Sourdough Banana Bread

Moist and decadent, this sourdough banana bread recipe is made with browned butter, toasted walnuts, sourdough discard, and I wouldn’t dare make banana bread without chocolate chips. This recipe comes together easily, with one extra step of mashing and cooking the bananas to enhance their natural flavors while caramelizing their sugars. Baked to perfection with extra bananas sliced and shingled across the top, and sprinkled with maple sugar.

This is the recipe I reach for when I no longer want to look at the over-ripe and ugly bananas sitting on my countertop. Let’s turn them into something delicious and beautiful, shall we?

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Equipment you may need:

• 2 Mixing Bowls
• 1 Sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a cast-iron skillet
• A small pot or pan to brown butter
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• Cutting Board and Knife
• 1 loaf pan, I use these stainless loaf pans

Ingredients you will need to make sourdough banana bread:

• 5 overripe bananas (a completely brown peel)– peeled and mashed
• 6 tablespoons of butter, Grass-Fed or Cultured
• 2 Eggs- from happy chickens
• 1-3/4 Cup Flour– unbleached & organic
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt– preferably Himalayan or Sea Salt
• 1 Cup Pecans, Chopped.
• 1 Cup Coconut or Maple Sugar
• 4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter– Active or Discard
• 1 Ripe Banans– Either Perfectly Yellow or slightly Speckled

How To Make Sourdough Banana Bread:

Step One: Prepare Oven & Pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread 1 tbsp of soft butter on the inside of the loaf pan.

Step Two: Melt Butter + Brown Butter

Next, In a small pot melt the butter on the stovetop. I don’t think there is any reason on this earth not to brown your butter. Browning butter results in a nutty, intoxicating depth of flavor that pairs perfectly with the gritty texture of the cornmeal and honey. I use brown butter in my Old-Fashioned Sourdough Apple Cake and Cast-Iron Sourdough Cornbread, if you haven’t tried these recipes, you absolutely should! So…do yourself a favor and brown that butter baby. It’s easy and I talk about how to brown your butter in the FAQ section of this post.

When you have melted or successfully browned your butter, take the pot off the burner and let it cool slightly.

Step Three: Cook up the bananas

Put the mashed bananas in a pot and turn the heat on the stovetop to medium-low, stirring frequently so they do not burn on the bottom. Let them cook for about 10 minutes or until they start turning brown. When they turn brown, remove them from the heat and let them cool.

Step Four: Toast the Walnut

Take the chopped pecans or walnuts and toast them slightly on medium-high heat on the stovetop, in a pan or cast-iron skillet. They toast quickly, so watch them carefully, so they don’t burn. You will begin to smell their toasted aroma when they are done. Remove from heat and let them cool.

Step Five: Mix dry ingredients

In a medium-sized bowl, shift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Step Six: Mix Wet Ingredients

After the butter and bananas have cooled, mix up bananas, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, browned butter, and sourdough starter.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, do not over-mix.

Fold in the toasted pecans and chocolate chips

Use a rubber spatula to scrape every last bit of the batter into the pan. I like to place my loaf pan on a sheet pan before putting it in the oven.

Next, thinly slice a ripe or slightly speckled banana, and shingle the banana in two rows length-wise down the top of the banana bread. Sprinkle a bit more sugar on top and place in the oven for 35-50 minutes. The top will be browned and the shingled bananas on top will be perfectly golden.

Cool slightly, turn out of loaf pan, slice and serve.

Bon Appétite!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why should I brown my butter?

Brown butter also known as Beurre noisette, in French this translates to, butter browned to the color of noisette or “hazelnuts.” Beurre Noisette gives a richer and more delicious flavor than melted butter.

As soon as your butter is melted, allow it to turn golden, and stir constantly to disperse the nutty flavor. It should take no longer than 5 minutes. Watch closely as it turns from golden brown to burnt quickly. The brown bits at the bottom are a good thing!

Are frozen bananas good for banana bread?

Yes! Freezing bananas is a great way to make sure you don’t waste bananas even when you don’t have time to make banana bread right away. To freeze bananas”

• Slice bananas before putting them in a freezer bag.
• If you have a large amount of bananas to freeze and know you don’t want to thaw them all at once, use parchment paper to divide them.
• When you’re ready to use them, take out the amount you want and place them in another container to thaw.

Leave a review and a comment so I know what you think of this recipe. We love using sourdough discard in our desserts here in our farmhouse.

Here are some of our favorite Sourdough Discard Sweet Treats:

• No-Knead Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
• Easy Old-Fashioned Sourdough Discard Apple Cake
• Sourdough Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Cake

ALL THE LOVE!

Chelsea Rose ♥ ♥ ♥