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Black Sesame Banana Bread (Brown Butter Swirl Method)

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A rich banana bread swirled with toasted brown-butter black sesame paste for deep, nutty flavor in every slice.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (heavily speckled or black peels)
  • 1/3 cup black sesame seeds, plus 1 tbsp for topping
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 tbsp coarse or turbinado sugar, for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment.
  2. In a small skillet, melt 5 tbsp of the butter over medium heat, swirling until it turns amber and smells nutty, 4-5 minutes. Pour into a bowl to cool slightly; reserve the last 1 tbsp butter separately.
  3. Toast 1/3 cup black sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until you get a loose, slightly oily paste, 1-2 minutes.
  4. Stir the sesame paste and honey into the browned butter until smooth. Set aside.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk mashed bananas, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, yogurt, and the reserved 1 tbsp plain butter until smooth.
  6. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the banana mixture. Fold gently until just combined — do not overmix.
  7. Pour two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop half the sesame paste over it, then add the remaining batter and dollop the rest of the paste on top.
  8. Drag a butter knife through the batter in a loose figure-eight pattern 2-3 times to create swirls, without fully blending.
  9. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 tbsp sesame seeds and the coarse sugar.
  10. Bake 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil after 40 minutes if the top browns too fast.
  11. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Bananas must be very ripe (mostly black peel) for real caramelized flavor — if not, roast unpeeled at 300°F for 15-20 minutes to force ripeness. Grind sesame seeds while still warm from toasting for the smoothest paste. Store wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze whole/sliced up to 3 months.

Find it online: https://www.receipster.com/black-sesame-banana-bread-brown-butter-swirl-method/