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.
If you’re a sourdough bread baker, you’re going to appreciate this one. 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 didn’t 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
*Post contains affiliate links. Thanks for the support!*
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:Â
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 (appx. 1 1/2 cups lightly smashed)
- 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
Erin says
Can I double banana bread recipe??
Andrea says
Excellent recipe! The only change I made was to cut the sugar to 175g and also baked in muffin tins (portion control, you know) for about 23 minutes. Oh- also added some walnuts.
★★★★★
Kay says
Hi I’ve made this bread few times it’s good but I seem to have bits of flour thru the mix , thought it was banana at first , if doesn’t taste but looks big off , wondering if there’s another way of adding the flour which might help , maybe all dry then all the wet combined , not sure
Caroline says
FWIW Brown sugar isn’t healthier than white sugar; they’re essentially the same thing it’s just that brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added to it.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Caroline! Yes: you are correct. Brown sugar is not healthier. The exclusive use of brown sugar, as opposed to white, adds a unique depth of flavor :)
Amanda says
I’ve made this recipe many times as written, and it always receives compliments! I love that I usually have all the ingredients on hand. The lAst time I made it, however, I ran out of vanilla extract mid-way through the batch and ended up using 3/4 tsp vanilla and 3/4 tsp almond extract. I was worried at first because the batter smelled very strongly of almond. But – final product was divine! A Happy accident! Notably, the bake time often takes about 72 minutes in my oven at 360 degrees, but produces a delicious Carmel crust!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo this sounds delicious! Isn’t that funny about almond extract? Smells super strong, and yes, a little goes a long way. But you just never know how it’s going to turn out. What a delightful addition. Thanks for sharing, Amanda.
Megan says
Hello, is it 125 ml of oil or is that supposed to be grams? I’ve made this and loved it but now don’t know if I just measured it in grams.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Meghan! The ingredients as written are correct. However, if you wanted the oil amount in grams, it’s slightly less (about 118 g).
Candice says
If I substitute the oil with applesauce will it the same?
Emilie Raffa says
Candice, I haven’t tried it. But I think it might work here. Let me know if you experiment!
Alexa says
I just wanted to leave a note here to say I made this, And so glad I did. It is the bestest banana bread recipe I have made yet. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
I’m so glad you liked it Alexa. Thank you! xx
Peter Power says
I’ve tried this recipe and it didn’t disappoint me as a wholefood baker for 48 years.
I did 50/50 plain white and stoneground flours which gave a great texture.
Freezes well and stays moist and so tasty. Highly recommended.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Peter, thank you for your feedback. 50/50 plain white & stoneground flours sounds hearty and delicious.
KraulandKitchen says
Wow! This tastes amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome! Enjoy :)
Louise says
I love this recipe! Thank you so much, it was a staple during lockdown. Last week I started making and realised I didn’t have enough banana. I used one frozen banana and the rest of the weight for banana I used chopped date and coconut, which i covered with a little boiled water before blending. It is a lovely combination.
★★★★★
Jessie says
Great recipe! It’s so forgiving. I pour 140g of sourdough discard by accident and use 1 cup Kodiak flour and 1 cup all-purpose. Also used 1 avocado (125g) vs oil as I didn’t have anything other than EVOO. Banana bread turned out great and so moist. Does adding an extra egg make any difference to the banana bread? I’m always curious as I see some recipes using 3 vs 2 eggs
★★★★★
CW says
Outstanding Recipe. By far the best SD Banana bread I have had.
Made 4 , 5x3x2 loafs. A couple times now.
The carmelized crust is so good.
Also just used same recipe and made SD Pumpkin bread . It came out just as good as the banana bread.
Great recipe
★★★★★
Kyla McDermott says
Hi there! Is it possible to use almond milk Instead?
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutey!
Cat says
This is my second recipe from you and both have been so delicious, just perfect. I did add walnuts to this recipe and the only problem is that it overflowed a bit (I anticipated this since the pan was so full, I put a baking sheet on the rack below, really not a big deal, in fact it gave me a mini tester muffin, yum). Thank you for the great recipes.
★★★★★
Laura says
Best. Banana. Bread. Ever. I am not usually one to leave a comment, but this was too good not to do that. I have now made this recipe several times and not only is it a great way to avoid wasting discard, it is delicious and makes the house smell incredible. Perfect comfort food for a rainy, chilly fall day. Thank you Emilie!
★★★★★
Julie says
I made half quantity as only had two old bananas, and used unfed starter discard and good bread flour, used almond milk instead of milk, result delicious, soft, moist, more-ish, I’m in danger of eating the entire thing! Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Simone says
Omg!
This recipe is fantastic. I made the recipe plus 1/2 because I didn’t have a loaf pan. Perfection. Moist but not raw or wet. The sweetness was perfect. I don’t usually like desserts. I’m savoury. This , for me, is a game changer.
