Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Loaf of sourdough banana bread on a cooling rack

5 from 8 votes

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

The discard gives this iconic bread the perfect rise and texture. Put this powerful ingredient to work by incorporating it into your next loaf of banana bread. Don't let your discard, or overripe bananas, go to waste anymore.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Cooling Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: Slices, Depending on size

Calories: 201kcal

Author: Kristin

Equipment

Ingredients

2 & ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour Scooped and leveled.
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Stick (½ Cup) Unsalted Butter Softened
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
¼ Cup Full Fat Yogurt
1 Cup Sourdough Starter Discard 12-24 hours after feeding
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
4 Large Very ripe, soft bananas Will equal about 2 cups of mashed bananas.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with non-stick spray or a coating of butter with a dusting of flour. Whichever way you prefer to prepare baking pans. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large glass bowl, mix together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until it's fully combined and has a soft, fluffy texture.
Next, add in the yogurt, sourdough starter and vanilla extract. Mix well with a hand mixer until everything is fully combined.
Add in eggs and mix again with the hand mixer just until they are fully incorporated. Don't overmix.
In a medium bowl mash bananas with a fork until they are a creamy consistency. Some smaller lumps are okay. The softer the bananas are the easier they will be to mash.
With a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the mashed bananas just until everything is fully incorporated.
Dump in the flour mixture, and with a wooden spoon, fold everything together until the flour is fully incorporated. Use a spoon or spatula at this point because we don't want to overmix the batter. That can lead to a dense texture.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and using a spoon or spatula scrape the bottom of the bowl so all the batter makes it in the pan.
Give the pan a good shake so the batter settles and is evenly distributed.
Place pan in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes.
About halfway through if the top of the bread starts to turn brown, make a tent out of tin foil and place it over the top. This will allow the inside of the bread to continue to cook but will protect the top from burning.
The bread is done when a toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out clean.
When done, place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bread to cool inside the pan for 10 minutes.
Take a knife and run it between the bread and the side of the pan. Just to get any piece that may be stuck.
Remove loaf from the pan and allow it to cool.
Slice and serve with a little butter and enjoy!

Notes

Ingredient Notes:

When measuring the flour make sure to scoop flour out with a spoon into the measuring cup and level with a knife.
This recipe calls for about 2 cups of mashed bananas. That will be about 4 larger size bananas. The softer the banana the better. If they are too firm it will be difficult to mash.
Make sure butter is soft and at room temperature. The butter and sugar need to be creamed together. Softer butter will allow it to come to a creamy consistency. You shouldn't see any lumps of butter.

Top Tips

Use overly ripe banana: Make sure the banana are turning brown and ripe. This will make the bread softer and the bananas easier to mash.
Cream the butter and sugar: Make sure these two ingredients are completely combined before moving on. It should be soft, creamy and zero butter lumps. Do not move on until this is accomplished.
Don't overmix: Once the eggs are added just mix the batter until the ingredients are combined. Overtaxing will lead to very dense bread.
Make Tin Foil Tent: If the top of the loaf starts to get too dark make a little tent out of tin foil and lightly cover the bread. This will keep the top from browning but the center still cooks.

Nutrition