Brown Butter Banana Walnut Bread with Vanilla Bean Butter
This twist on classic banana walnut bread adds brown butter which transforms the bread. Add a swirl of vanilla infused butter for an unforgettable breakfast, brunch or snack. So moist you'll need to make two, one to eat immediately and one for later.
Equipment
Ingredients
BREAD
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 overly ripe bananas (skins should be black, about 1 cup)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg (beaten)
- ¾ cup toasted walnuts
- turbinado sugar (optional)
VANILLA BUTTER
- 8 tablespoons salted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 vanilla bean (split and seeds scraped)
Instructions
- If the bananas are not over ripe, preheat the oven to 250º. Cook bananas in the peel on a cookie sheet for 15-25 minutes until skins are black.
- While bananas are baking, brown the butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook butter until it turns brown, about 5 minutes, then pour into a glass bowl. Let cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher. Add sugar, brown butter, honey, and egg, whisking to combine. Add flour mixture, and stir until just barely combined. Fold in chopped toasted walnuts.
- Place batter in prepared pan and sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pan to a cooling rack to cool before slicing.
- Vanilla Butter:
- In a small bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla seeds scraped from the pod. Mix with hand held mixer to combine. Let sit for an hour before serving.
Barbara's Notes + Tips
- You can use pecans instead of walnuts.
- If your bananas are not overly ripe, they will not add flavor or sweetness to the banana bread.
- The vanilla butter is extra and not needed for a delicious banana bread.
- Make sure that you remove the butter from the stove as soon as it starts to turn brown, it will quickly go from brown to burnt. Don't leave it in the pan as it will continue to cook, pour it into a bowl to cool.
Nutrition
Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 424IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
