The Best Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Looking for a delicious way to use up your sourdough discard? This sourdough discard banana bread is ultra-moist, bursting with banana flavor, and topped with a brown sugar pecan crumble that adds the perfect sweet crunch. Whether you’re trying to reduce waste or just love a good banana bread, this recipe is guaranteed to become a new favorite!
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I’m not sure how in the world it’s taken me this long to make sourdough discard banana bread, but here it is! And boy, is it gooooood!
I feel like we hardly ever have over ripe bananas in our house. We go through them so fast; my kids love to eat them as a snack, and I use them just about every morning in my breakfast smoothie!
Every once in awhile though, I find myself with a bunch of way over ripened bananas. And for me, there’s really only one logical thing to do.
Mix up some banana bread, baby! (Although my banana bread baked oatmeal is a close second). And while you’re at it, throw in some leftover sourdough starter in it too. It’s delicious.
Quick Recipe Snapshot
TOTAL TIME: Around an hour for baking. 10 minutes prep time if you’re fast!
SERVES: 6-8, depending on serving size 🙂
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container on the counter. Banana bread also freezes well!
BEST SERVED: Warm from the oven with a big slab of butter! Makes a great breakfast or afternoon snack.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is a quick overview of a few essential ingredients needed for this recipe. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list!
Tips for Preparing to Make This Recipe
- Pan Size: I have started baking banana bread in my 8 x 8 baking pan, and found it works wonderfully! However, a regular loaf pan will work just fine for this recipe. You may have to adjust the baking time slightly.
- Baking: If you find the bread is browning too quickly in the oven, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with nonstick spray (I love avocado oil spray) and set aside.
- Prepare the pecan topping: To a small bowl, add chopped pecans and brown sugar, mixing together until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixture, cream together 1 stick of softened butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, add in 4 ripe bananas, eggs, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Mix together until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour/spread the batter into the prepared pan, and then top with the sugar and pecan mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean with only a few crumbs.
- Allow the bread to cool slightly before slicing and serving with a generous slab of butter. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs & Storage
The browner the better! The more brown they are, the sweeter and softer the bread will be.
Yes. Divide the batter into a muffin tin and bake at 350°F for about 18–22 minutes, or try this sourdough discard banana muffin recipe instead.
Wrap it tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
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Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4-5 mashed ripe bananas
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
Brown Sugar Pecan Topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with nonstick spray (I love avocado oil spray) and set aside.
- Prepare the pecan topping: To a small bowl, add chopped pecans and brown sugar, mixing together until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixture, cream together 1 stick of softened butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, add in 4 ripe bananas, eggs, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Mix together until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour/spread the batter into the prepared pan, and then top with the sugar and pecan mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean with only a few crumbs.
- Allow the bread to cool slightly before slicing and serving with a generous slab of butter. Enjoy!
Notes
-
- Pan Size: I have started baking banana bread in my 8 x 8 baking pan, and found it works wonderfully! However, a regular loaf pan will work just fine for this recipe. You may have to adjust the baking time slightly.
- Baking: If you find the bread is browning too quickly in the oven, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
- Storage: Wrap it tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freezing Instructions: To freeze, cool the baked banana bread completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and place it in a large freezer-safe storage bag. It will store well for up to 3 months.
If you enjoyed this recipe for sourdough discard banana bread, be sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating! I would love to hear how this recipe turned out for you.
This looks so delicious! I’ve been wanting to try sourdough banana bread lately. Would it work to long-ferment this?
Thank you! Yes I think so. I would use active starter instead of discard, and mix it together with the eggs, butter, and flour. I’d let that mixture ferment in the fridge and then add the rest of the ingredients before baking!