Banana bread is a comfort food classic. My secret is plenty of brown sugar, overripe bananas, and a specific mixing order for the ultimate sourdough banana bread.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of sampling the most delicious banana bread. It came from The Boathouse restaurant, a fantastic beachside spot in Manly, Australia. I couldn’t get over how remarkably soft, sweet and scrumptious it was. The texture was like velvet.
At the time, I was too shy to ask for the recipe, so I searched online until I found it. And now, my version is yours: one with sourdough and one without. Both are incredible.
What Makes This The Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread?
First, it uses all brown sugar. No white at all.
When combined with perfectly overripe bananas and pure vanilla extract, it creates the most exquisite caramel flavor. It will blow you away.
Second, the ingredients are mixed in a specific order.
Typically, when making a quick bread like this you’d simply combine the wet and dry ingredients and call it a day.
But here, you’ll cream a portion of the wet ingredients first, then add the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and olive oil.
Weird? Weird.
I was definitely hesitant about this at first (the batter looks totally strange when you get to the oil part).
But upon further research, this particular mixing order is the science behind its velvety soft texture.
Third, there’s no cinnamon in this sourdough banana bread.
And I don’t miss it!
Cinnamon is strong, and the lack of it really lets that caramel flavor shine though.
Finally, I added bubbly, active sourdough starter to the original recipe.
I wanted to see if adding bubbly, active starter as opposed to leftover starter discard would increase the rise… and it did!
Alternatively, you can use leftover discard instead. It just won’t rise as high.
Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe: Step by Step
Grab Your Ingredients
Ok, so you know the drill: measure out everything before you begin.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (that’s not a typo).
Baking the sourdough banana bread 10 degrees higher than 350 F gives the bread a nice lift.
You’ll also need a stand mixer or electric hand held mixer.
Butter Your Loaf Pans
Typically, I’d bake this sourdough banana bread in a traditional 9×5-inch loaf pan.
I’m using three 7x3x2-inch mini loaf pans instead. I like to freeze them individually. So cute!
Coat nicely with softened butter.
Mix the Ingredients
Start by creaming the brown sugar, vanilla and bananas together. Don’t bother to slice the bananas, just break them up by hand.
Then add the eggs and the sourdough starter. Followed by the flour, baking soda and salt.
Now add the oil & milk…
The liquids will not blend in right away. Just keep mixing on low speed until completely absorbed.
Bake the Banana Bread
Place the loaf pans onto a sheet pan and transfer it to the oven.
Bake on the center rack until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool before serving.
Bottom Line?
Friends, please look no further!
This sourdough banana bread is truly unique.
It’s soft, sweet, and packed with comfort and flavor (everyone always asks for the recipe when I make it!).
Take a cue from The Boathouse and serve it with salted butter or mascarpone cheese for a decadent treat. But plain is fine too!
More Sourdough Discard Recipes You’ll Love!
- Sourdough Discard 101: Recipes & Faqs Answered
- Best Sourdough Zucchini Bread
- Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
- Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Waffles
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Print
Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf or 3 mini loaves
- Category: Sourdough Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Banana bread is a comfort food classic. My secret is plenty of brown sugar, overripe bananas, and a specific mixing order for the ultimate sourdough banana bread. Recipe adapted from The Boathouse restaurant in Manly, Australia.
Notes:
Out of sourdough starter? You can still make this recipe (and it’s delicious!). Increase the milk to 125 ml (1/2 cup) total.
You will need a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan or three 7x3x2 mini loaf pans for baking.
Ingredients
Butter, for coating the pan
375 g overripe bananas, weighed with the skin on (about 2 medium bananas)
225 g (1 1/4 cups lightly packed) light or dark brown sugar
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
100 g (appx. 1/2 cup) bubbly, active 100% hydration sourdough starter
250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
125ml (½ cup) neutral flavored oil
60ml (1/4 cup) milk
Powdered sugar, butter, and mascarpone cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 360 F.
Lightly coat three 7x3x2 mini loaf pans or one 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter.
Add the bananas, sugar, and vanilla to a bowl. Cream with a hand held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (some small lumps of banana are okay).
Add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Add the sourdough starter.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Working in batches, add this to the banana mixture.
Add the milk and oil and mix until just combined. Do not over do it; the banana bread will be tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). If using the mini loaf pans, place them onto a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes (for the mini loaf pans) or 60- 65 minutes (for the standard 9×5-inch pan), until rich golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cover with foil if the loaf browns too quickly.
