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4.98 stars (68 ratings)May 2, 202293
This sourdough banana bread is next level delicious with an intensely soft sturdy crumb. The recipe works great with discard or fed starter.
Make room in your heart for another banana bread recipe.
With a uniquely soft texture, this sourdough banana bread is absolutely the most incredible banana bread ever.
Let’s Talk About Sourdough for a Minute
The sourdough in this recipe contributes to overall flavor without screaming: I AM SOURDOUGH, HEAR ME ROAR. In fact, if you ate a piece of this bread without knowing any details, I’m almost positive you wouldn’t peg it as a sourdough recipe at all.
However, where the sourdough absolutely shines is in the lusciously soft texture that is unlike any other banana bread I’ve ever had.
You guys, this bread is so incredibly delicious.
I use a 1:1:1 sourdough starter. The consistency is thick but runny. This recipe works well using discard or fed sourdough starter.
Banana Bread Batter
This one-bowl banana bread batter is very straightforward.
Mix the wet ingredients:
- neutral-flavored oil
- brown sugar + granulated sugar
- mashed bananas
- sourdough starter (fed or discard)
- eggs
- vanilla
And then stir in the dry ingredients:
- flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
- baking powder + baking soda + salt
- ground cinnamon
A Substantial Loaf
This recipe makes one large loaf of banana bread. Which means!! —> Don’t try shoving the batter into a smaller loaf pan. You’ll be sad and so will your oven when things go awry and start over flowing into bubbling, burning carnage.
*Use a 9X5-inch loaf pan*
If you only have smaller loaf pans (like an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch size), fill the pan slightly more than 2/3 full and use the rest of the batter for mini loaves or a few muffins.
Read the note in the recipe below for high elevation baking where batter tends to rise faster and sometimes overflow!
I have made this bread at least a dozen times and while the loaf pan is full, it has never overflowed (I live at about 2,500 feet elevation). It domes up beautifully while baking.
A Tried-and-True Banana Bread Recipe
I am so excited for you to try this recipe.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, beg, steal or borrow until you do! I promise this bread is worth it.
I’ve added *a few* chocolate chips with good results. Baked in mini loaf pans with good results. Doubled and tripled the recipe with good results. Delegated the making of to the children with good results.
It’s just one of those amazing and soul-fulfilling recipes I can’t envision my life without. Long live sourdough banana bread. 💗
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Sourdough Banana Bread
Yield: 12 slices (1 loaf)
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 55 minutes mins
4.98 stars (68 ratings)
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (350 g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
- ½ cup (140 g) sourdough starter, fed or discard
- ½ cup (100 g) neutral-flavored oil (see note)
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large (100 g out of shell) eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour (see note if using whole wheat)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray (I cut a strip of parchment paper and line the bottom and two long sides). Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, sourdough starter, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla until very well-combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Don't over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Pan Size: this recipe makes too much batter for a smaller 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, so make sure the pan is 9X5-inches. (For high elevation baking where batter can rise quicker and sometimes overflow, you might want to reserve some of the batter and bake in a mini loaf pan or 2-3 muffins. I live at 2,500 feet and this bread does not overflow in the oven, but I haven’t tested it at high elevation).
Oil: use a neutral-flavored oil like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, melted coconut oil (refined coconut oil doesn’t have a strong coconut flavor) or other oil without a strong flavor profile. I haven’t tried subbing part of the oil with applesauce, but you can experiment. You can also use melted butter. If doing so, decrease the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. In my testing, the bread rises less well when using melted butter and the crumb has a slightly greasier texture. For that reason, I prefer using oil.
Whole Wheat: when using whole wheat flour in this recipe, I recommend using white whole wheat (hard or soft wheat) – or a wheat berry or flour like kamut or einkhorn. Those varieties are less dense and dark than using red whole wheat.
Author: Mel
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 255kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 287mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g
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posted on May 2, 2022 (last updated September 28, 2022)
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93 comments on “Amazing Sourdough Banana Bread {Discard or Fed Starter}”
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Alison — Reply
So yummy! This pas time making them, I did mini muffins and used half white wheat and half all purpose flour. Made about 48. Approx 11 min per pan. Delicious!!! Thank you!!
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Jo — Reply
This banana bread is amazing! Didn’t change a thing and can’t wait to make it again!
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Amanda — Reply
The BEST banana bread I have ever made. Added 1 cup dark chocolate chips, otherwise, followed recipe exactly. Took a little longer cook time. SOOOO good!
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Del Schlegel — Reply
So easy and tasty! I received so many compliments at work on my first loaf! I was told it was even better than that from a local coffee shop/bakery. I added about 1 cup of a chocolate chips to my second try . Delish!
Great recipe.
Thanks, Mel! -
Lindsay — Reply
insanely good!! we’ve made this deluxe bread 3 times in the last ten days. just. can’t. stop!! thank you, Mel!!❤️
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cathy groff — Reply
Fantastic!
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BrendaA — Reply
When you say 1:1:1, what does that mean? Flour to water to what?
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Mel — Reply
Flour to water to sourdough starter.
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LeilaDawn — Reply
Delectable result! I made this as gluten-free with Bob’s Red Mill 1to1 Baking, and the bread is lovely. Great crust, baked all through (banana bread can be so wet sometimes), not too sweet. This is fersure my new go-to sourdough banana bread recipe. Thanks!
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Laura — Reply
This is so so good! I’ve made it twice with applesauce instead of oil and it’s delicious. Thanks Mel!
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Michelle — Reply
This was super good! I mixed the starter, flour, sugar, oil and banana and let it sit on the counter overnight to get more of the sourdough benefits. In the morning I gently mixed in the rest of the ingredients and baked as per instruction. Came out light and moist, delicious.
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Barbara — Reply
I must make this and would like to make two loaves. Could this recipe be divided between two 4-1/2″x8-1/2″ pans? May not raise as high, but would be just fine with me.
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Mel — Reply
The loaves would be quite flat since there won’t be enough batter to fill those pans, but if you don’t mind that, it should work fine (keep an eye on baking time, will likely need less time in the oven).
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Maythe — Reply
Did this recipe twice now and it’s DELICIOUS. Thank you!
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Laurie — Reply
Oh my gosh! My loaf of sourdough banana bread is in the oven now and looking beautiful! It’s below zero degrees here in Wisconsin so I’ve been baking a lot of sourdough bread varieties and was so happy to see your email come through as it was time to use up some of my starter. Thanks for all the good things you share! I cannot wait to eat a slice of banana bread with butter!
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Diana — Reply
have this “to go to” banana bread recipe I’ve been using for years (from a Better Homes “New Cook Book”). It’s always been good and it uses shortening instead of butter or oil. It’s a nice texture.
Anyway, I’ve been baking since 9, and it’s shocking I just made my first sour dough starter in Oct. I make tons of bread & am only now experimenting with baked goods…
I was eyeing some brown bananas on the counter & excessive starter in my fridge and thought, I’ll try a sour dough banana bread. There are a lot on line to choose from! What drew me to this was the ingredients (I know what to look for for me).
I made a loaf the other day and it was so good! I like that it’s a different variation from my standard BB. I’ll for sure use both in the future!
My daughter’s bf loved this bread & I’m in the middle of making him his own loaf now (house smells good!). So glad I found this recipe!
FYI, I use 9×5 pan, convection bake at 325, and it’s a solid 60-65 min
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