I wish I could add a picture because it looked almost as good as it tasted.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Simone, this is so great to hear! Yay! We love this banana bread too. In fact, my 3 yr old is making some now with us :)
Marcy says
First of all this is the best banana bread I have ever made and I’ve made a lot of banana bread. I’m not sure I’ll ever use another recipe again!
Second, I’d like to make this into pumpkin bread by swapping pumpkin purée for the mashed banana. Should I still use the same weight or do you have a recommendation for what amount to use?
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you Marcy! Pumpkin bread- this is an excellent question. I’m going to test it this weekend. Stay tuned :)
CC says
Wow, so good! I don’t miss the cinnamon at all and I love being able to use up some starter. I don’t like oil in breads, so I actually use butter instead (cream softened unsalted butter with the sugar before adding the bananas). Also, I only add milk if the batter is too dry. The bread has a more intense banana flavor without the milk.
★★★★★
Kelly Robinson says
Hi, thanks! My wife gave me your sourdough made easy after a friend gave me starter. No baking bread is my new sport.
I modified your banana bread reciept sub in 1/4 cup wheat flour, 3/4 cup all purpose and rest bread flour, maybe 1/2 cup more banana, 1/4 cup pecans and 1/4 chocolate chips.
I’m happy with moisture, texture, taste and crust.
Happy accident, i added more starter than called for before eggs to mash, vanilla and brown sugar. It sat in fridge over night as my eggs were stolen. I think magic of time helped! I could not be happier!
★★★★★
Tong says
Hi, I have a question regarding the recipe. The banana bread seemed to be uncooked , like a cream in the top middle. What would be the cause of that? Thank you in advance and also for sharing a delicious recipe! It’s our family’s favorite :).
Teresa says
I added some coconut (soaked in milk) Unbelievably texture and taste. Thank you!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Teresa, yum! May I ask: what it shredded coconut? Or fresh? Sounds so good.
Debbie says
Hi, I’m currently waiting for my bananas to become spotty so that I can make this recipe! Do I need 375g peeled or unpeeled bananas?
Many thanks and have great day!
Debbie
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Debbie! 375 g un peeled is fine. The recipe used to include the skin on, but this caused a bit of confusion with some bakers. I re-tested the recipe (without the skin) and it’s just fine. Hope this helps :)
Debbie says
If I were to choose a favorite banana bread, I think it would be a toss up between this recipe and the KAF 2018 recipe of the year whole grain banana bread. Both are no-fail perfect. I really enjoyed using the sourdough starter in your recipe. It added a depth of flavor, but no sourdough taste. I did sneak in a little cinnamon, because I just have to have it wherever it can be used. Fortunately I froze half the loaf for my daughter or I would have eaten the whole thing by myself. Definitely one for the files.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Debbie, thank you so much! This is so great to hear. Thrilled you liked it :)
Minnie says
Banana bread was not a particular favorite, at my house … but, this recipe changed all that! It’s absolutely delicious, and so moist and velvety. I followed the recipe exactly, the first time, and swapped in 50g of almond flour, the next time. I also cut the sugar to 200g, and might even go a little lower … though, my husband says not to change a thing. Great way to use up all those sad bananas, slowly going brown, at the bottom of the freezer. Great recipe. Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
You are very welcome, Minnie! Glad you liked it!
Deb says
Fantastic banana bread. My only change was to reduce the sugar to one cup. Next time I might use even less because I just prefer it a little less sweet. I loved the flavor and texture. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for the suggestions, Deb. You are very welcome!
Agatha says
Excellent. Easy will definitely make again
★★★★★
Sarah says
Thanks for this great recipe! I only had 2 bananas, which came out to half the amount needed by weight. So, I halved the recipe and made them into muffins instead. Added some chocolate chips as well. It made about 10 medium-small muffins (my starter needed feeding, so I don’t think they rose as much as I had hoped; still had a great consistency, but in retrospect, I should have used active starter OR made less muffins but filled the cups up to the brim). Took about 25-30 minutes to cook as muffins. Will definitely make again, either in muffin or bread form. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sam says
Is there any way to make this into a long ferment (8+ hours) recipe? If so, how? Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sam! I haven’t tested it so I’m unable to advise with specifics. However, I imagine you could combine the ingredients (minus the baking soda), ferment for your desired length of time (consider chilling it if the weather is hot), then add back the baking soda before you are ready to bake. You might have to stir in additional liquid if the batter is too thick and watch the baking time. Cold batter in a hot oven will bring the overall temp down.
Wen says
Hi
May I know what is the purpose of adding sourdough in this recipe
From Wen
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Adding sourdough deepens the flavor, softens the texture, and is a useful way to use up any leftover or bubbly active starter you might have.
Lola says
Super good!! Another favorite on top of the sourdough cinnamon rolls. I cut the sugar in half and added more banana up to 450g. Thank you for this gem!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds delicious! I’ve been adding more banana lately too- it’s delicious!
Felicia says
Hi, if I want to use discard, do I use the same measurements as active starter, 100g?
