Six-Banana Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze

Yes, you read it right, 6!  Six bananas!  For those that don't know, I love buying fruits, yet I can never keep up with eating it before it spoils, molds or in this case browns...really badly browned.  So I have half a dozen of sad looking, super ripe bananas sitting on my kitchen table, as usual, the first thing that came to mind is Banana Bread!

But I need to use it all! But how?! During my usual rambling on Pinterest, (heaven for DIYs, inspirations, & etc...) a pin for a Six-Banana Banana Bread caught my attention.  Yesss!! 

Exactly what I need, this should be a recipe with a lot of flavor, because when I put something as a main star ingredient of a recipe, I want to taste it! 

and to use up those bananas...all of them.

This awesome recipe is from Averie Cooks, you can head over and check out her totally awesome analysis of this recipe.  Its one of the best banana bread I ever made and eaten that I've made myself, hahaha.  I guess the other banana breads either dry too fast or just doesn't have the taste and texture I want.  This bread is incredibly moist & soft, on the denser side(hey it's bread right?), very flavorful and totally used up my bananas! none was wasted, everyone happy!

Have you ever made brown butter?? That nutty fragrant aroma...soooo good! Though the glaze is a tad sweet on my Asian tongue, even when I took out nearly 1/2 the sugar from this recipe I got. But it is still sooo GOOD!

one of the mini Banana Bread and she is smothered with Browned Butter Glaze, topped with Caramelized Pecans & fresh bananas. She is ready to go!...in someone's tummy.

Six-Banana Banana Bread

Yield: 1 9x5 loaf & 1 mini loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 68 minutes
Total Time: 78 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter (half of 1 stick), melted
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sour cream or thick Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 medium/large very ripe bananas, mashed (2 1/2 cups mashed bananas; if your bananas are huge you may only need 4 or 5; if they're small, you may need more)
one 3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix (not Cook 'n Serve)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt, optional and to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. If necessary, you may need to use a muffin pan or mini loaf for pan a small amount of batter.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the eggs.
3. Add the eggs, sugars, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
4. Add the bananas and stir to incorporate
5. Add the pudding mix (just add it dry like a dry ingredient; don't actually make pudding), flour, baking soda, cinnamon, optional salt, and fold in with spatula or stir gently with a spoon; don't overmix or bread will be tougher.
6. Bake 9x5 loaf for 60 to 75 minutes (I baked 68 minutes), or until the top is domed, golden, and the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. In the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, or at any point if your bread is getting a bit dark before the center is setting, tent with foil.
7. If baking a mini loaf is necessary, bake for about 35 minutes, or until done; I estimate 2 or 3 muffins will take about 20 to 25 minutes. Baking times for loaves will vary based on moisture content of bananas, pan sizes, climate, and oven variances. Bake until done; watch your bread, not the clock.
8. Allow bread to cool in pan for about 20 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve plain, or with butter, jam, Honey Butter, Cinnamon-Sugar Butter, Strawberry Butter, Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze, or your favorite spread. Makes excellent French toast. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze

1/4 cup butter (half of one stick)

1 cup+ confectioners’ sugar, sifted   i put only 3/4 cup because I hate things too sweet

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoons+ cream or milk, optional and to taste  i put enough to make it runny enough to pour nicely

- You can brown the butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop, heating over medium heat. Swirl the pan or stir frequently for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sputtering, crackling, and foaming has subsided, the butter has browned, and has a nutty aroma. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t go from browned and nutty to burnt and inedible.

- Or, brown the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl by heating it on high power, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sputtering, crackling, and foaming has subsided, the butter has browned, and has a nutty aroma. The same rules apply in the microwave as on the stovetop; watch it closely and start checking it every 15-to-30 seconds starting at about the 5-minute mark, so that it doesn’t go from browned and nutty to burnt and inedible.

- Transfer hot butter to medium-sized mixing bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Based on desired glaze consistency and taste preference, add the cream one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached, playing with sugar and cream ratios as necessary. (I only use butter, sugar, vanilla in this glaze, no cream). Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread before slicing and serving; or slice, serve, and glaze each piece individually. I prefer to use the glaze like butter and spread it liberally on the interior surface of a slice.