Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe

a sliced loaf of sourdough banana bread on a cutting board.

4.67 from 6 reviews

Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe

Sourdough discard brings out the banana flavor in this bread. Sour cream adds moisture and reinforces the sourdough flavor. The chocolate chunks are a bonus. If you like nuts, a cup of chopped walnuts is a nice addition to this bread.

Prep Time15

Bake Time1

Total Time1 15

Servings:16 servings

Ingredients

3 medium bananas (very ripe, 12oz peeled)
8 oz sourdough discard (100% hydration, 1 cup)
2 oz sour cream (¼ cup, see note)
2 oz vegetable oil (¼ cup)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz mini chocolate chips (1 cup)
5 oz all-purpose flour (1 cup, see note)
6 oz granulated sugar (¾ cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Butter and flour a 9"x 5” loaf pan or butter the pan and line with parchment paper.
Mash 3 medium bananas with a fork, leaving them a little chunky. Add 8 oz sourdough discard, 2 oz sour cream, 2 oz vegetable oil, 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and to the bananas. Mix to combine and set aside. In another bowl, toss 6 oz mini chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of water to moisten. Sprinkle a teaspoon of flour over the chips and toss, set aside.
Combine 5 oz all-purpose flour, 6 oz granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine and make a well in the center. Add the banana mixture and stir until about 2/3 of the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix until everything is combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to level. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips and banana slices on top if you'd like. Refrigerate the batter in the pan for 30-60 minutes to give the flour time to absorb more moisture. If your discard was active the batter may rise a bit in the fridge. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs, about 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

You can use buttermilk, yogurt or even whole milk in this recipe.

You can use previously frozen bananas for this recipe. Allow the bananas to defrost, lightly mash the defrosted bananas and then proceed with the recipe as written.

I like to use a very ripe sourdough discard for this recipe.

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