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 recipe. 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
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 (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 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!
Comments
diana says
Hi Emilie!
I was super excited to bake this loaf and ready to love it to bits but unfortunately, no matter how long I kept it in the oven, the entire middle just did not bake through :( When I cooled it for a short while and cut a bit off the side to check, I saw that the middle had the color of unbaked dough… Even though the sides were baked thoroughly and the crust was beautiful!
I used a tiny bit less sugar and a tiny bit less oil (although the unbaked part was still super oily when I touched it or lightly pressed on it) + 100g of my sourdough discard. Could any of that have affected the baking process in any way?
I used a bigger tray (approx. 9X5) and the first time I took it out of the oven, it had been baking for 65 mins. After I discovered it was not baked through, I popped it back into the oven for an extra 20 minutes… Gave up after that because it did not change.
Could you please troubleshoot my poor banana bread loaf and let me know what could possibly have gone wrong? :( I really wanted to impress my family and my new co-workers, and I am not giving up that easily! Thanks a bunch in advance!! <3
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Oh no! What a bummer :( Ok, so right off the bat I think it’s an oven temperature issue. Do you have a thermometer? I’d use it to double check the temperature for accuracy. Sometimes, if your oven is too hot, it cooks the outside more quickly leaving the center undercooked (think: ice cream sandwich in the oven with a melted outside and a frozen core). So start there. Additionally, is your pan made from metal or glass? Glass pans tend to make things cook faster. The issue is not related to the reduction of sugar and oil. Thanks!
diana says
Thanks for your reply, Emilie! :) The temperature was also my first guess and indeed, I did not use a thermometer but my oven was always on 180 degrees Celsius (which is 2 degrees less than 360F)… Also, the toothpick came out clean after it was baking for 65 minutes, which is why I decided to take it out in the first place. The inside was almost dry enough but it had the color of raw dough and could be shaped into a ball between my fingers – even after those 20 extra minutes. :( My pan isn’t glass either, I think it’s aluminium.
Could it be anything else?.. I know it’s difficult to say without having seen it or touched it but perhaps your baking senses could hint at something? :D I’m a novice baker myself, so I don’t have any hints in me yet hahaha
If not, then I’ll just keep baking with my fingers crossed until it works out! :))
Emilie Raffa says
Oh my goodness, this is so strange! Is your oven convection?
Diana says
Hi Emilie! Sorry for the late reply but yes, it is a convection one!
Fifi says
Thank you for sharing your fabulous recipe. I had heaps of sourdough starter bubbling away and, as I hate wasting it, I had a Google and found you :) The banana bread was incredible – full of flavour, soft and light and went so well on its own or with heaps of butter. Our poor chooks normally get the benefit of discard pancakes but no more. You can gues where the sd is going from now on! Happy baking from New Zealand x
Emilie Raffa says
Ahh… this is lovely, thank you! Happy baking to you as well :) x
Jennifer says
I made this last weekend. It was so good that my mom, who has been making the same banana bread recipe for the last 30 years or so, asked me for the recipe. Love the smooth texture and molasses flavors. This one’s a keeper!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for sharing this Jennifer! Love it!
Diane says
This banana bread recipe is fantastic! Right now i have persimmons coming out of my eyeballs! I can’t find any sourdough persimmon recipes on the internet. Could i tweak this one somehow to make it work with persimmons?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! To be honest, I’ve never made this recipe with persimmons and I wouldn’t substitute! It won’t taste the same. Perhaps just search for a regular persimmon quick bread instead?
kathryn says
I was wondering the same – I may try it out with persimmon pulp! I recently used persimmon in a pumpkin bread recipe I like and it turned out pretty well. If it works I’ll report back and let you know!
Russell B says
I made two loaves of this last night right after feeding my sourdough starter. I usually feed with 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. To that I had 10 g of unfed sourdough starter. That leaves me with exactly 100 g. I maintain two different starters, so I had enough for two loaves. I left them cooling overnight on the counter. Woke up to find one of them half eaten on the floor by my German Shepherd. She usually only cruises the counter for leftover meat. She rarely touches anything that doesn’t have meat in it. My wife and I cut into the other one. We agree with the dog… Best banana bread ever!
Emilie Raffa says
This is the best comment ever. Made my day. Thank you!
