Gluten Free Brown-Butter Banana Bread Recipe
GLUTEN FREE BROWN BUTTER BANANA BREAD RECIPE has browned butter and caramelized brown sugar on the topping of the bananas to give this bread a decadence you usually don’t get in a banana bread. I also use chopped chocolate to allow larger pieces of chocolate to enjoy with each bite. This will soon become one of your favorite breakfast bread recipes.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO MAKE MY GLUTEN FREE BROWN BUTTER BANANA BREAD RECIPE
It is a fact that you should have frozen loaf bread in your freezer at all times!
Not really, but I advise it. That way you have the perfect homemade pastry on hand for guests, or for a friend when they need a little sweetness to liven up their day, or because you need it!
WHY I CREATED THIS RECIPE
I have been enjoying browning butter and using it in place of butter in baked goods to see how it enhances a recipe. Brown butter is regular butter that has been cooked just long enough to toast the milk solids found in the butter. All you’re doing is cooking the butter just a tiny bit past the melting point. By doing this, you create this magical nutty flavor that you just don’t get with regular melted butter.
Butter, Banana, and Chocolate sounded mighty delicious to me, so I figured let’s make it happen.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE BROWN BUTTER BANANA BREAD RECIPE
The hardest part of this recipe is browning the butter, and once you brown butter once, you will realize it isn’t as hard as it sounds. If you have dogs in your house, they will clamor around you while browning your butter, because it smells yummy!
All you’re doing is cooking the butter just a tiny bit past the melting point. By doing this, you create this magical nutty flavor that you just don’t get with regular melted butter. As the butter melts it starts to foam. It will then start to darken to a light brown color.
As I say, cooking and baking is part reading a recipe, part using your eyes, but most importantly your nose. When browning your butter, when you smell that terrific nutty flavor. Your butter is done. Immediately remove it from the heat source.
Let butter cool a bit and then run through a sieve into a small bowl. You want to avoid those brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
More extensive explanation of Basic Techniques on How to Brown Butter here
Once you have your butter done, this is a simple recipe to bring together. You could do this without an electric mixer, just use your muscles and a spatula to blend wet and dry ingredients.
The other key to the success of this recipe is using dark chocolate bar vs. dark chocolate chips. I wanted bigger pieces of chocolate in the recipe so that I was guaranteed that flavor in every bite.
To make the bread a little prettier and decadent I added a sliced whole banana topped with a sprinkle of brown sugar for some caramelization.
This is a dense batter and needs the time to bake, 55-60 minutes. The top of this bread will darken and rise. Don’t take it out too soon or you will end up with runny bread. Also, don’t stick it in the top of the oven to bake or your bread will be hard and unpleasant to eat.
If you can enjoy a slice of this baked bread with your favorite tea, or cup of coffee. But it is also great with a cold glass of your favorite milk.
Store wrapped tight on the counter overnight to slice and enjoy in the morning, or store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or frozen for months.
How to Freeze a Half Loaf: Slice the cooled loaf in half. Wrap it in foil. Place the foil wrapped loaf in a zip-top bag, remove as much air as possible, and place it in the freezer.
More tips on how to freeze Banana Bread here
Gluten Free Brown-Butter Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 9 x 5” loaf pan
- Electric Mixer
- Saute Pan
- Wire Sieve
Ingredients
- Nonstick baking spray for greasing
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick
- 3 large ripe bananas mashed, plus 1 halved lengthwise for decoration
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten free flour
- 1 cup dark brown sugar + 1 tablespoon for topping
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate 60% bar, cut into good size chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Set rack in middle of oven.
- Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray – I suggest using baking spray.
- In a wide heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat, brown the butter and set aside. When cool, run through a sieve into a small bowl to remove brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add 3 mashed bananas to an eclectic mixer. Add eggs one at a time, along with vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Using the back of a fork, break apart any large clumps of sugar that remain.
- Pour flour mixture into the banana mixture with the mixer on low.
- Add the 8 tablespoons of melted brown butter, and mix (it will look wet).
- Add your chocolate. Do not let it mix for more than 30 seconds. You can continue to stir chocolate pieces into batter with a spatula. You are trying to avoid smashing your chocolate into smaller pieces.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Place your banana halves on top, cut size up. Spread your 1 tablespoon of brown sugar on top of banana slices, a little in batter is fine, but try to really coat those bananas. This will caramelize them while baking.
- Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cake will be very brown on top.
- Allow the banana bread to cool; serve slightly warm or completely cooled.
Notes
Store wrapped in a refrigerator for 3-5 days.
