Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups mashed very spotty ripe bananas (about 3–4 medium)
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, continuing to cook until brown bits form and the butter smells nutty (Brown Butter). Immediately pour the brown butter into the large mixing bowl to cool slightly.
  3. Mash the bananas thoroughly. To the cooled brown butter, add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until homogeneous.
  5. Gently pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold just until no streaks of flour remain. Stop mixing immediately to avoid developing tough gluten.
  6. If using nuts, quickly fold them into the batter.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55–65 minutes. Tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
  8. Check doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the centre; it should come out with moist crumbs attached, but not wet batter.
  9. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before using the parchment overhang to lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.