Banana Beer Bread with Brown Butter Glaze.
So this. Is interesting.
Beer bread. But made with bananas! Banana bread. But made with beer! So banana beer bread. Verrrry intriguing, right?
I want to eat this whole loaf right up, so yes!
I’m super into (very trashed up, very non-traditional) Octoberfest recipes because right now I’m currently in the midst of what is probably the only craving I’ve had this entire pregnancy and that’s homemade soft pretzels and beer cheese dip.
GAH. I want all those things for every meal right now. I’ve only had them once! I need them once more time before labor, right?
That really has nothing to do with this bread aside from the fact that it is beer bread and the pretzels are also bread and there is beer in the cheese I’m craving and and and… I’ll stop.
But really, that’s what I’m into these days.
This is what I’m into!
I’ve made a few different beer breads before on the blog and as I was contemplating one this year, I alllllmost went with another savory version. Like last year’s pumpkin cider bacon cheddar one. But then I was like WHAT IF. What if I did a sweeter one? A banana one?
Plus, I was already tempted because I had this Banana Bread beer in our fridge! It’s been there for, like, nine months at this point, but I mean… it was still okay. Right? RIGHT?
It was. We ate the bread and didn’t die. Woohoo!
The thing that I really like about beer bread is its dipping factor. It’s SO SO SO good dipped in soup and chilis, you know? I love that about it because it tends to be hearty and dense but flavorful and fluffy all at the same time. So I was nervous about that part when it came to the banana bread.
Here’s the key: brown butter glaze. The brown butter glaze makes up for any lack of dipping. I also think that a cinnamon butter would be AMAZING when spread on top, so there is that too. Sometimes beer bread is just so, well… bready, that is can almost occasionally verge on the dry side when you have a big mouthful. Hence the reason for dipping! And the glaze and butter.
YESSSS please.
Banana Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 very ripe bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces of your favorite beer
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
brown butter vanilla glaze
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk if needed
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Note: This is NOT banana bread! This is nothing like your classic banana bread recipe. This is a beer bread, with some bananas in it!
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Over a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose, baking powder, cinnamon and the salt. Stir in the mashed bananas. Pour in the beer and stir until a batter forms. It will be thick. Spoon the batter in the greased loaf pan. Pour the melted butter over top. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and set in the middle. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 30 minutes.
- Drizzle with the brown butter vanilla glaze and slice.
brown butter vanilla glaze
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the butter begins to bubble and as soon as brown bits start to appear in the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the brown butter to a bowl and whisk in the sugar and vanilla extract. If the mixture is too thick to drizzle, whisk in the milk if needed. Pour over the cake once it has cooled and serve!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Totally certain you have to try it!
39 Comments on “Banana Beer Bread with Brown Butter Glaze.”
One of the many things I learned after 5.5 years in the craft beer industry (in HR. Oh the stories I could tell!): beer doesn’t “go bad” in the traditional sense. There’s nothing in beer that can kill you, assuming a foreign body isn’t in the bottle. So old beer will definitely have changes in color and flavor and carbonation, but using old beer for cooking has almost no risk. I mean, you could drink it, too, but it would likely not taste very good.
thank heavens!
Oh, Lawsy, that looks amazing! One question… is there a certain ratio of all-purpose flour to wheat flour for a total of 3 cups, or have I missed that somewhere? I’m thrilled that my daughter sent this link to me this morning. I already love your blog!
so sorry! i used all AP flour, not whole wheat in this one! thanks darla!
So many beers would be fantastic in banana beer bread. I must try them all. On a side note, my neighbor just brought me 10 different flavors of beer cheese mix from his hometown of Lexington. Apparently that’s beer cheese heaven.
soooooo jealous!
What about using Wells’ Banana Bread Beer…? OooOoooh. Just got INTERESTING! Will have to try it. :)
that’s what i used! :)
Here in Australia people love banana bread and have it all the time. Never heard of one with beer in it though and I bet your recipe would do great over her. (Beer is another thing very loved over here :) )Would you mind if I shared it on my blog?
sure! thank you!
I wish I could send you my soft pretzels with spicy cheese. Sorry – it’s not beer cheese but it does have a kick!! We make quite a few dozen every year to give our kids. It’s a bribe so they don’t forget us when we winter in Florida. :-) The pretzels don’t last the 3 months. Now I am really curious about beer and banana — I’d love to try it. I did have some chocolate pudding with enchiladas before. Now, I’m not responsible. I was half asleep and raided the fridge. I’m pinning your recipe. Have a great day.
that sounds incredible!!!
