Sourdough Banana Bread

This Sourdough Banana Bread is a subtly sweet bread, that is soft and chewy. Perfect for using up those ripe bananas.

According to an article I read on the history of banana bread on the King Arthur website the most sought-after bread recipe across America is for Banana Bread.

Bananas- The riper the banana gets the sweeter it turns as the starch in bananas turns to sugar. So if you are looking for a sweeter banana bread use ripe bananas. I like for them to be blackened on the outside. Not only are they sweeter tasting but they mash easier too. 1 cup of mashed banana is about the same as 3 medium sized mashed bananas.

Sourdough Starter- This is not a discard recipe although I have used discard in place of active sourdough starter it will result in a more dense loaf. So using sourdough discard is an option it’s just not the ideal way to make it. I recommend feeding your starter the night before you want to make banana bread and after it has reached its peak and shows signs of falling the next morning that is the best time to use it. The starter will be lighter with air pockets. I feed my starter a ratio of 1 cup sourdough starter to 1 cup filtered water and 1 1/2 cups of flour. This gives you enough starter to use 1 1/2 c of starter for this recipe and have enough left over to feed and use in the future.

Don’t have enough ripe bananas? A quick trick to “ripen” a banana faster is to bake the banana in its peeling in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. You can then scoop out the soft inside. I did this once in a pinch when I only had 2 ripe bananas and I needed 3.

1 1/2 c active sourdough starter

1 c all-purpose flour

1 c mashed banana about 3 medium-sized bananas

1 c sugar

1/2 melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 c chocolate chips ( Optional) I like the mini size ones

1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the mashed bananas with the warm melted butter, the warm butter helps brake down the banana into a soother consistancy,
3. Stir in the sourdough starter, sugar, vanilla, and egg.
4. Fold in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt gently until combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Carefully mix in any nuts or chocolate chips ( optional) if you choose to add any.
6. Place the batter into a greased standard-size loaf pan, and bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature is at least 190 degrees. You may need to add more time.

Pictured is a sourdough starter that has peaked and has started to come back down from its peak. This is a good time to use your starter for baking.

Storing Banana Bread:

At Room Temperature- You can store banana bread in an airtight container or baggie for around 3-4 days at room temperature. This helps keep the bread moist and soft and tastes like it did out of the oven.

In the Refrigerator- You can also store it in the refrigerator to help it keep its freshness longer for up to a week. Although keeping it in the refrigerator can dry it out quicker the best way to prevent that is to wrap it well. Warming it up for a few seconds in the microwave or oven can help make it taste fresh just like it did out of the oven.

In the Freezer- Banana bread freezes well, if you wrap it up properly it can keep up for 3 months. Allowing you to make multiple loaves at once and freeze the extras for the future. When you are ready to eat it, set the bread out on the counter and let it thaw.