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Sourdough Banana Bread

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Don’t throw away your ripe bananas and use your discard! This recipe is a great way to use what you have to make an absolutely scrumptious sweet bread! Using sourdough discard in this already delicious banana bread recipe creates a more delicious flavor and softer crumb! 

  • Author: Heather Thomas, That Bread Lady
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 standard loaves or 5 mini loaves 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (213g) brown sugar
  • 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (227g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (38g) milk
  • 2 cups (454g) ripe mashed bananas, about 4 bananas
  • 1 & 1/4 cup (150g) sourdough discard (100% hydration – *see notes)
  • 3 & 1/3 cups (405g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Prepare loaf pans. Spray pans with nonstick spray and set aside.
  3. With electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs. Cream about 2 minutes, until fluffy.
  4. Add the vanilla, sour cream, milk, mashed bananas and sourdough discard. Mix well.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
  6. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on medium low speed until fully combined, about 1-2 minutes
  7. Pour batter into pans and fill 2/3 full.
  8. Bake loaves on center rack for 40-50 minutes for mini loaves (5.75 x 3.25 x .25-inch pan) and 50-55 minutes for standard size loaves (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5- inch pan). Insert toothpick or cake tester in the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, they are ready to take out. If not, bake another few minutes and check.
  9. Allow the banana bread to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn them out of the pan and place on wire rack to cool completely (or mostly) before slicing. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Discard is sourdough starter that has not been fed. Use discard that is somewhat bubbly, but doesn’t need to be super active. If discard is older, runny and acidic smelling, the flavor may be overpowering and not ideal for this recipe. The older the discard, the more acidic and sour tasting it becomes.
  • *You can use a variable amount of discard, depending on how much you have available- but you’ll need to adjust the liquid and flour if you use a different amount than suggested in my recipe. See my blog post to know how to calculate your measurements.
  • This recipe makes either 5 mini loaves or 2 standard loaves. I prefer baking mini loaves, because they tend to bake more evenly, and it’s much easier to slice. See my blog post for links for suggested pans.
  • These loaves will freeze really well. After they have completely cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Some great additions to this recipe would be a crumble topping (from my Banana Crumble Bread recipe), mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts!

Find it online: https://thatbreadlady.com/sourdough-banana-bread/