Sourdough Banana Bread

Do you have extra sourdough starter discard that you just hate to throw out? Here’s something delicious you can make with it: Sourdough Banana Bread! This recipe doesn’t require a long fermentation time, so it’s a great beginner’s sourdough recipe. And the flavor and texture are wonderful. My dad described it as “smooth.” 😅

Here are the really simple steps for making this yummy treat:

Sourdough Banana Bread Ingredients:

First, here’s what you’ll need to make it: flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, chocolate chips, and ripe bananas.

And not to forget: active sourdough starter! If you’re new to sourdough, you can check out my How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch post.

How to Make Sourdough Banana Bread

Start by mixing together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. You’re going to use less flour than you usually would in a loaf of banana bread because the sourdough starter contains some flour.

Next, beat the butter and sugar together until light.

Add the bananas and mix well. I’m so glad that I discovered this method of “mashing” the bananas – there’s no need to dirty up a potato masher!

Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl. Then add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan at 350°F for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting and allowing to cool at least until just warm. I won’t ask you to do what I cannot and wait until it’s completely cool to slice. 😏😉

NOTES:

• I used chocolate chips in this sourdough banana bread, but you could totally substitute soaked pecans or any other nut you prefer. The chocolate chips are really good, though.
• I only used 1/4 cup of cane sugar in my recipe, which is plenty for me. The original recipe called for 1 cup, so if you prefer things on the sweeter side, feel free to increase the sugar amount.

MORE SOURDOUGH RECIPES:

• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Shortcakes
• Sourdough Dutch Baby
• Overnight Sourdough Waffles

5 from 3 votes

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Sourdough Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

A super easy sourdough recipe - great for beginners!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword banana bread, quick bread, Sourdough

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 280 kcal

Author Erica Kastner

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp unrefined salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup grass-fed butter, softened
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 3 medium very ripe bananas
• 2 large pastured eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup active sourdough starter (see note)
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan, tapping out the excess flour.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light. Add the bananas and beat until the bananas are well "mashed." Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the sourdough starter and mix just until incorporated.

4. Add the dry ingredients and gently mix on low speed just until combined. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold them in with a spatula.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

6. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting on the rack to cool completely (or at least until just warm). Serve with grass-fed butter.

Recipe Notes

• An active sourdough starter is one that has been fed about 8-12 hours beforehand, and is bubbly and passes the float test.
• I keep my starter at 100% hydration, which means that I feed it equal weights, not volumes, of water and flour.
• Recipe adapted from Pinch My Salt.