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The Best Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnut Crumb

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This brown butter banana bread with walnut crumb topping is incredibly moist and tender, with a nutty, toasty depth from the brown butter and a glorious crunch from the walnut crumb. It’s the perfect comfort food that feels special enough for a dinner party but easy enough for a Tuesday afternoon.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks / 226g) unsalted butter
  • 3 large ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for topping)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar (for topping)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick / 57g) cold unsalted butter, cubed (for topping)
  • 1/2 cup (60g) chopped walnuts (for topping)

Instructions

  1. Brown the Butter: Place 1 cup butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Melt completely, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will foam and sputter. After about 5-7 minutes, the foam will subside and brown specks will form on the bottom. When it turns deep amber and smells nutty, remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Let cool 15-20 minutes until warm but not hot.
  2. Preheat and Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with a parchment sling, leaving overhang on the two long sides.
  3. Make the Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup cold cubed butter. Use fingertips or a pastry cutter to work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse wet sand. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Refrigerate while making batter.
  4. Mash the Bananas: In a large bowl, mash three ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps (about 1 1/2 cups).
  5. Combine Wet Ingredients: To the mashed bananas, add cooled brown butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 room-temperature eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream. Whisk until well combined and smooth.
  6. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  7. Mix the Batter: Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold gently until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine.
  8. Assemble and Bake: Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle cold walnut crumb topping evenly over top. Bake on middle rack for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly after 40 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
  9. Cool and Serve: Let bread cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use parchment sling to lift out and transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (about 2 hours).

Notes

The brown butter is key; do not walk away from the pan as it can burn quickly. Let the brown butter cool until just barely solid (like a soft paste) before creaming with sugar. Do not overmix the batter. Check for doneness early; every oven runs differently. Let the bread cool completely before slicing for best texture. The bread tastes even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown butter banana bread, banana bread with walnut crumb, best banana bread, moist banana bread, easy banana bread recipe

Find it online: https://coracooks.com/the-best-brown-butter-banana-bread-with-walnut-crumb/