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with powdered sugar for a nice touch!
Keywords: sourdough banana bread, banana bread, easy banana bread, boathouse banana bread
Comments
Brynn the Baker says
Sooooo goooood! I subbed gluten free flour and gluten free starter (bobs red mill 1:1) I made it in muffin tins as some comments said it needed longer to bake and got pretty dark on top. Muffins solved this by only needing 22 mins of bake time to be perfectly done! So happy it worked!! I’ve made many sourdough discard banana breads and this one of definitely a 10/10!!! Moist, airy, sweet and very banana and brown sugar forward. Reminds me of my fav dessert: bananas foster! Yum! Also added chocolate chips to half the muffins for fun! Will definitely make again and share this recipe with others!
★★★★★
Amy says
I’ve made this recipe at least ten times but my sourdough died. What can I substitute for the sourdough please? Thanks!
★★★★★
Cynthia says
Wow, I made this for the first time and it will be added to all my future baking with leftover starter or discard! This was light, airy, tastes of caramelised banana, absolutely divine! I added some shredded carrots, decrease the brown sugar a bit and added some honey to substitute. I love it, thank you for this amazing recipe
★★★★★
Kali Kilmartin says
Made this banana bread four times now- it’s amazing!! Thank you so much! Added chia seeds and walnuts which gave it some extra texture, was delicious.
★★★★★
joseph smith says
Way too hot, outside was burnt before inside was cooked
Mariannick Halai says
Quite simply the best cake I’ve ever eaten… The flavour and velvety texture are outstanding and yet so simple to execute… I added some Walnuts and it added a bit of a crunch. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe, it’ll be a firm family favourite going forward. 😊🙏🏻
★★★★★
Aruna says
Hello Emilie! Thank you for the great recipe. Always happy to learn new ways to use up my discard. I have used Erythritol instead of sugar and added some inulin for extra fibre but it tastes divine and the texture is definitely velvety. Loved it! 🙏🏽❤️
★★★★★
Kristy says
I added a cup of fresh blueberries to this and it is amazing. The bake time needs about 10 more minutes. Try it!
★★★★★
Davina Ma says
I wanted to minimize sourdough starter discard waste, so this was a great way to use it up, as we make banana bread regularly anyways. My partner added chocolate chips and walnuts as usual. No commercial leavening agent (baking powder or soda) needed!
This turned out fantastic. The rise on it was almost double our regular banana bread! I guess our starter was very active! The exterior crisped up really nicely and the flavour was great. Definitely not sour but I think more caramelly, maybe because if the sourdough but also maybe that it only uses brown sugar?
If you want a healthier version of banana bread, this is it. You could also experiment with different flours.
★★★★★
An says
This looks delicious, I love the sound of creaming the bananas and sugar together! Though I am wary of using oil in banana bread as it can sometimes turn greasy or overly moist, would substituting the same amount of melted butter work?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I’ve made this with butter before and it’s delicious. Butter to oil is not an exact swap. You would actually use 2/3 cup butter here. But if you want, I bet it would work just as well with 1/2 cup.
An says
Thanks so much, can’t wait to try it!
Jeanette says
Second time making it in a week! Absolutely delicious and what a great way to use discard! I add chocolate chips and walnuts to half of it, and leave the other half plain. Happy family!
★★★★★
Lee R says
I’ve made this recipe three times already, and it’s absolutely the best banana bread I’ve ever made! I even subbed out flax for egg and oat milk for a vegan version, and it was even better! Thanks for this wonderful mixing technique!
★★★★★
Lori says
Hi, can I cut down the sugar to half or more? Wont it affect the texture? Thanks
Aruna says
Hi Lori! I made it this morning using erythritol and it’s really good. Obviously, it tastes less sugary than sugar but the bananas and the vanilla essence balance things out. No change in texture.
Tish Reid says
I just made this banana bread this evening – doubled up the amounts, but made a mistake with the sugar and instead of 450g I used 185g……. and it turned out A-MAZING! Texture was good and the taste was lovely. I generally reduce sugar content by approx 20%when I’m baking as we find the recipes tend to be over sweet, but would never have reduced by over 50%.
★★★★
isabelle says
I love this recipe! Do you think/know if it would work in muffin form?
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Absolutely! I don’t have the exact bake time off the top of my head, but I’d try 18-20+ minutes to start.
