July 23, 2021
Banana Bread recipes can be (yawn) kinda boring. Until now. I’m taking you to Banana Bread bliss with a secret ingredient. Come and get it.
Banana Bread Recipe Secret
You think you know: they’re all alike.
I thought so, too.
Until I found this recipe.
It’s available online, not a secret, but somehow I didn’t know.
So it was like a secret.
What’s the secret ingredient?
Browned butter.
That’s the secret.
Delicious salty golden brown butter in the bread.
😮 And (in my kitchen) in the frosting.
I want you to make this. Just so we can talk about it.
Have you ever browned butter? You put a stick of butter in a pan, and cook it a while on the stove. I just cook it over low-medium heat until the little tiny fat droplets are brown. The fragrance will tell you when it starts happening. You don’t have to burn it. Just let it go from light yellow to light golden. I think the instructions said 5-10 minutes. It was more like 15-20, because I didn’t want it popping and splattering. So I had to keep the heat pretty low.
Did I say a stick of butter? 🤭It was two. Two sticks of butter.
I’ve made this banana bread twice, and both times it was exactly what I’d call banana bread bliss. Salty, tender, fragrant, dark, and very flavorful.
GET THE RECIPE
Y’all, I can’t print the recipe here. I’m sorry.
It’s not mine.
I found it online. So I have to link to it, out of respect for the person who published it. Someone called Chef V. To whom I will be ever grateful.
Here’s the link. Chef V explains everything. (And I’ll tell you why I used two sticks of butter.)
Browned Butter Banana Bread by Chef V at All Recipes.
The recipe points out that you brown a stick of butter and the actual amount reduces on the stove. So the refrigerated stick measures 1/2 cup, but the cooked butter is less — 1/3 cup.
What the recipe doesn’t say is that you can melt two sticks, and use half in the bread and the rest in the frosting. Did they say frosting? Nope. Does it need frosting? Absolutely not. But… Well, frosting. Browned butter frosting.
(Just use the second browned stick of butter with 2 cups (or more) of confectioners sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk it together until you’re happy with the consistency. If too thick, add a dab of heavy cream. If too thin, add more sugar)
Banana Bread Recipe Promise
Next time you have a few over-ripe bananas, try this Banana Bread Recipe.
Your taste buds will thank you. Take it to work, and your co-workers will thank you. Or just hide from everybody and eat it yourself. It’s that good.
I followed the recipe, and added the frosting for fun. I also decided (instead of 1 loaf) to make 2 smaller loaves for a quicker cooking time. It was done in less than 20 minutes.
Because you do have to brown the butter, I wouldn’t call it a super quick process. I’d say 20 minutes to brown the butter, another 20 minutes to let it cool a bit and mix the ingredients, and then 20 minutes to cook the 2 loaves. Everything is really straightforward and easy, so if you brown the butter first, the rest will go very quickly. You can easily measure out all your ingredients and get your pans ready while the butter is cooking.
I’ve got a few subscribers who get super excited about recipes. I never want to disappoint you. I hope you enjoy this treat. If you’ve never used browned butter in a recipe, you’ll be pleased. It’s really delicious.
And remember my disclaimer — I’m not a food blogger. I’m just your neighbor in a regular kitchen with an iPhone for a camera. I’m cooking for the people I care about, and serving the burly little bowl-lickers who stand ready to help with any baking project.
(And if you are wondering, the keto police would definitely consider this a violation.)
Make this, or something yummy.
Say something gentle to the sweet people at your kitchen table.
And make me do the same. 🥰
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-Grammye
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It’s this: Little eyes are watching what you do, what you wear, and what you say.
The ordinary things you do become important rituals in the minds of children. Please acknowledge the importance to them, even though for you the importance or interest is simply not present.
Something as insignificant as licking the bowl, or a kiss on the head in the morning becomes something they secretly long for.
We think it’s the Disney trip, the new bicycle, or the special event.
I promise, it’s not. Do those, and enjoy them. But give more attention to the daily comfort rituals that make them feel loved and secure.
I’m saying this to remind myself to pay attention, my least developed skill.
What’s your go-to family snack that everyone requests? Or what’s the seemingly insignificant ritual that you found out was important?
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