Caramelized Banana Bread

I love banana bread, and as a Filipino, I also love fried bananas. This simple caramelized banana bread recipe is a combination of my love for these two things. The bananas are pan-fried to coax out the sugars in the bananas. The result is a deeper banana flavor that is rich and deep. This recipe also helps when you don't have that brown sugar in the kitchen but want to achieve that flavor in banana bread.

Ingredients for Caramelized Banana Bread

The ingredients for this recipe is an adaptation from this luscious All Recipes banana bread post. Instead of using overly ripe bananas, you can use bananas with a few brown spots on its skin. They will hold up better as you fry them in the pan, but will soften to the same consistency as browned bananas.

You will need the following:

• Bananas: The bananas for this recipe do not have to be completely brown or mushy. But the peel should have brown spots to indicate a higher sugar content.

• Unsalted Butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the eggs. 

• Eggs: You will need two medium or large eggs for this recipe.

• Sour Cream: Sour cream in banana bread makes it moist, similar to the milk or cream. The main difference is that sour cream will keep the banana bread batter thick so we can achieve a dense and soft texture.

• Flour: I used all-purpose flour, and it produced a texture with a bit of crumb that makes banana bread enjoyable. 

• Baking Soda: This will help raise the bread as it bakes in the oven and browns the outer skin of the bread evenly.

• Salt: Enhances the flavors of the banana bread; adds more to your taste.

• Chopped Pecans (optional): Typically, walnuts are added to banana bread, but I like how pecans add a sweeter flavor. 

• Chopped Chocolate (optional): Using chopped chocolate gives freedom in the type of chocolate you want to use your banana bread. I use a combination of milk and dark chocolate bars to add some unexpected pieces to the bread.

How to Make Caramelized Banana Bread

Take your bananas first and slice each one down its length. Don't worry if it breaks in half. We just need a flat surface to develop the caramelization. 

Heat a frying pan; once it's hot enough, place the bananas flat-side down. Once the flat side has some deep browning, turn it over to fry on the other side until you also get it brown. The sugars in the bananas will make them very soft, so work quickly and transfer them into a bowl when they develop caramelized marks on both sides.

Mash the bananas in a bowl with the back of a fork. Then let them cool in the bowl and prep the rest of the ingredients in the meantime.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl, mix them together, then set aside. In another large bowl, crack the eggs, then add the melted butter and sugar and whisk them together until the sugar is completely incorporated. 

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then, add the flour mixture and the cooled bananas and sour cream to this bowl. 

Tip Make sure the bananas are cool because if you plan to add chocolate chips, they will melt if they are still warm.

Fold in the chopped chocolate chips and pecans. 

Then pour the caramelized banana bread filling into a prepared baking dish, leaving about a half-inch space from the top of your loaf pan.

Bake the banana bread for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it and pull it out. Allow the bread to cool completely before removing it from the loaf pan.

How to Serve

My favorite way of eating banana bread is by taking a thick slice and heating it. Then I would take a butter slab and allow it to melt on top of the piece. Grab a cup of coffee and treat yourself to the banana bread's nutty, sweet, caramelized, and chocolate flavors.