Eva says
Amazing! Best banana bread I ever made and so good to be able to use my sourdough starter for it. Everyone loved the bread. I got a nice rise out of it too which is always a challenge for banana bread.
I added cinnamon because I love it and made it in one big loaf tin. It took longer than an hour and I had to cover it with foil as it was getting pretty dark. My oven is a bit dodgy though – nonetheless it turned out well!
Highly recommended.
★★★★★
Emma Conrathe says
Too good. I can’t stop eating it, ❤️
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Enjoy!
Kristina KIRK-JANJIC says
This was my first time trying sourdough banana bread and it won’t be the last! I couldn’t believe how amazing it turned out! So delicious and perfectly baked! The recipe was simple to follow as well. I have almost given up making banana bread – It always seemed to be under-baked and soggy but not this time. I did have to bake it for about 10=12 mins more than was asked – but I just kept checking it after the 60 min mark and when a tooth pick came out clean I knew it was baked. And it was PERFECT! Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Roberta says
I just baked your pumpkin bread recipe. It came out perfectly moist on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside. I followed it exactly as per your recipe. Excellent!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Fantastic! Glad you liked it, Roberta :)
Alyssa says
I’ve made this recipe several times now and love it! I always make a couple modifications though:
I double it, but keep the original amount of sugar (I still find it sweet enough). I swap the ratio of oil to milk and use either whole wheat or spelt flour. And add chocolate chips or nuts!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds fantastic- love the spelt!
Cheryl Brady says
I love your sourdough recipes and tips, much more information here than any other site. I am in Australia and very keen to try your discarded starter recipes, but have a couple of questions. Are your measurements US? I guessed yes with temps being farenhight but want to be certain. Also we use self raising flour which has a riser in it, would I need to still add further baking soda?
I love that the banana cake recipe is from Manly here in Australia.
Regards
Cheryl
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cheryl! Yes: all measurements are US. Regarding the self raising flour, that’s a very good question. I haven’t tested it this way! I would still make the recipe as is first, with the baking soda, and see how that goes.
PS: I’m not sure where you are located in Australia, but if you ever have a chance to visit the Boathouse restaurant (I believe they have a few locations?) the banana bread truly is the absolute best. xx
Kellyn says
Any thoughts on weighing frozen bananas? Or has anyone given that a go (I know I’m not the only one with a freezer full of them!)
Weigh them frozen or defrosted? Does it change the weight required?
Rachel Perlow says
That’s pretty much what I want to know too. Why weigh the ingredient with the part you’re going to discard?
Kristy says
This is now my go-to banana bread recipe. I love that it is not overly sweet and the taste of banana comes through beautifully. The texture is not too heavy, yet it holds up to being transported to work with me everyday for breakfast. I pop a slice in the microwave for 30 seconds and it tastes like it just came out of the oven. I also like that I can use my sourdough discard to make the bread.
Jeanne says
Can you make this recipe with Buttermilk instead of milk?
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Absolutely. Enjoy :)
Jeanne Leone says
I made this recipe with Buttermilk, and added a little more baking soda, some cinnamon, and some nutmeg and it is divine! The bread jusr melts in your mouth. From now on, I’m going to use Buttermilk! This recipe is a favorite for my while family!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds perfect. Love buttermilk. Thanks Jeanne! xx
Helen says
So moist and delicious! I veganised it in the same way as another commenter (used 2 flax eggs and oat milk) and it worked perfectly! I had more bananas to use up than the recipe called for (375g after peeling – 3.5 medium ones) so reduced the milk to 50ml and the oil to 80ml as the mixture looked quite slack. Used muffin trays and they took 28 minutes to do. (I ended up with about enough batter for 12-14 muffins). This will be my go-to banana bread recipe… now I just have to hope I don’t have any issues tonight as I forgot the batter contained raw sourdough and ate quite a lot of it :P Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kim says
I am 100% a beginner so this may be dumb, but it says this is a discard recipe, yet the ingredients list says to use 100% active, bubbly starter. Does this mean you can’t store the discard in the fridge for a day or so and then use it? Thank you!
Kim says
Hi Kim, fellow Kim here and I made these with part fridge starter and part active, it was incredible and I doubt it really matters much since there are other leaveners. I baked them into muffins, wrapped them up to share with a group and everyone raved. I don’t like bananas and don’t love banana bread but these really have a great texture. It’s been a minute but I thought I might as well respond to your comment while giving it a rating, I hope you try them!
