Sourdough Banana Bread

This recipe for sourdough banana bread is perfect when you’re looking for the classic banana flavor and all the benefits of sourdough baking. It’s truly the best, most delicious of both worlds!

I have been a die-hard fan of banana bread all my life. It’s just so dang good.

But it can be better, as it turns out.

I know the world is crazy for sourdough right now, so it sounds like I’m just jumping on a hype train, but there’s a good reason we’re all in love with it, and in my defense, I was making sourdough bread back in my teen years when I lived in an Amish community. So maybe the world is finally catching up to my hype train. 😉

Here’s the thing about sourdough: it’s a living bacteria that changes the grains you put in your baked goods, making them easier for many people to digest, more bio-available, and adding a prebiotic component to our beloved baked goods and breads.

It’s traditional, and it’s a sustainable leavening agent. It’s a good thing.

And that’s why I’m also not the biggest fan of sourdough discard recipes, which feature simply adding some discarded sourdough starter to batter so you can feel better about what you’re eating.

No. I want a proper ferment. I like the grains broken down properly. I want to use an active sourdough starter and give the batter a proper ferment time whenever I can do that.

That doesn’t mean that something isn’t better than nothing and that you can’t use a quick little sourdough discard recipe when you need to get the show on the road.

It just means it isn’t ideal when you have another choice.

For instance, I prefer to ferment my sourdough waffles overnight if possible, but if not, then it’s not the end of the world. We take what we can get.

With that said, the main instructions for this recipe are for fermented sourdough banana bread using an active starter. The kind of bread that will not only taste delicious, but also sit well on your stomach. The kind you can genuinely feel good about eating.

Ingredients for sourdough banana bread

Other than using a sourdough starter, the ingredients for this banana bread aren’t much different from what you’re likely already used to.

• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Ripe Bananas
• Eggs
• Sourdough Starter
• Vanilla extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking powder
• Salt

While sourdough starter itself is a leavening agent, I prefer to add baking powder to this bread to get a nice quick-bread crumb.

Ingredient Substitutions

Honestly, there’s not a lot to substitute for here.

The main one would be to use melted coconut oil or another oil in place of the butter. I enjoy the flavor that butter gives this bread, but it is for each of us in that department.

You could also substitute white sugar for the brown.

The differences between these two substitutes are very minor.

One addition you can make is 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and a cup of nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips. 

Other than these, I don’t recommend any other substitutions.

How long does it take to make sourdough banana bread?

That’s mainly up to you. As I mentioned above, I like to let my sourdough doughs and batters proof or ferment for a nice, long time to give the bacteria time to do its work.

So it just depends on how much time you have.

If you want your sourdough banana bread ASAP and are starting with a cold starter, also known as sourdough discard, It’ll take about 10 minutes to prepare and an hour to bake.

If you want to feed your sourdough first so that it’s active when you start your bread, then let the bread batter ferment; it’ll take you the prep time, baking time, plus several hours of fermentation time.

For me, this second method is ideal – IF I’ve planned ahead and made time for it. But we all know that making treats like this is often spontaneous. 😉

How to Make This Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe

After you’ve gathered your ingredients, Beat butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl until light.

Next, beat or whisk in sourdough starter.

Then beat in bananas and vanilla. I use rotary beaters and find there’s no need to mash the banana before adding. But if you’re using a whisk, or fork, you may want to add mashed bananas rather than whole.

Stir flour into your wet ingredients until fully incorporated, cover, and let ferment (proof) for 1-7 hours (your preference) at room temperature. At this point, your batter will be fairly stiff. If you’re making this as purely a sourdough discard recipe, you can continue with the recipe right away.

After the fermentation period, preheat the oven to 325º.

You will notice that the texture of the batter has changed to be more goopy. This means your sourdough starter is doing its job!

Beat eggs, baking soda, and salt to the batter, and pour into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Loosen edges from sides of loaf pan, and turn onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Serve as desired.

More banana recipes you’ll enjoy:

• Gluten free banana cupcakes (with ancient grains)
• Flourless oatmeal banana bread
• Gluten Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
• Chocolate covered Banana Bites
• Gluten Free Banana Cookies

How to store leftover banana bread

If you have leftovers or plan to serve your sourdough banana bread later, let it cool completely, then seal it in an airtight container or bag such as a gallon ziplock baggie. You can let this sit at room temperature for one to two days.

To freeze, wrap the bread in aluminum foil and then a ziplock bag or wrap it in plastic wrap. Sourdough Banana Bread can be frozen like this for several weeks.

To thaw frozen bread, let it come to room temperature while still wrapped. If you unwrap it before it’s warmed up, it will get soggy with condensation.

More Sourdough Recipes to Try:

• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Easy Sourdough Tortillas
• Sourdough Hamburger Buns
• How to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter
• How to Fee Sourdough Starter

 

Print