Russell B says
You’re welcome! It is delicious and easy to make. I made another two loaves last night. I had shared some with coworkers and they loved it too. This time I closed the kitchen door while it cooled overnight!
Elizabeth McKinstry says
This is the best banana bread recipe EVER.
So delicious and light and very easy to make.
I used a tray bake tin and it took 30 minutes to bake. Thank you for recipe 😃😃
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for your feedback, Elizabeth! xx
Brenda Berndt says
One question, please. You say to use 2/3 cup melted butter in place of the oil. That’s 150 grams of butter and not 125 grams. Is that too much butter, or do I need to use 125 grams? Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Great question, Brenda! It’s not too much butter- 150g is correct. This is because the oil to butter conversion by weight is not equal.
Missbeulah says
Ok, Im super naughty you guys. I took this wonderful recipe and changed it a bit to make the BEST sourdough pumpkin bread ever. Instead of bananas I used canned pumpkin. I replaced the milk with homemade milk kefir and for the oil I used avocado oil. I also added in 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp clove, and a 1/4 tsp nutmeg. It is so freaking good with grassfed butter melted all over it…. its totally gone already. I also made it with bananas and it came out great as well… THANK YOU for this recipe, it is the best.
Emilie Raffa says
Ok, this sounds INCREDIBLE! From the pumpkin, to the homemade kefir, and the grass-fed butter… you are speaking my love language!
Barbara says
I really want to try your recipe, because I have a “boatload” of bananas in my freezer and have a very healthy sourdough starter. Would thawed frozen bananas work? Or do they have to be fresh?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes: thawed bananas will work. If they’re really watery, drain off some of the liquid before using.
Sandy says
Definitely my favorite banana bread recipe, as is!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks Sandy!
HL says
Hi, this look delicious. I wanted to bake it for my little one but worry it uses a bit too much sugar. If I leave out the sugar, will it affect the texture? Do you increase the sourdough starter or baking soda to help with the rise? Thanks!
Teri C. says
Hello Emilie,
I found this recipe as I was looking to try a sourdough starter and the various breads you can make with a starter. I have a standard banana bread recipe that I just love but it seems people are quite fond of your banana recipe so I’m intrigued. As you noted that you use all brown sugar for the caramel notes which is fine but I find using half granulated sugar and brown sugar works perfectly. Since caramel is made from white sugar and butterscotch from brown sugar, you get the best of both worlds. My standard banana recipe uses the 2 sugars, melted salted butter for richness, eggs, sour cream for the tang, lots of bananas (more than it calls for), about a 1/2 c. of unsweetened applesauce, good vanilla and cinnamon plus AP flour, baking soda & powder. I’m going to try a starter dough and try your recipe though so I can’t wait. I will compare the two recipes. Wish me good eats.
Liz says
This receipe sounds AWESOME. Unfortunately, I can only eat fermented flour. So, how could I modify this recipe so that ALL the flour ferments at least 12 hours? If you can figure out a way that wouldn’t impact the finished bread, I would love to hear how to do i1!! Thanks for any help you can give me!
Liz
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you, Liz! This recipe is one of our favorites- we make it all the time.
Try this: make the batter without the baking soda, cover and chill overnight. In the morning, add additional liquid if the batter is too thick, then add the baking soda. Mix well. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes (do thin while the oven heats up). Bake as directed adding more time (if needed) due to the colder temp. of the batter.
Catherine F says
Deliciously amazing!
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you Catherine! xx
Natalie Morrissey says
Wow this bread is amazing!!! I changed it up a little and did 50/50 wholemeal and white flour and instead of sugar I used 1/2 cup maple syrup and it is the best banana bread I have ever made!! Thank you!!
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds perfect, Natalie. Thanks for sharing your tips! Yum!
Kay says
Had a few overripe bananas and had fed my starter recently so decided to try this recipe. Left in the oven 5 mins too long so it was a little browner than I would have wanted but absolutely delicious. I used my whole-wheat starter and it worked just fine. Beautifully moist and delicious! The only things I would say would be that 375g was 3.5 bananas not two and I was able to make this without a stand mixer and a bit of elbow grease with a whisk. Love finding new ways to use my starter so thanks for this!
carol says
Time to retire my old banana bread recipe – this truly is the best! It’s so delicious and looks beautiful too. Thank you!
