Browned Butter Bourbon Banana Bread
Browned Butter and Bourbon come together to elevate your traditional banana bread. Ultra-moist and full of flavor, this Browned Butter Bourbon Banana Bread is absolutely bananas! Ultra moist and rich, this elevated take on traditional banana bread includes browned butter – for that awesome nutty flavor, walnut oil for tenderness, and bourbon for a deeper integration of flavors!
Banana bread is one of those things that will always be good. However, when you come across a truly amazing, moist banana bread, it can be life changing! I developed this browned butter bourbon banana bread (say that 5 times fast!) because I was always looking for a banana bread that hit all the marks: Multi-dimensional in flavor, ultra -moist, a crumb that is not too dense, nor too light, and perfectly balanced in sweetness.
Bourbons Role
Adding a spirit to anything really always adds a significant amount of dimension to the flavor profile. Think about it, most alcohols are developed and aged in such a way to really intensify certain flavor profiles. Then after the cooking or baking process, most of the alcohol is evaporated out and we are left with the strong characteristics of said alcohol. The bourbon in this recipe lends vanilla, oak, and caramel flavors to the banana loaf. With 3 little tablespoons of this glorious alcohol, we are left with a level of flavor that could not be achieved elsewhere.
Browned Butter for Extra Flavor
If you have ever smelled butter browning, then you know exactly why it is used in this recipe! The process of browning the butter, involves the separating of butterfat and milk solids. The milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and begin to undergo the maillard reaction due to the heat, essentially caramelizing the milk solids. What is created is butter that is deep in color and rich in flavor. The maillard reaction causes the butter to take on a taste that is reminiscent of nuts and caramel. I mean what could be more perfect for banana bread? Browning butter is actually quite easy, so do not be intimidated! You want to add the unsalted, cubed, room temperature butter to a small sauce pan over medium heat. Then essentially boil the butter and continue to boil, stirring constantly to promote even cooking, until the colour is a beautiful nutty brown and ultra-fragrant. It is important to note that after browning the butter, it is essential to let it cool though. If you add in the eggs while the butter is still hot, it will begin to coagulate the eggs, ruining the browned butter banana bread. I simply pour the browned butter into a measuring cup and place it in the fridge or freezer to cool.
Why Oil & Butter?
While the butter is essential for flavor, and does provide some lubrication in the recipe, the delectable moist texture of this loaf is owed to the oil. Oil in baking leads to a more tender crumb. This is because oil is physically lighter than butter by volume, leading to a lighter, more tender crumb. Oil also encapsulates the flour molecules better than butter does, inhibiting too much gluten formation from happening, and therefore an overall better texture. However, the benefits of better flour encapsulation are twofold, as the oil better lubricates the flour molecules, resulting in more moisture and an overall amazing mouth-feel! In this recipe I use walnut oil, which can be found at most large supermarkets. The reason I use walnut oil is simply because it is yet another way to add extra flavor to the loaf (as regular vegetable oil is flavorless), and what better flavor to compliment the banana flavor, and the nutty flavors created by the browned butter, than walnut oil! If you do not have walnut oil, feel free to use regular vegetable oil though.
How Ripe Should the Bananas Be?
It is crucial in this recipe, along with all other banana breads or banana-based baked goods, that you use overripe bananas! They should be verging on black! Why you ask? Well because the texture is better and they are sweeter! The ripening process for bananas turns the starch molecules into sugar molecules, and the results of this are twofold. Most apparent, is that the bananas become significantly sweeter, but the breaking down of the starch structures also cause the banana to become softer and mushier, which is needed to achieve the right texture for your loaf. Don’t have overripe bananas? Well, really, the only way to ripen them quickly is to put them in a brown bag and let them sit. The brown bag allows moisture to escape, while still trapping the ethylene gas in the bag, leading to faster ripening. This should hasten to ripening process by a day or two. Some people suggest that you can put the bananas in the freezer to ripen quickly, but that is completely false. Freezing the bananas will actually completely stop the ripening process in its tracks! Definitely not what we want. As well, some suggest that baking the banana in the oven until the peel turns black will also result in properly ripe bananas, but sadly this is false as well. Baking the bananas will get you the proper texture (mushy), but the process of baking does not turn the starch molecules into sugar, and as such you will not have the proper sweetness or flavor. So, sadly, there is no quick fix for unripened bananas, we must just sit and wait.
Smooth Bananas, Please
As a little aside, I thought I should mention that I personally blend my bananas in the blender when making this browned butter bourbon banana bread. By blending the bananas to be smooth in the blender, the banana bread will also be smooth and uniform in texture – meaning no chunks of bananas in the cooked loaf. However, if you prefer your loaf to be a little more chunky and rustic in texture, feel free to just mash the bananas.
Variations
As a last aside, feel free to make this browned butter banana bread your own. Adding chocolate chips, or nuts, throughout is a great way to change it up and add extra texture. You could even top the loaf with a caramelized banana or oats, for added visual interest!
Get the Recipe: Browned Butter Bourbon Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter,, cubed and at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Walnut Oil, or other Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2-3 tbsp Bourbon
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- Dash of Nutmeg
- 3 Overripe Bananas,, mashed smooth
- 1/2 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream, †
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, in a small sauce over medium heat, add butter and bring to a boil. Continue heating over medium heat, constantly stirring until the butter has turned a nutty brown color. It may be hard to see the color if your butter is foaming a lot, so periodically take it off the heat to check the color. Remove from heat and place into the fridge or the freezer to cool off.
- Add the cooled browned butter, oil, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, and beat until combined. Add in eggs, vanilla, and bourbon and beat again until it has formed a smooth consistency.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined, then add this dry mixture to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined, ensuring not to overmix.
- In a separate bowl, or large measuring cup, mix together the mashed bananas and sour cream, until well combined and smooth. Add to the batter, and fold until well combined.
- Place into a 9×5” loaf pan fitted with parchment paper, or well oiled, and bake in the oven for about 55 minutes.
Hi! Love your blog. 🙌🏻 Great recipes and a llotcof good info. I notice that the bourbon was not listed in the ingredients nor in the procedure. Will you tell me how to incorporate it. Thanks 😉
Thanks so much! I fixed it now – its 2-3 tbsp of bourbon, and you add it in with the eggs and vanilla!
This looks a-MAZING! You state at the end to add a caramelized banana (I’m guessing that’s what you did with this loaf).
Could you please explain how you do that? Thank you. We can’t wait to enjoy this little beauty.
It’s actually super simple! Basically cut a banana in half length wise, then take the cut side and dip it into brown sugar, then place it on top of the batter (that’s already been poured into the pan) with the cut, sugared side up!