wire rack until completely cool.
- Whisk powdered sugar, reserved brown butter, milk, and vanilla for glaze until pourable.
- Pour glaze over cooled bread. Let set 20 minutes before slicing.