Robin says
Carol, you’re exactly right. I bet I have 15 other banana bread recipes that I’ve tried in search of the best. I can now retire ALL of them. This is truly the best. Emilie, if you happen to see this: I’d like to use this recipe with pumpkin instead of bananas. It seems to me that pumpkin and banana are fairly close in texture, although pumpkin may have more liquid. Do you think a simple swap would word? Many thanks for this recipe, your book, your blog and this wonderful website. They’re all a treat.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I’ve actually tried this with pumpkin a while back, and an even swap is just a tad too liquidy. I don’t have exact measurements for you, but if you decrease the amount of pumpkin and/or played around with the liquid to flour ratio, you’ll be able to achieve a similar texture bye eye. Just heads up- to really enhance the pumpkin flavor consider adding pumpkin pie spice or a combination cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves etc. Or just keep as is! Enjoy :)
Robin says
Thanks for the advice Emilie! I baked a loaf yesterday and had it for breakfast this morning. It turned out quite well. I used 1 cup of pumpkin and bumped up the flour by 25 grams. Added cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, along with raisins and pecans. Didn’t change anything else. My husband and I both liked it a lot. Loaf is moist and flavorful. I might have liked a tad more pumpkin flavor, but more pumpkin would lead to more adjustments so I think I’m going to stand pat. Thanks again for a great recipe!!
Megan says
Hi, am going to give this recipe a go soon with my sourdough starter! How long does this banana bread last in the cupboard/ do you have any storage tips? Thanks :)
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! It doesn’t really go bad; it just gets softer as the days go on, up to 3 days maybe? I typically cover it in plastic wrap, or if it’s really humid out, I just drape a clean kitchen cloth over the top and leave on the counter. This helps the texture a lot.
Tami says
This is THE BEST banana bread I have ever tasted. My entire family agrees and can’t get enough of it. They’re already asking if I can go ahead and use the rest of the bananas and make more loaves to freeze! I decided to try sourdough again after many years away from it, and I have loved what I’ve been learning from your site. You are such a great teacher and all the details you give really build my confidence. I bought my culture before I found your site, and until today, I had been using the bread recipe that came with it. BUT I’ve just started the bulk rise of your Artisan Sourdough with AP flour, and it’s almost time to Stretch and Fold!. I can’t wait to see how this turns out! Thanks for making this fun and so enjoyable!
Linda says
“But upon further research, this particular mixing order is the science behind its velvety soft texture.”
Does anyone have further information on this? This recipe is great, so now I’m wondering if I should start incorporating this technique into other recipes =) I tried googling to get some info, but I’m not finding anything (maybe I’m just not using the right terminology; I’m not particularly knowledgeable about baking).
Thanks for any help!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Linda! This method follows the “reverse creaming technique” which basically means the liquids are added after the flour has absorbed the other ingredients :)
Linda says
Thank you Emilie!
Darleen says
Do you use UNBLEACHED flour for this recipe? Does it matter if you do or don’t? The bread looks very yummy! I bought some zucchini today so I can try it!
Emilie Raffa says
I use unbleached for all of my recipes. However, this recipe will still work with bleached flour- no problem!
Amelia True says
Well. This is way too delicious. I will forever only use this recipe.
I do have one question. While this is by far the absolute best banana bread in the history of bananas and bread, I did not detect a sour flavor. Am I supposed to? I did use discard that was fed probably 12-24 hour before. I was hoping to tell that it was sourdough. Regardless, this is my forever banana bread.
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Glad you liked it! In my experience, this recipe tends not to be sour; the starter just deepens the overall flavor. You can try fermenting the batter overnight, without the baking soda (add it the next day + extra liquid if the texture is too thick) and see how you go :)
Laura says
I just made this bread; however, I added a few additions. My mom used to make a Hawaiian Banana nut bread that was delicious, and I was craving so, I used 8oz of pineapple tidbits with juice added in the banana mixture. I also used 200g of sourdough starter to make up for the extra juice from pineapples (not to mention, I had starter I needed to use up). It turned out SO good. I cannot get enough of this bread. Thank you, Emilie.
Emilie Raffa says
This sounds SO GOOD! Yum!
Alex says
Thank you. Really lovely recipe. Prefer the texture to the recipe from my grandmother than I’ve been baking for 20 years. Used a waffle iron to make it today. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
T says
Do you think I could I add Walnuts?
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely, walnuts would be excellent.
t says
Great! Thanks!
