Simple Sourdough Banana Bread: A Recipe from the Farm

Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by TheFarmChicken

Maybe you have over ripe bananas on your counter…and maybe you don’t. Either way you should get over ripe bananas so you can make this Simple Sourdough Banana Bread: A Recipe from the farm. This banana bread is soft and flavorful. The crumb is just right, and the topping is the “cherry on top” finish that makes this bread special but still simple…the topping is one ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread is a great way to use extra sourdough discard, which you probably have if you are a sourdough baker. It is a lot like regular banana bread, but the texture is better, and it has a fuller flavor. You can use both active starter or sourdough discard in this bread.

I remember growing up and my mom would make banana bread fairly often for us. It was a nice treat and I loved it! I would either have mine with butter or sometimes I would have peanut butter and that was good! Are you ready to make this Sourdough Banana Bread recipe?

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Classic Banana Bread Ingredients + Sourdough Discard/Active Starter

Butter

You need a stick of melted butter for this recipe. You want it melted so that it will incorporate well with the rest of the ingredients.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar deepens the flavor and adds a little more sweetness to this banana bread.

Eggs

You want your eggs to be at room temperature. This is kind of like the butter if it is cold it will not incorporate well with the rest of the batter.

All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda & Salt

This is the extent of the dry ingredients in this recipe. No need to use bread flour in this recipe. With quick bread using all-purpose is actually better. Less gluten will mean a softer crumb which makes this a tender sourdough banana bread.

Baking soda is added to this recipe for a leavening agent. Since this is a discard sourdough recipe the starter is more for texture and flavor, so this quick bread needs a leavening agent to help it rise nicely.

Buttermilk

This adds to the flavor and the texture of the bread helping to make it nice and moist. Buttermilk is one of my favorite ingredients to use in recipes like this.

If you happen to not have buttermilk, simply make your own.

How to make a buttermilk substitute:

    For ½ buttermilk combine…

•                     ½ cup milk
•                     ½ T vinegar or lemon juice

          Stir together well and let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.

Sourdough Starter Discard

This recipe calls for half a cup of sourdough discard. If you want, you can also use active sourdough starter but make sure to bake it right away.

If you want there to be a more noticeable sourdough flavor, use a discard that has been in the fridge for a week or two. As the starter discard sits it becomes stronger in flavor.

Pure Vanilla Extract

To finish off the flavors, adding a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract is just right. I like using pure vanilla extract but if you don’t have that imitation works fine too.

Ripe Bananas

You need about 3 large ripe or very ripe bananas for this recipe. I wanted it to have plenty of banana for two reasons…it uses up more of those overripe brown bananas that seem to be ever on the kitchen counter, and it brings such a lovely, full banana flavor to this sourdough quick bread.

Frozen: you can also freeze your overripe bananas and use those…simply peel and place in a freezer bag. Then pull them out when you want to use them. These bananas also work great for smoothies.

Sugar (The Secret Topping Ingredient)

This recipe has both sugar in the bread and a sprinkle on top. I cut back slightly on the sugar in the bread because the topping makes for a sweet crunch.

Tips for success with sourdough banana bread:

1. Make sure you grease your pan well. This way the loaf releases easily from the pan.
2. Spend some time beating the butter and sugars. This just helps in the texture of the loaf.
3. Use a toothpick towards the end of the baking time to see if the loaf is done. Simply insert the toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If it is mostly clean and just has a few crumbs the bread is done. If the toothpick is gooey then you should leave the loaf in for a little bit longer and check again.

Making this recipe into mini loaves:

You can also make this sourdough banana bread recipe into smaller loaves. All you need is 3 small         loaf pans (depending on their size) reduce the baking time to about 25-35 minutes and enjoy the cute little loaves that it makes. Don’t forget to sprinkle them with sugar!

The little loaves are great for giving as gifts to family or friends or if you are the only one at your house it makes it easy to freeze two for later and eat one without the rest going to waste.

Making this recipe into muffins:

If you would rather have muffins than bread, simply place the batter in a muffin pan lined with muffin liners. Sprinkle with sugar and place in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out mostly clean.

Ways to enjoy sourdough banana bread:

1. With butter
2. With Peanut butter
3. Toasted
4. Any of the above with a hot cup of coffee or glass of cold milk

Optional Add ins:

If you would like to you can add things to your banana bread, things like:

1. Chocolate Chips or chocolate chunks
2. Walnuts
3. Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 cup of these add ins should be just right.

Pin for Later:

Simple Sourdough Banana Bread: A Recipe from the Farm

• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup sourdough starter, active or discard
• 1 ½ cups ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• Granulated Sugar for the Top (Optional)

Instructions:

• First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees using the convection option if available.
• Then, in a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugars. Beat well and until light and well mixed. Next add the two eggs and beat again until well combined. Stir in the mashed bananas.
• Next, measure out the buttermilk, pure vanilla and sourdough starter in a liquid measuring cup and stir together until combined. The starter will be a little resistant to combining with the buttermilk and that’s okay.
• In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this alternating with the buttermilk, vanilla, and sourdough starter mixture.
• Mix until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
• Place in a greased 9” x 5” loaf pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar if desired. Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for 65-70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
• Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. To remove it from the pan, take a butter knife and carefully run it around the edges of the bread to loosen them from the sides. Then tip the loaf pan over and slowly let it release from the sides and bottom of the pan. Let cool before slicing.
• Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days or freeze in a freezer bag to thaw and use later. You can also place back into the loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap.

Makes 1 loaf

I hope you enjoy making this simple recipe for your family. Leave any questions or comments below! Thanks for stopping by TheFarmChicken.

Mariah N

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• Smaller Loaf Pans
• Glass Loaf Pan

More Sourdough Discard Recipes:

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Flaky Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits: A Recipe from the Farm

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6:35

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