Browned Butter Strawberry Banana Bread

 

I kinda love summer.  And when I say love, I mean I'm OBSESSED.  Hours of daylight that seem to go on forever. The sounds of kids playing in the streets.  Cookouts every weekend.  Sitting on the deck with an ice cold beer in hand and not a care in the world.  Yeah- summer kinda rocks.

And an added plus- AMAZING fresh fruit.  I will eat pints of berries like it's my job.  Peaches don't stand a chance.  And don't even get me started on strawberries. 

So how pumped do you think I was when I stumbled across this recipe for a Browned Butter Strawberry Banana Bread?  Yeah- it's a winner. 

Recipe from Joy the Baker

What You'll Need

6 ounces unsalted butter, melted and browned to just over 1/2 cup of butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain yogurt (any fat content) or buttermilk (I used vanilla flavored since i couldn't find plain in containers smaller than a quart...who needs that much yogurt?!)

1 1/4 cup mashed banana (from about 3 medium bananas)

1/2 cup diced strawberries plus 1 strawberry very thinly sliced, for topping

What To Do:

1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Butter will begin to foam and crackle as it melts.  When the crackling subsides, the butter will begin to brown.  Swirl the pan as the butter cooks.  When the butter browns and begins to smell nutty, remove the pan from the flame and transfer the butter to a small bowl.  Taking the butter out of the hot saucepan will stop the butter from overcooking and burning.  Set aside to cool.

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mmmmmmmm......browned butter.........

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt or buttermilk. Whisk in the mashed bananas.  When butter has cooled, whisk in the browned butter.

3.  Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients.  Fold together, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to reveal any hidden pockets of flour.  Fold in the diced strawberries.  Fold together ingredients, but try not to over stir.

4.  Spoon batter into prepared pan and top with thinly sliced strawberries.  Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 15 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.