Sourdough Brown Butter Banana Bread (with chocolate chips!)
On of my favorite cozy bakes has to be banana bread. Fairly simple but oh so flavorful, this Sourdough Brown Butter Banana Bread (with chocolate chips!) is going to steal the banana bread lover's heart. This recipe uses brown butter to elevate the brown sugar and bring out the banana for maximum flavor, while the sour cream and sourdough starter lock in maximum moisture. Add chocolate chips and you'll be in banana bread heaven!
Equipment
- Whisk - for mixing batter
- 2 Mixing bowls - for mixing wet and dry ingredients
- Spatula - to spread batter
- Masher or fork - to mash bananas
- 9x5 in loaf pan - to bake bread
- Parchment paper - to line pan to avoid burning
- Kitchen scale (optional) - for accurate measurements
- Measuring cups and spoons - to measure ingredients
- Cooling rack - to cool bread to avoid sogginess
Ingredients
Sourdough Brown Butter Banana Bread (with chocolate chips!)
Wet Ingredients:
- 2-3 (235g) ripe bananas, mashed
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, browned
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (80g) sourdough starter (flat or past peak)
- 1 large egg room temperature
Dry Ingredients:
- 1⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
Optional Mix-Ins:
- 1 cup (200g) chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (60g) chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) optional
Instructions
Step 1: Brown the Butter
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and turns a rich amber color with brown specks at the bottom, emitting a nutty aroma. Remove from heat immediately. This process typically takes about 5-7 minutes.6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, browned
- Once butter is browned, remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Mix the Batter
- Peel your bananas and mash them in a medium sized mixing bowl. The more ripe the bananas the better!2-3 (235g) ripe bananas, mashed
- Add the browned butter, sour cream, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, sourdough starter, and egg to the bowl. Whisk until the wet ingredients are smooth.1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, 1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar, 1½ tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cup (80g) sourdough starter (flat or past peak), 1 large egg
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom.1⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- Add dry ingredients to wet, and gently mix to combine. You don't want any streaks of flour, but be careful not to overmix at the same time. At this point, you can decide to do an overnight ferment option or skip the next step and bake same-day.
- Overnight ferment option: Cover batter with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Remove bowl from refrigerator and allow to rest 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature to warm up before baking.
- Before baking your loaf, fold the chocolate chips into the batter (and nuts if using).1 cup (200g) chocolate chips, 1/2 cup (60g) chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
Step 3: Bake Banana Bread
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Pour batter into pan, smooth the top, and make a line with your spatula down the center to guide the expansion. Sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips.
- Bake 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center with a few moist crumbs. Top should be golden. Be careful not to overbake or the loaf will be dry! Internal temperature of the loaf should be 195-200 F.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Allow to cool 30 minutes before slicing.
- Enjoy!