Bourbon-Fig Swirled Brown Butter Banana Bread

Nanner bread. Brrn Burrdur nanner bread. With brrbn soaked figgies. I’m a little crazy today, but let’s roll with it.

Banana bread is a treat that I love to revisit. From lavender-infused banana bread to Nutella-swirled banana bread, there are so many wonderful twists on the classic nanner bread. Today’s twist is a boozy one. I made a bourbon fig swirl that gets swirled through a nutty brown butter banana batter. It’s warm and cozy and yet oddly summery at the same time. I loves it.

This homemade banana bread could be eaten for breakfast with coffee, an afternoon snack with tea, or an after dinner treat with… bourbon. Or all three.

Tips on how to make banana bread:

Use overripe bananas — To make the best brown butter banana bread, you need to use overripe bananas. I’m talking overripe to the point of being almost black on the outside. If your bananas aren’t ripe enough yet but you’re dying to make banana bread, poke a few holes in the bananas and bake them in the oven at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes. Once the peels are brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool to room temperature before adding them to the banana bread batter.

Use full-fat yogurt — For the moistest possible banana bread, it’s important that you use whole milk, or full-fat, plain yogurt. Trust me, whole milk yogurt makes a HUGE difference in this brown butter banana bread!

Use any kind of milk you have on hand — Conversely, you can use really whatever milk you want in this banana bread recipe. Again, milk with a higher fat percentage will make this brown butter banana bread moister and more flavorful, but any will do.

How to freeze banana bread

Freezing banana bread for later is super simple. If you want to reheat the slices individually, go ahead and slice the bread as you normally would, then lay them flat on a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer. After an hour, the slices should be hard enough to stack in a freezer baggie. (You don’t want to store them in the baggie right away, otherwise the slices will get squished).

To freeze the entire loaf of brown butter banana bread, wrap it in plastic wrap 2 to 3 times, then wrap it in a layer of foil. Freeze the entire loaf as is, and when you’re ready to enjoy it let it thaw in the fridge before serving.

I’m super tired because we got up at 7am and that’s like not normal for me, so I will leave you with this darling bread and say HAPPY WEEKEND!

• Author: Sarah Fennel

Bourbon Fig Swirled Brown Butter Banana Bread

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• Author: Sarah Fennel

Units: USM

Ingredients

For the bourbon fig swirl

• 1/2 cup dried black mission figs, chopped
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1 1/2 cups water
• tiny pinch salt

For the banana bread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk (any kind will do)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the dried figs, bourbon, water, and tiny pinch of salt over medium low heat for about 15 minutes. Mixture is ready when the figs are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated (if you want to measure, there should be 1/2 cup of liquid left).
2. Place mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Allow to cool slightly while you make your banana bread batter.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
4. In a small saucepan, heat the butter over low heat for roughly 5 minutes, swirling the pan every 20 seconds or so. Heat until the milk solids turn a light golden brown color. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
5. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, mashed bananas, and brown butter. After mixing, stir in eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk both flours, baking soda, and salt. Fold gently into batter until just combined.
7. Pour half of batter into loaf pan and top with half of bourbon fig mixture. Try to place it evenly over the batter, and do not swirl (yet!). Top with remaining banana bread batter. This time, scoop small dollops of the remaining bourbon fig spread over the batter. Use a knife to gently swirl everything together.
8. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before devouring.

More banana bread recipes from Broma Bakery:

Bourbon Banana Cherry Bread

Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Chai Banana Bread with Chai Streusel 

Classic Brown Butter Banana Bread