★★★★★
Ria Revenaugh says
I have had difficulty with the way things are set up here. On the banana discard cake recipe, I can’t find the ingredient list or amounts. I must be missing something. Obviously
Emilie Raffa says
Ria, just scroll down to the bottom of this post (before the comment section). You’ll find a printable recipe with the ingredients and amounts :)
Anna K says
This was tasty! I didn’t bother using any other tools but a whisk and a couple of bowls. It took about 1hr 15 min for a single loaf to be done (no convection) and it came out a bit too dark and crispy around the edges. I recommend baking in 3 mini loaf pans as the resipe suggests or in muffin tins.
★★★★★
Jenn says
So I have a fav recipe that I altered and replaces the white flour with WW and rolled oats, so I tried that here and it turned out delicious! I did bake it in a rectangular glass dish as I was concerned it might not cook in the middle as a large loaf based on their comments. The result was a lovely light cake / loaf. Next time I will try to cold ferment it for a few days to make it more healthy!
Paul says
A wonderful recipe! Tried it last night. I’m curious what part the sourdough starter plays in this, as there’s not enough time to ferment the batter. Is it a flavor enhancement? I’m assuming the rise came from the baking soda like a quick bread.
★★★★★
Shelley says
This is really the ultimate BEST banana bread! Thank you very much for sharing this awesome recipe. Appreciate it!
The banana bread is so moist and soft; a comfort breakfast which I enjoyed it with some walnuts and a good cup of tea. It’s a happy Monday (in KL here) hahahah…..
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
So glad you liked it, Shelley! Thank you! :)
Claudia from Nevada says
This came out delicious! I realized after it was in the oven that my banana weight was without skins which explained why it took a bit longer. I made the following substitutions/changes: Used coconut milk 1:1 for regular milk, olive oil, old bananas in my freezer that we use for smoothies that we thawed, 1 c of unpacked brown sugar as recipes are often sweeter than I would prefer, I left out the vanilla so I could better taste the caramelization of the bananas, 3 scoops of vegetable based protein powder, and I dumped in the remainder of the walnuts I had in my fridge. The baking time took approximately an extra 10 minutes due to my poor reading re: the bananas and I tented with foil for the last 25 minutes. The outside is dark and I thought I over-baked and ruined the loaf, but I was surprised to find that it was still very moist and delicious and the outside had a lovely subtle crunch. It would have been best cooked a few minutes less, but it is still lovely.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Claudia, this sounds so good! Love the addition of walnuts, too! :)
Dave says
This recipe is awesome! I found that I needed 3.25 black large bananas and I weighed everything in grams. I also added cinnamon-sugar coated almonds chopped up, which meant that I would need to add more leavening agent so I added about a tsp. of baking powder. This by far the lightest, moistest and yet silky banana bread I have ever made! Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Dave, the almonds sound AMAZING! Thanks for sharing with us :)
Mark says
Can you make the batter the night before, put in fridge and back in the morning?
Emilie Raffa says
I haven’t tested it, but I know it can be done with some adjustments. For example, the following day, you might have to add more liquid if the batter becomes too thick on the overnight. Additionally, you might have to increase the bake time. Enjoy!
LA Feltham says
I’ve put the batter overnight and cooked it the following day to allow for a longer resting period. I find it works great. I just omit the baking soda and add it to the batter in the morning along with additional liquid if it seems to have absorbed a lot of the liquid overnight.
Marce says
I just tweaked the recipe. Instead of All purpose flour, i used bread flour. Then i also used 350 grams of mashed bananas, and decreased the brown sugar to 150 grams. Lastly i added about 1/2 cup of cashew. Baked it for 40 minutes at 350 centigrade. It’s perfect! The banana in itself is already sweet that’s why i had to decrease the sugar. I love it, i’ll surely make it again :
★★★★★
Sophie Betser says
I am not sure what you mean by centigrade, but 350 celcius degree would definitely burn your cake. 350 f would work. Or between 180-190 centigrade.
Brenda says
This will be my third time making the recipe but I realized I’m low on canola oil! What else can I use instead? I only have olive oil and butter. Amazing recipe by the way. I’ll be making them in muffin tins this time.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Brenda, olive oil will work (I’ve done this many times) and so will butter about 2/3 cup.