Anna S. Pelosi says
My husband and I decided to each bake our banana bread. I used the sourdough recipe on this website and he did a recipe (not sourdough!) he found online. We took both breads to a family/friend beach gathering the day we baked and did a taste test with about 20 people. The sourdough version won!!
I followed the recipe and changed nothing. It rose beautifully and tasted lighter according to the participants. Thank you so much for excellent and well-described recipes.
I am wondering if you have a trusted sourdough scone recipe?
Emilie Raffa says
Anna, I love this! How fun! Glad they liked it ;) As of right now, I do not have a scone recipe but I’ll post to the blog when I do!
Leslie Barrett says
well, i made this today. I stuck carefully to the recipe, my sourdough was good, and I ended up with soggy stodgy pancake. The top rose a tiny bit but the rest was just like wet fudge. The taste is good but its not a loaf or cake.
Emilie Raffa says
Oh no! Sorry to hear that! Something definitely went wrong… It sounds like there was too much liquid and/or not enough flour in the batter? And regarding the rise, perhaps the baking soda wasn’t working properly? Happy to help troubleshoot.
Jen Curran says
Love this recipe! I reduced the sugar to 200g and added about 1/2 walnuts. Takes 65 min in my oven. It makes hubby so happy!
Alanna says
I just made this and it was absolutely delicious – i followed this recipe loosely and look forward to making it again following the method more closely – some changes I did that might be of interest – I didn’t have a mixer so first ‘creamed’ the sugar, banana, vanilla, then added everything else using an immersion stick blender lol. I used soy milk, coconut oil, 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup spelt wholemeal, reduced the sugar to 2tbsp of coconut sugar, added a handful of walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon, and dash of nutmeg, cloves, cardamom. I also added an extra banana sliced lengthways to place on the top of the cake, used a round pop out cake tin. Baked for 1 hour @ 180. It came out beautifully, soft moist texture, and sweet enough and so tasty. :)
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds incredible!!!
Whitney says
I just adore this recipe, and so does everyone who tries it! I do reduce the oil to 100ml because I prefer it that way. My sister-in-law is vegan so I adapted the recipe last time for her, if anyone is interested. I made 2 flax eggs (5 Tbsp water mixed with 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed) in place of the eggs and used coconut milk, which I happened to have leftover in the fridge, in place of cow’s milk. I chucked in some vegan dark chocolate chips, and oh boy, that made it decadent! No change to process or baking time. We all loved it, vegans and omnis alike 😊
Mara says
The sourdough is fed with equal parts flour and water by weight making it a 100% hydration starter.
L.A. says
Hi!
Can you make this SD banana bread using the overnight sponge method? I’m Gluten sensitive but I can handle sourdough products as long as there is a long resting period – would letting the batter rest with the starter affect the banana bread negatively?
Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! An overnight rest should work. However, I would add the baking soda the next day as opposed to the overnight mix. Additionally, because the flour will absorb the liquid as it sits, the texture might be thicker. I would thin out with more liquid as needed. Let us know how it turns out!
Liz says
Would like to try this recipe with butter instead of oil…thoughts?
Emilie Raffa says
Use 2/3 cup melted butter.
Megen Osborn says
One of the best banana breads I have ever made! Delicious!
Kay says
I don’t know how this will go but has anyone used GF for this banana loaf , I’m hoping it will work , Bob Mills is what I’ll use
Emilie Raffa says
I haven’t made this with GF flour. But I do know that King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure is excellent in baking.
Lisa Ward says
This is so yummy! I’d love to make it with some whole grains. I’ve used whole wheat pastry flour in quick breads before with great success, and I also have some superfine whole wheat bread flour that I’ve used in breads. Think either of these would work here?
Mark Perrin says
Thank you for this recipe! My twist is to toss in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. This is very popular in our home!
Diana says
I love how you’ve named this recipe Ultimate and not Best, because it definitely is Ultimate! I’m from Sydney, Australia and I’ve been in search for a banana bread recipe that is more bread than cake. Even better that I can use my sourdough starter. I think this recipe is spot on to what I’ve been looking for. Thank you!
M Smith says
Made this recipe vegan using flax eggs and coconut milk and lemme tell you…WOW. Love the original version – and the vegan version too. This recipe has become a staple in our household.
