Brown Butter Banana Bread

This Brown Butter Banana Bread is incredibly moist and rich with nutty browned butter, ripe bananas, gooey chocolate chunks, and flaky sea salt in every bite.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 5

Cool Time40

Total Time2 5

Servings: slices

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

3 medium very ripe bananas about 1 ½ cups mashed; peels should be heavily spotted or mostly brown
½ cup salted butter 1 stick / 113g
¾ cup light brown sugar 160g packed
2 large eggs room temperature
⅓ cup full-fat sour cream 80g, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 225g
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt or heaping ¼ teaspoon table salt
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate baking bar roughly chopped into irregular chunks or chocolate chips
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt for topping (such as Maldon)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x5 inch metal loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper long enough to hang over the two long sides. This makes it easy to lift the finished loaf straight out of the pan.
Peel your bananas, break them into chunks, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Mash them thoroughly with a fork until only small lumps remain and the texture looks like chunky applesauce. Set the bowl aside.
Melt the butter in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Once it melts, keep cooking it, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes. You will hear it crackle and sputter as the water cooks off, then it will go quiet and small golden-brown bits will appear on the bottom of the pan. The butter will smell nutty and toasty. As soon as you see those golden bits, pour the browned butter immediately into the bowl with your mashed bananas and scrape every drop from the pan, since those brown bits carry a lot of the flavor.
Stir to combine, then let the mixture sit for 3-5 minutes to cool slightly before adding your eggs. This step is important. Hot butter poured directly onto eggs can start to cook them before they are incorporated into the batter.
Add the brown sugar to the cooled banana and butter mixture and stir well until combined. Add both eggs and stir until fully mixed in, about 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and stir again until smooth.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Pour the flour mixture into the banana mixture and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter does not need to be perfectly smooth and a few small lumps are fine.
Set aside about 2 tablespoons of the chopped chocolate for the top and fold the rest into the batter with just a few gentle strokes.
Pour and scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the reserved chocolate chunks over the surface and sprinkle evenly with the flaky sea salt.
Bake on the center rack for 55-65 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf in a spot away from any visible chocolate comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If your toothpick hits a melted chocolate pocket, wipe it clean and try a different spot. The very center of the loaf may look barely set, but it will firm up as it cools. Resist checking before the 45-minute mark.
If the top is getting too dark before the loaf is done, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the pan and continue baking.
Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before lifting it out using the parchment paper handles. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least another 20 minutes before slicing. Slicing too early can cause the center to look gummy.

Notes

Use quality ingredients: Choose very ripe bananas, brown the butter until it's golden and nutty, and use a chopped chocolate bar for the richest flavor and gooey chocolate pockets.
No chocolate bar? Substitute 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for the 6-ounce chocolate baking bar. Chocolate chips hold their shape more during baking, while chopped chocolate melts into rich, gooey pockets throughout the loaf.
Mix and bake gently: Stir the batter only until the flour disappears, check for doneness away from melted chocolate, and loosely tent the loaf with foil if the top browns too quickly.
Prevent sinking: Mix the batter just until combined, use the correct amount of mashed banana, and avoid opening the oven too early to help your loaf bake up tall and evenly.
Cool completely: Let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then on a wire rack for another 20 minutes before slicing so the crumb sets properly.
Check for doneness: Start checking the loaf around 55 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center, avoiding any visible chocolate chunks. It should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. For the most accurate results, the center should reach 200–205°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Frozen banana tip: If using frozen bananas, thaw and drain the excess liquid before measuring 1½ cups of mashed banana to prevent a gummy loaf.
Store for later: Keep the loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze whole or sliced for up to 3 months for an easy make-ahead treat.

Nutrition