brown butter banana bread

with a non-compulsory but highly recommended serving suggestion

What I’m reading: An Irish Food Story by JP McMahon. I got this book for Christmas and have been working my way through it - it’s broken up into 100 parts, each discussing a different Irish food, and its cultural and historical significance. Fave sections so far include butter (obvs), jambons (IYKYK) and Viennetta.

What I’m listening to: Michael Kiwanuka’s latest album, Small Changes - especially this one and the eponymous track (Small Changes).

What I’m eating: the Bubala x Yardsale pizza collab (below). It’s got oyster, shiitake and chestnut mushrooms marinated in tamari and coriander seeds, chilli crunch, parsley, tomato and Fior di Latte mozzarella. Incredible stuff. The best thing about Yardsale is that you can get it delivered to any of a long list of pubs (mainly in North/East London), and have it with a PINT.

Now, look. I’ve published two banana-bread-ish recipes on Substack before: this double choc one, and these banana muffins with a crumble topping. This particular recipe, though, is one that I think you should have in your arsenal at all times. It comes together in a matter of minutes (no need for a mixer or blender or any special equipment), uses up old bananas, and is SUPER versatile. With a cup of tea in the afternoon? Perfect. For breakfast with extra bananas and peanut butter (as below)? Ideal. For a last minute dessert, warmed and served with ice-cream? Delightful. It slices really nicely, keeps for a few days, and even freezes well - just slice it before freezing, and defrost in the microwave or a low oven for a couple of minutes before toasting.

It’s important that your bananas are REALLY ripe for this recipe: they should give way very easily under a fork. They contribute a lot in the way of flavour and texture, and the older the bananas, the higher the sugar content. I made a couple of loaves for the team at Canteen in the weeks leading up to Christmas, using bananas that were dangerously close to properly rotten. It’s a fine line, but a black banana is perfect for this (but obviously don’t use them if they’re mouldy or furry).

One of my fave breakfasts at the moment is a toasted slice of banana bread with peanut butter, sliced bananas, a drizzle of honey and cinnamon. I’m quite particular about my peanut butter (surprise surprise), and my favourite is this Manilife deep roast crunchy number (not an ad or anything, although if anybody on the team at Manilife want to send me a couple of jars, I certainly would not object). I tend to favour crunchy, but if it’s a good-quality brand, I also like the smooth variation (like this Pip and Nut option). My LEAST favourite type of peanut butter (thank you for asking) is the smooth variety of the cheapest brands, which tends to have that awful paste-y texture. When I was in New Zealand, this one was a firm favourite (Pic’s), and in Ireland, Harry’s wins every time (this one also slaps).

Anyway, here’s the recipe, enjoy x

recipe: brown butter banana bread