Brown Butter Banana Peach Bread

Lately, all I have wanted to eat is fruit. Call it a pregnancy craving, or maybe the fact that I just don't want summer to end. I love the this time of year where the summer meets fall. And this fall is especially exciting as we are welcoming a new little pumpkin to our family. However, there is still a part of me that is not yet ready for summer to be over. I am still enjoying the sun on my face, sitting in the backyard with my son, and eating all the summer stone fruits I can.

This banana bread is the merge of these two pleasures. The spices of fall with the warmth of fresh made bread, and little explosions of sweet sweet summer. It is also a no mixer one bowl kind process that is easy to whip up on a lazy weekend.

Brown Butter Banana Peach Bread

I made one large 9×5-inch loaf

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:
6 ounces unsalted butter, melted and  browned 
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain yogurt (any fat content) or buttermilk / I used Non-Fat Peach yogurt and avoided the fruit on the bottom of the container
1 1/4 cup mashed banana (from about 3 medium bananas)
1/2 cup peeled and diced peach plus about 1/4 of a peeled peach very thinly sliced, for topping

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  As the butter melts is will begin to foam and then settle down and start to brown. Stir as the butter cooks.  When the butter browns and begins get a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the flame and transfer the butter to a small bowl or glass measuring cup.  Removing the butter out of the saucepan will stop it from burning.  Set aside to cool.

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.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients making sure to mix together all of the flour.  Fold in the diced peaches.  Fold together ingredients, but try not to over stir.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and top with thinly sliced peaches.   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.

Bread will last 4 days, well wrapped at room temperature.  This loaf also freezes well.