Jill Poyser says
I don’t like oil in bread/cake recipes. Would the same volume of melted butter work OK as a substitute please/
Emilie Raffa says
Use 2/3 cup melted butter. It will taste great!
Candice Linn says
can i make muffins instead of loaves?
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely. This recipe will make great muffins.
Christine G. says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I made it twice and it’s the best banana bread I’ve ever had. It even tastes better the next day.
This inspired me to create a similar recipe with zucchini and carrots: https://bakingwithmarilyn.com/2020/07/15/rainbow-carrot-zucchini-bread/
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome! And your comment here is so timely: I’ve been working on a zucchini version now ;) PS: your loaf looks yummy :)
Luc says
Can you substitute sour cream, yogurt, or applesauce in place of the oil? I don’t normally like baking with it or with butter. Unless it’s cake. Haha
Elv Kus says
I tried this recipe over the weekend and it’s delicious. It was my first time baking with sourdough starter and I was quite nervous about it. So, I just want to say thank you for sharing the recipe and I will definitely try your other recipes
Karina says
I know this recipe looks amazing as is, but I made all kinds of substitutions using this recipe, and I am unable to help myself: I subbed in half of the flour as whole wheat, used Greek yogurt in place of the oil, cut the brown sugar down to about 1/3c, then added a little stevia and 2 tbsp maple syrup,(was aiming for lower sugar, but still wanted deliciousness) and added walnuts. It turned out with a good, consistent texture throughout and quite yummy!! I used my SD discard not at peak, and I think the rise was great, looks like a proper banana bread. I appreciate the specific order in which the ingredients are added, thank you for this recipe to help me use up my SD discard and super ripe bananas 🙂👍🏻
Olga says
This recipe is delicious!! I used 3 bananas (what I had), about had to sub white sugar because I didn’t have enough brown (about 20%) and I added some walnuts because I love them in banana bread. But overall this recipe is so good! Thank you for sharing! Have you tried resting the batter overnight? I wonder if it would give it a different flavor from the sourdough.
Patricia says
Hello Emilie! *** Outstanding recipe! It was sooo delicious! ***
I’ve made numerous banana bread recipes including ones with SD, and this recipe really stood out…..might it be the brown sugar that truly puts this one over the top? YUM! Also added banana slices on top in a mock herringbone pattern which resulted sort of like 1/2″ pudding nestled along length of the loaf that was AMAZING…..a.k.a “banana-goo-icing” :)
QUESTIONS:
1) How does SD starter affect results in flavor and texture if SD starter is NOT active and bubbly? I had just missed using at its peak time (a couple hours after it “fell”), but still used it and bread was great.
2) Can discard SD starter be used instead of active?….and how many days or weeks is okay to use and still get tasty results? I’m concerned about the older the starter is, the more sour tang might exist?…..is that correct??
3) Is it true that baking soda counterbalances the sour tang from SD starter in baked goods?
Look forward to hearing back. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Katy says
I tried baking powder by mistake (!) and it was really disappointing. Bicarbonate of soda is same thing as baking soda. Made with this it’s the best banana loaf I’ve made by a mile! 😊
Phyllis Tulaszewski says
I love this recipe! It’s super easy to make and extremely delicious. I used olive oil instead of a neutral one but that worked out perfect fine! Now it’s my go-to recipe whenever I have to use up overripe bananas! Haha, I’ll never make another banana bread recipe again! Also all of my friends loved the banana bread!
Nash says
Very nice indeed! I added some homemade muesli to it – a mixture of pecan nuts, dried fruits and oats. I also cut the sugar down by 50%. It was delish!!!
CloudMel says
Can I skip baking soda or replace by baking powder, thanks
Emilie Raffa says
I haven’t tried it, but I do know it will change the texture making the loaf more cakey.
Lais Novaes says
Hi!! Can you help me to understand? The fed sourdough is like 1:10:10 ??
Alex says
I also found this a bit tricky. The recipe suggests 100% hydration and looking this up it looks like that’s 1:1 water to flour. My store bought sourdough starter powder suggests 4% but as the recipe recommends a bubbly starter I made the 100g of starter by placing a mix of 50% water, 12% starter and remaining % white flour (all 3 by weight). After mixing this roughly placed into a covered bowl in my oven which was at 35 C (95 F) (just leave it room temp if you’re in a warmer climate). Started the rest of the recipe after leaving that 1 hour to hydrate / start to bubble.