Brown Butter Black Banana Bread

⏱ 75 min · Serves 10

The blackest, saddest bananas on your counter deserve this: nutty brown butter, a whisper of cinnamon and a crackly sugar top over a loaf so moist it barely needs butter. It does, though. Always butter.

Per serving: 300 kcal · 5.0g protein · 49.0g carbs · 11.0g fat

Ingredients

• 115g unsalted butter
• 4 very ripe bananas (about 400g peeled), mashed
• 150g light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 75g plain yoghurt or soured cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar, for the top

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F. Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and line with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, then keep cooking, swirling, for 4-5 minutes until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn golden brown. Pour into a large bowl (scrape in every brown fleck) and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk the brown sugar into the warm butter, then the eggs one at a time, followed by the yoghurt and vanilla.
4. Stir in the mashed bananas — leave a few lumps, they turn into pockets of jam.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold into the wet mixture with a spatula until just combined; do not beat it smooth.
6. Scrape into the tin, level the top and sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer in the centre comes out with only moist crumbs. Tent with foil at 40 minutes if it is browning fast.
8. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift onto a rack. Try to wait until just warm before slicing — it slices far better, and keeps 4 days wrapped.