Description
Grown-up banana bread with nutty whole wheat flour and browned butter – healthy and delicious!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3/4 cup (6 ounces, 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (will brown to just over 1/2 cup)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 5 Tbsp. buttermilk (or plain yogurt)
- 3 medium bananas, mashed
- 6 ounces (1/2 bag) chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- Brown the butter: Melt in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will foam and crackle, then start to brown. Swirl or stir occasionally as it cooks, and remove from the heat when the butter is brown and begins to smell nutty. Milk solids will cook on the bottom of the pan and turn dark brown. Traditionally these are discarded or left in the pan when you pour out the brown butter, but they do add a toasty additional flavor, so it’s up to you whether you want to use them. I was not careful about straining them all out, but did leave some in the pan as well. When done, pour into a small bowl and set aside. Let cool at least 10 minutes before incorporating into the batter (as directed below).
- Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add bananas and browned butter and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry all at once, and everything together with a rubber spatula. Work quickly and lightly, using as few strokes as possible to combine. If using chocolate chips, add them about halfway through the folding process. It is important not to overstir. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl to reveal any hidden flour spots.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a skewer/toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with just a few small crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before inverting the loaf onto the rack to cool completely. The loaf will last approximately 4 days, wrapped in foil and left at room temperature.
Notes
Whole wheat flour has a higher protein content, meaning it develops gluten much more easily and can result in toughness in baked goods. Extra moisture and sugar are necessary to balance this, so don’t consider reducing the buttermilk or sugars. Make sure you use a light hand in the final mixing of the batter in order to have a bread with a tender crumb.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour