Sourdough Banana Bread

a loaf of sliced banana bread on a wooden cutting board.

4.89 from 44 votes

Sweet, moist, and tender sourdough discard banana bread has a kick of tangy flavor. Use our recipe for the best sourdough quick bread ever!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

resting time10

Total Time1 5

Course: Bread, Sourdough

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Renae Gerhardstein

Equipment

1 Loaf pan, 9" x 5"

Ingredients

½ cup sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
⅔ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 medium bananas mashed (the riper, the better)
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
2 large eggs Use a substitute in this egg substitutes list. for vegan banana bread.
2 cups all-purpose flour

optional

½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Lightly grease your loaf pan.
Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix by hand until smooth, about 2 minutes. Or use a stand or hand mixer on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth.
Stir in mashed bananas, honey, eggs, and sourdough starter discard. Combine until smooth, though there might be small lumps of banana. Add all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring in between. Then add nuts or chocolate chips, if using.
Pour the banana bread mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If banana loaf gets too brown, cover it with foil during baking.
Allow bread loaf to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing and slicing to serve.

Video

Notes

This recipe uses a discard or unfed sourdough starter, which means one that was fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. Our recipe does not use a starter that's at its peak when mixing the dough. A 100% hydration sourdough starter works best for this recipe.

Egg-Free Banana Bread Option:For a vegan version, use a substitute in this egg substitutes list.

Store leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

For longer storage: place in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition