This sourdough discard banana bread comes together super fast, is wonderfully moist, downright tasty, and is an easy way to use sourdough starter discard. The added sourdough starter brings a slight tang to the flavor profile, complementing the rich and sweet components. I love this recipe because the ingredients are flexible and include staples I always have on hand—a baker’s banana bread if you will.
Banana bread is something I had at least once a month growing up. A family of four always seems to have excess bananas on hand, you know, those in the kitchen that are so black and mushy no one ever touches them. Well, these are the bananas you want to use for this banana bread. Grab the darkest, mushiest, ripest bananas you have (or, stash some in the kitchen and wait a week until they’re perfect).
As you see below, I love using my Staub cast iron loaf pan to make banana bread because the cast iron gives it a thin but perceptible crust with just a little crunch. Plus, it cleans up so, so easy.
But let’s rewind for a second and look at how banana bread came to be. I mean, if you think about it, I’m not sure I could have been the first person to say, “Hey, let’s try banana in this bread.” It’s a strange concept when you step back a moment, but gosh, it works so well.
A Short (But Interesting) History of Banana Bread
Banana bread is a sweet, moist, quick bread made with mashed-up bananas, a fruit from Southeast Asia’s tropics (I mean, we all know what bananas are!). In the 18th and 19th centuries, bananas were considered a luxury good in the continental United States, which makes sense. They grew far away, and transporting them was costly. It was not until the early 20th century that the American-owned United Fruit Company began importing bananas from Latin America, making them more accessible.
Banana bread is generally thought to have gained popularity in the early 1930s. It’s often said that the quick bread gained traction during the Great Depression, a way to use overripe bananas at a time when food waste was avoided at all costs. Additionally, since bananas have a high sugar content and are sweet, they’re a fantastic swap for white sugar.
The invention and rise of baking powder also contributed to the growing popularity of banana bread. During the early 1930s, baking powder became more accessible, allowing cooks and bakers to experiment with new baking techniques and leaven baked goods without a sourdough starter or yeast. This new category of quick breads included banana bread.
Today, banana bread is as American as can be. Chances are you’re like me with a parent (hey, mom!) or grandparent who made it often on the weekends. It’s a classic quick bread whose simplicity and resourcefulness have made it a staple in almost every American kitchen.
What Sourdough Starter Discard Do I Use?
For this banana bread, use a ripe sourdough starter: It has fermented for some number of hours (overnight for me), smells slightly sour, is bubbly on top and at the sides, and has a looser consistency than when you first fed it.
If you keep a sourdough starter discard cache in the refrigerator, like I do, you’ll always have ripe discard at the ready for making this banana bread!
Add Moisture with Olive Oil
I’m not sure if olive oil is a common ingredient in banana bread or not, but I add it here much like I’d add it to sourdough bread: it brings richness, moisture, and softness. The olive oil is key to helping this banana bread stay moist.
The olive oil is key to helping this banana bread stay moist.
Turn This Banana Bread into Zucchini Bread
Zucchini may not immediately sound like a great addition to a sweet quick bread, but trust me, in the heat of summer when zucchini is growing like a weed, this is what you’ll turn to.
Since zucchini has an incredible amount of moisture, and when shredded, it acts much like banana does, bringing lots of moisture and softness to whatever it’s mixed into.
To turn this banana bread into zucchini bread, omit the banana and add 300g shredded zucchini (I use my steel box grater to grate the zucchini). Instead of blending the sourdough starter with the banana, add the starter to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add the zucchini to the egg mixture just before folding in the flour.
How Is This Different From The Banana Bread in Your Cookbook?
In my sourdough cookbook, I have a recipe for starter discard banana bread I call “Banana Bread 2.0.” It’s an evolution of this recipe, which has been up at The Perfect Loaf for almost as long as the site has existed (10 years!). I’ve modified that recipe to align with what I can remember my mom baking for us as kids.
They’re both wonderful recipes, you can’t go wrong making either 🙂
Print
Baker’s Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 bread
- Category: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch
- Cuisine: American
Description
This banana bread made with sourdough starter discard is an easy—and tasty—way to use extra sourdough starter. You’ll find this quick bread is your go-to for lazy weekends and any time you want a quick treat!
Ingredients
- 240g (2 cups) all-purpose white flour, spelt, whole wheat, einkorn, or a mix
- 3g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
- 3g (1/2 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 125g (1 cup) chopped walnuts (and/or pecans), plus a handful more for the topping
- 126g(1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 100g (1/2 cup lightly packed) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 125g (3/4 cup, stirred down) sourdough starter discard
- 42g (2 tablespoons) honey
- 4 (about 365g) super ripe and mashed bananas
- 28g (2 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl mix a handful of chopped walnuts and a few pinches of sugar. Set aside to be used as the topping later.
- In another bowl (or a stand mixer), cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. While mixing, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sourdough starter, honey, mashed bananas, vanilla, and olive oil.
- Fold the flour mixture into the wet, pausing to scrape down the sides if necessary. Then, fold in the remaining walnuts and lemon zest. Pour the batter into the 9” x 5” baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle on the reserved chopped walnuts and sugar.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes until the internal temperature in the middle is 200-205°F (93-96°C). Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove to a wire rack to thoroughly cool.
- This banana bread will stay moist for days after baking, but be sure to wrap it in bees wax wrap, a kitchen towel, or place it inside a closed container to prevent much moisture loss.
Notes
To turn this banana bread into zucchini bread, omit the banana and add 300g shredded zucchini. Add the shredded zucchini to the egg mixture just before folding in the flour.
Instead of walnuts, try pecans or slivered almonds, or leave the nuts out entirely.
What’s Next?
If you’re looking for more sourdough starter discard treats, check out my top 3 starter discard recipes (think: waffles, pancakes, oh my!).
Or, see all of our sourdough starter discard recipes for more inspiration.