Patricia says
How many grams of just the fruit-banana?….but W/O the skin. I made this recipe once; it is truly great with sd and brown sugar, but the banana amount is vague; the bananas I had were apparently large b/c the inside of loaf was undercooked and outer was very done. I’ll definitely make it again, but need clarification on the proportion. Thank you, Emilie!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Patricia! How did you measure for this recipe? Weight or volume for all ingredients? Thanks!
Dottie says
I am a beginner when it comes to sourdough baking. and I’m happy to report that this turned out excellent on the very first try.
Wanda says
Wonderful flavor. I baked in a 9×5 pan and it took about 70 minutes. It did get a bit too brown. I think next time I’ll start it at 360 to get the oven spring, but lower it 20 deg. For the last half of baking.
★★★★★
Pe McC says
Made this banana bread for our breakfast this morning. Wife is vegan. Had to substitute for milk,eggs and butter. A real success. I used sourdough starter discard as directed. Will increase banana amount or add nuts to next loaf. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Sonia says
Hi, I was looking into making this recipe, but I am vegan as well. I was thinking of replacing egg with ground flax seeds mixed with a bit of water. I was wondering what you used to replace your egg and if it was sucessful. Thanks
P MC says
Bingo! 1 tbs ground flax seed + 3 tbs water for each egg. I whisk this together first and by the time I am ready for the eggs it has become as viscous as real beaten eggs. Works great for me.
Anna says
Which kind of milk did you use? Would oat work?
Thanks!
Happy new year!🙏🏻
sophie says
i used almond milk, and it was DELISH! so i think that oat would taste yummy too:)
P Mc says
Both almond milk and oat milk are good in this recipt.
Jen says
This was a big hit in my household! I made this for Thanksgiving breakfast. I folded in cranberries and pecans at the end, used coconut sugar in place of brown and also subbed in a bit of whole wheat flour. The flavor and texture was perfect! My family thought it was from a bakery. Thanks so much! I got a little baking cred from this one.
★★★★★
Ann says
Going to try this recipe. I have frozen bananas without skin in my freezer which I will use for this recipe. I know it gets watery after I thaw them so I need to drain before I weigh. What will be the right measurement to use for the thawed banana? Thank you.
TYLER BLAUVELT says
Hi! I’m making this right now, but was thinking, would it make sense to let the batter ferment for a while before baking? I tasted it after mixing and there really isn’t much of a sourdough flavor to it. However, maybe if its too sour that might not work out so well. At any rate, its a great recipe, looking forward to tasting the final product!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Tyler! You can totally do this if you want. It will deepen the flavor, for sure. However, keep in mind: baking soda tends to neutralize any overly “sour” flavors which is why you’ll get depth of flavor, not necessarily sourness.
Bailey says
So I’ve made this recipe 3…4 times in a matter of weeks….#soudoughaddict…. First time I made it as the recipe states later when making it again I didn’t realize the oil and milk were in ml and not grams…. Oops but a good oops! Later I was reading the comments and found a comment that talks about a pumpkin version…. I know we get it people like pumpkin big woop….. Wrong! Are you sitting? I hope you’re sitting because I stumbled into making the best sourdough pumpkin bread of all time. I even baked professionally for 5 years and this still is sooo much better.
I used the recipe above with these changes: I used 1c. libby’s pumpkin pie mix out of a can and substituted it instead of bananas, I added an additional 25g if flour and I may or may not have read the recipe wrong and weighted my oil and milk as though it was in grams not ml….🤦♀️ It worked out great keep reading I promise it was worth it. I doubled the salt because I am a salt person…. The end result was and is life changing! This will forever be my favorite and I’m not even a pumpkin fan! Do it…. Try it. The banana version is amazing and worth trying it’ll be soooo spongy and the best texture….. But sourdough pumpkin with this recipe as a guild will have changed me forever ❤️ thank you! I can never make a sweet loaf without add sourdough starter again…. It changed my life too much!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Bailey, oh my goodness, this is he best feedback ever. You made me laugh! I’m going to try this for sure!
Rachel Perlow says
Milliliters and Grams have the same weight
Sasha says
Love this recipe. I baked it in muffin tins after trying to bake it in one loaf..that never baked through. It looked gorgeous and all but even after 1h20 it was so raw in the middle. I was suspicious when I poured it in my silicone bread pan (which I bake sourdough bread in weekly, it’s fine) because it was a lot of dough. My oven is brand new and well calibrated, follow ingredients and everything correctly. Who knows?! Muffin version cooks much faster and is amazing!
★★★★★