Lola says
Yes. I used discard and same amount :)
Christine says
This is my go-to banana bread recipe, with or without the sourdough. I like the all brown sugar approach. However, the banana measurement instruction to weigh with the skin on makes no sense when what I usually do is save my overripe bananas, peeled and in pieces, in the freezer. I’m estimating that two medium bananas is about 2/3 cup, but an actual volume measurement in the recipe would be great.
★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Christine! Thanks for the feedback :) The volume equivalent is about 1 1/2 cups lightly smashed bananas. I slice them first, smash gently in a bowl, and then measure out. I’ve adjusted the recipe above for clarification. Hope this helps!
PS: Lately, I’ve been freezing the smashed bananas flat in a ziplock bag. Super easy to use for this recipe!
Jen says
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious!
David H Levine says
This is the third time I’ve baked this cake. It’s in the oven now. It’s been intergalactic the first two times. I’ve held off my coffee all day so that I can enjoy it with this cake which I know I will. Thanks.
★★★★★
Dr. Piroja Pardiwalla says
That looks like a yummy banana bread, however I do not like to use baking soda or baking bowder. Hence wanted to know if you have tried the same recipe without baking powder and added more of the sourdough starter and allowed it to rise naturally? If so, could you guide how much starter to be added and how much milk and flour to be added then.
Thank you.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I haven’t tested this recipe without baking soda, so I’m unable to advise with specifics. However, I do know that naturally leavened sourdough items follow a very specific formula + method in order to be successful. If I come across any info, or experiment further, I’l update here.
Eileen says
It’s so moist I added chocolates chips its divine…5 stars
Emilie Raffa says
Eileen, I’ve done this before and it’s fantastic. Bananas + chocolate = yum!
Ashley says
This was absolutely delicious! I used a little unsweetened applesauce to replace some of the oil and it was still delish!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo yum! This is a great tip. Love baking with applesauce.
Sammie Bolinder says
I’ve made a million banana bread recipes in the past and this one is by far my fav! I used a starter that hadn’t been fed in 24 hrs but it still rose and gave such a wonderful full flavor. Thanks for this recipe!! So so good.
★★★★★
Sue says
Sorry, I was careful to use weight measures but found this a little on the dry side and quite bland in flavour.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sue! Thanks for your feedback! This loaf shouldn’t be dry. Out of curiosity, are you using Canadian flour?
Sammie Bolinder says
Wow I can not relate, I followed the recipe to a T and it came out moist and light, not dense, and full of flavor!
Elœ says
Five star rating as a base recipe, as I made several adjustments according to what I had in my kitchen. It was a yummy success and I am posting my notes on here for anyone who might have similar ideas.
My adjustments were: more banana, less brown sugar, a non-active sourdough starter, less baking soda, added baking powder, olive oil as per another commenter’s suggestion, and oat milk. My results were soft and moist yet compact cakes, not overly sweet, with a lovely banana flavor (love that this recipe has no cinnamon!!). I ended up splitting a 9×7 glass Pyrex into two sections with an aluminum foil middle and baking two different breads at the same time. They rose well and both had pretty domes, albeit a bit cracked, but I actually loved the look. I tested the cakes at 45 minutes and they still needed a bit longer, I covered the top with aluminum foil and put them back for 5 extra. At 50 minutes my knife came out clean.
My weighed ingredients were roughly this:
around 420g of bananas (I started with 380g but decided to add one more banana for a sweeter bread, total 4 bananas, small organic ones)
113 g starter (not too active, my starter is still getting going)
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
116 g brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
60ml oat milk
125ml olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
I’m eating a slice for breakfast right now ;•) Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Lori says
Hi,
Just wondering. Did you cut out the flour entirely? Interested in your adjustments but I’m thrown by no flour listed in your ingredients.
Thank you!
Elœ says
Haha! I forgot to list the flour measurement, thanks for letting me know, I kept it as per your recipe, 250g (of KA umbleached AP.)
Emilie Raffa says
This sounds divine. Thank you for sharing!
bedoor says
mine is in the oven right now
can’t wait to try it
thanks for the recipe
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome. Enjoy!
bedoor says
it was the BEST banana bread I have ever eaten period
I make a lot of banana bread ( I think I made around 500 times in life ) and it always something i grab in coffee shop when I am in a hurry
I used to have 3 favorite recipes .. but this recipe come on top and I think I will keep my starter fed just for this recipe & sourdough focaccia in your book
thanks again for sharing an amazing recipe and making us happy :)
★★★★★
Marsha B says
I had some ripe bananas from our tree and extra sour dough starter on hand, so this seemed like the perfect recipe to put them to good use. It came out great! The banana bread mini-loaves rose high and was so delicious. Recipe is definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Glad you liked it Marsha!
Stewart says
This is the ultimate banana sourdough bread!!!! Just made this, substituted the milk for almond milk amd the oil for cold pressed olive oil( I love the flavour) 10/10. So good.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Stewart, I’ve made this many, many times with olive oil and it’s fantastic. I agree with you: it adds a nice depth of flavor. Almond milk is a great sub too!