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Best Banana Bread with Brown Butter and Walnuts

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This banana bread features deep, nutty flavor from browned butter and crunchy walnuts, with a moist, tender crumb. It’s simple enough for a weekday treat yet special enough for holiday brunches.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups or 340g)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 3/4 cup (85g) chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
  2. Brown the butter. Place the 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it melts. The butter will foam up, then subside, and you’ll see brown specks forming at the bottom. Swirl the pan occasionally. When the butter smells nutty and turns a golden-amber color (about 5-7 minutes), remove it from the heat immediately. Pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Toast the walnuts (optional but recommended). Spread the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the preheating oven for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. They should smell fragrant and look slightly darker. Set them aside to cool.
  4. Mash the bananas. In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until smooth. A few small lumps are fine—they add texture to the finished bread. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana.
  5. Combine the wet ingredients. Add the cooled brown butter (make sure it’s not hot), granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth and well combined. The mixture should look glossy and slightly thick.
  6. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using). Whisking aerates the flour and ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed.
  7. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold them together gently. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing will develop gluten and make your bread tough. A few small lumps are okay.
  8. Fold in the walnuts. Add the toasted walnuts and fold them in with just a few strokes. Reserve a handful to sprinkle on top if you want a prettier presentation.
  9. Pour into the pan. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. If you reserved some walnuts, sprinkle them on top and press them gently into the batter so they stick during baking.
  10. Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Check at the 45-minute mark—if the top is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
  11. Cool. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then lift it out using the parchment paper overhang and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Resist the urge to slice it while it’s warm—it needs time to set, or it will fall apart.

Notes

For best results, use very ripe bananas with brown spots. Brown the butter carefully—it can go from perfect to burnt quickly. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. The bread tastes even better on the second day as flavors meld.

Nutrition

Keywords: banana bread, brown butter, walnuts, easy banana bread, moist banana bread, best banana bread

Find it online: https://sweetstirring.com/best-banana-bread-with-brown-butter-and-walnuts/