Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
Fluffy, flavourful, and with just the right amount of nuttiness, this banana bread makes perfect use of your sourdough discard. It has a tender crumb, thanks to the mix of butter and oil, and is packed with the goodness of pecans. Plus, there's a long-fermented version for extra digestibility!
Equipment
- 1 23x13cm (9x5in) loaf pan (glass or aluminium)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 250 g (~2 cups) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60ml) neutral oil (e.g., sunflower or canola)
- 60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted (salted butter also works fine)
- 150 g (¾ cup) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 120 g (½ cup) sourdough starter (active or discard - fresher is better)
- 460 g (2 cups) mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
Optional Mix-ins:
- 100 g (¾ cup) chopped pecans
Instructions
Long-Fermented Method:
- Initial Mix: In a large bowl, combine the sourdough discard, mashed bananas and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add in the flour and stir until just combined.
- Fermentation: Cover the bowl and let it rest at room temperature overnight or for 4–6 hours.
- Final Mix: After fermentation, add the eggs, melted butter, oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. Fold in pecans if using.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 55–60 minutes, covering with foil at the 30-minute mark if the top browns too quickly. It is done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour before removing and slicing.
Quick Bake Method:
- Preheat Oven: Set to 170°C (340°F).
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, brown sugar, eggs, sourdough discard, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in pecans if desired.
- Bake: Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 55–60 minutes, covering with foil at the 30-minute mark if necessary. It is done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour before removing and serving.
Storage
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Keeps well for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Wrap tightly in cling wrap or slice and put into ziplock bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- For the long-fermented method - the bananas will become brown overnight but do not worry, this is normal and there is nothing wrong. The bananas oxidise but this does not affect the flavour at all.
- If you have some overripe bananas lying around but you're not ready to make anything just yet, freeze them in a ziploc bag! You can also use up some frozen then thawed mashed bananas ffor this recipe.