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Best One-Bowl Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnut Crumb

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This one-bowl brown butter banana bread is a love letter to a lost bakery, featuring a nutty, caramel-like flavor from browned butter and a crunchy walnut crumb topping. It’s quick, easy, and unbelievably delicious.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter
  • 3 medium ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed or 240g)
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • ½ cup (60g) chopped walnuts (for crumb topping)
  • ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour (for crumb topping)
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar (for crumb topping)
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for crumb topping)
  • ¼ cup (30g) chopped walnuts (for crumb topping)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides. Grease exposed ends.
  2. Brown the butter: Place ½ cup unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt completely, then continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until golden amber with brown specks and a nutty aroma (about 4-5 minutes). Immediately pour into a large mixing bowl to stop cooking. Let cool 5 minutes.
  3. Mash bananas: Add 3 ripe bananas to the bowl with cooled brown butter. Mash with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small chunks.
  4. Add sugars and wet ingredients: Add ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 1 room-temperature egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
  5. Mix dry ingredients: Sprinkle 1½ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon evenly over the wet mixture. Gently stir dry ingredients together on top, then fold with a rubber spatula until just combined (a few streaks of flour are fine).
  6. Make walnut crumb topping: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Add 2 tablespoons cold butter cubes. Use a fork or fingertips to work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter bits.
  7. Assemble and bake: Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle walnut crumb topping over top, gently pressing into batter. Bake 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly, tent with foil after 40 minutes.
  8. Cool: Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Use parchment to lift out and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (at least 1 hour).

Notes

Don’t skip browning the butter—it’s the key to the nutty flavor. Use very ripe bananas (brown spots). Measure flour correctly by spooning and leveling. Let bread cool completely before slicing to avoid gummy texture. For best flavor, make a day ahead.

Nutrition

Keywords: banana bread, brown butter, walnut crumb, one-bowl, easy banana bread, quick bread

Find it online: https://gleamgulp.com/best-one-bowl-brown-butter-banana-bread-with-walnut-crumb/