I have a box of beer bread mix in my cabinet. Can I use the mix and modify the recipe? If so, how would you modify it? Thank you!
i’m sure you can! you could try just adding 2 mashed bananas to the ingredients?
oh and probably cinnamon?
I thought the most interesting thing about the recipe is no eggs. I came back and reread it and looked to see if you mentioned eggs and maybe they were not in the recipe in error but no, you didn’t mention eggs at all. Is the beer the reason no eggs are needed? I don’t think I’ve ever seen an eggless banana bread recipe. I’m heading into the kitchen to make a loaf for a good friend. I am trying a pumpkin ale for the beer to add another complexity to it. Seasonal too. LOL Thanks for a great recipe.
hey linda!! yes, this is definitely a BEER BREAD with bananas… you don’t want to think of it as banana bread! or else you will probably hate it, haha. beer bread is made without eggs (you can see another one i make here: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/09/white-cheddar-beer-bread/) – so this is like an octoberfest beer bread made with bananas, not so much a banana bread made with beer. if that makes sense. :)
I have a banana bread recipe that I absolutely love, so I rarely give other banana bread recipes a try. But this recipe sounds so different – and I’m so intrigued by the beer bread – that I’m definitely going to be making this recipe! Plus that brown butter vanilla glaze is calling my name!
xx Allison
I’m about to make this because Sunday… and I noticed there’s no sugar in the bread part, is that correct? Just double checking!cant wait!
hi carlie, correct!! it’s a beer bread, with some banana flavor. it is not a regular banana bread! for more on beer bread, it is like this: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/09/white-cheddar-beer-bread/! you just don’t want to expect it to be anything like actual banana bread, because it’s beer bread!
Got it thanks so much for clarifying. Going in the oven now! Enjoy your Sunday!
I may or may not have eaten this glaze by the spoonful…wow.
I had a slice right after giving it a good soak with the glaze, well what was left over, and it was really good! Browned butter simply makes the world a better place.
I have tried many recipes on your site, always enjoyed them. But this was one of the worst things I have ever eaten. It was like a bread with an identity crisis, not knowing whether it wanted to be sweet or savory. You could not eat it with a meal, the flavors would clash with any type of food. For breakfast it leaves a bitter aftertaste, not pleasant. I was very disappointed and felt like I wasted all those ingredients.
Made this just a couple of hours ago…. It is fricken fabulous! I wanted to make it with Oktoberfest but only had Coors at home so I used that. I also have a baking spice mix (nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, allspice, etc) that I sprinkled on top to add more flavor. I love everything about it. It’s salty and sweet and you can taste the bananas and beer. Absolutely love this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Oooops! Meant to give it 5 stars!
I never had to try this types of preparation. It sounds to me. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks, for sharing this recipe with us.
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Banana bear bread 😍😍😍😍
I want to eat this now
http://trickyfact.com/bread-pizza-recipe-with-garlic-tomato-sauce/
This is so good! I thought its somewhere between savory scorn and banana bread. I know what you mean by it’s a beer bread with banana and it’s just perfect🥰🤤
Normally I would expect the instructions to include a recommended baking temperature, if it is not too much to ask, of a baking recipe…
it is in the instructions? it’s in step 2.
can you put a little honey in the bananna beer bread
can you put a little honey in the bananna beer bread. i did not duplicate this question
Did anyone else’s butter overflow and catch fire? Not sure how it will taste, had to stop it early.
Yes! No fire, but overflowed and was SUPER Smokey the whole bake! I’ll use a 9×9 pan next time!
Beautiful and delicious. The glaze is definitely the show stopper. I added some golden raisins and walnuts in the batter. Poked holes before pouring on the glaze.
I saw this recipe to use up old bananas. It is the bomb! To the topping, Added brown sugar, part of a mashed banana, pumpkin spice creamer, and chopped walnuts. ♥
I just baked this delicious bread by the recipe. I used King Arthur’s bread flour, a year-old beer from the back of the fridge that no one ever wanted, and added big plump frozen blueberries to it! Very crusty outside and soft inside. Delicious! It was a hit with both ulhumans and our dog who needed a bite, too.
I made this beer and it was truly awful I cooked it for the time it was supposed to be cooked and still it wouldn’t cook inside then I put it back for another 35 min and still not cooked through . What a disappointment