sourdough banana brea
This sourdough banana bread recipe is soft, egg free, flavorful, and comes with the tangy twist of sourdough – making it a delightful change from your usual banana bread. As someone who bakes sourdough bread regularly, I make this recipe with ripe starter or 1-2 day old sourdough discard as a cozy, quick bread solution that’s just as good for breakfast as it is for dessert.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 Ripe bananas
- 1 cup Sourdough Starter or fresh discard 160 g
- ⅓ cup Whole milk (room temp.)
- ½ cup Oil
- 1 ½ cups Brown sugar (loosely packed)
Dry ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour 400 g
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Preheat Your Oven & Prepare the Pan
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper. This ensures the bread doesn't stick and bakes evenly.
Mash the Bananas
- In a large mixing bowl, mash your ripe bananas until smooth. You can leave small chunks for texture or make it silky smooth depending on preference.
Mix Wet Ingredients
- Add the sourdough starter or discard, oil, milk, and brown sugar to the mashed bananas. Whisk everything until the mixture is well combined and slightly fluffy. This base ensures a moist and flavorful crumb.
Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This avoids clumps and ensures even distribution of leavening agents.
Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet, folding gently with a spatula. Avoid over-mixing to prevent a dense loaf. You should end up with a thick but pourable batter.
Pour and Bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top. Bake at 350°F for 55–65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top browns too fast, tent with foil.
Cool Before Slicing
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slicing too early can cause it to crumble.
Notes
- Using sourdough discard vs. active sourdough starter: Both will work beautifully in this recipe. If you're discard banana bread, make sure it smells pleasant (slightly tangy is okay) and hasn’t been sitting for too long in the fridge. If your discard is over a week old, it’s best to refresh it or use fresh discard. For a more lifted texture, you can use active sourdough starter at peak fermentation.
- Substituting the flour: This recipe uses bread flour for structure and chew, but you can substitute all-purpose flour if needed. Want to make it healthier? Swap up to 50% of the flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier, more wholesome loaf. If you're experimenting with gluten-free flours, note that the texture will vary significantly—start by using a trusted 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Oil alternatives: Neutral oils like canola or sunflower are great for keeping the banana bread moist, but if you’d like a richer flavor, feel free to use melted butter or coconut oil. For a vegan sourdough banana bread, stick with plant-based oils and non-dairy milk.
- Milk options: You can use any kind of milk—whole milk, oat, almond, or soy. Just avoid thin or watery alternatives as they can affect the texture of the batter.
- Sweetener swaps: This recipe uses brown sugar for that deep molasses flavor. You can substitute part of it with coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey (if you’re making sourdough banana bread with honey). However, replacing all the sugar with liquid sweeteners will alter the moisture content, so reduce the milk slightly in that case.
- Don’t overmix: This is the golden rule for all quick bread recipes. Once you add your dry ingredients, mix gently. Overmixing can activate gluten in the flour, leading to a dense and rubbery texture.
- Banana readiness: Always use ripe bananas—the spottier and softer, the better. They’re not only sweeter but also easier to mash and integrate into the batter. If you're short on ripe bananas, pop them in a 300°F oven for 10–15 minutes or microwave for 30–40 seconds to soften them.
- Loaf not cooking in the middle? This is usually a result of underbaking or a too-hot oven. Make sure to preheat the oven properly and check the doneness with a skewer or toothpick. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover the loaf with foil during the final 15 minutes.
- Making muffins instead of a loaf? This banana bread batter also makes fantastic sourdough banana muffins or sourdough discard banana muffins. Just pour the batter into a greased muffin tin and bake for 20–22 minutes at 350°F. You can even make mini sourdough banana muffins by reducing the time to 12–14 minutes.
- For chocolate lovers: Add a handful of mini chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate for a decadent sourdough banana bread chocolate chip version. Just remember to dust them lightly with flour before folding them in to prevent sinking.
- Overnight option: Want to prep ahead? This recipe works well as an overnight sourdough banana bread. Mix the batter at night and refrigerate it (covered) in the pan. Bake it straight from the fridge in the morning, adding an extra 5–7 minutes to the cook time.
Nutrition
Calories: 393kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 5.6gFat: 11.73gSodium: 102mgPotassium: 217mgFiber: 2.2gSugar: 26.84gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 3.1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2.49mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!