This easy sourdough discard banana bread takes just a few minutes to mix up. But the taste is anything but simple!
This is a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard ... and those brown bananas sitting on your countertop!
Sourdough discard banana bread uses pantry staples, along with your sourdough discard, to create a decadent banana bread - rival to your favorite coffee shop!
And this one has a secret ingredient that you add right at the end ... it gives it a glossy finish and a decadent, sweet glaze!
Using Up Sourdough Discard
This banana bread is a simple way to use sourdough discard - which is particularly good if you're going through the process of establishing a sourdough starter.
You can use sourdough discard in this recipe - but active, fed sourdough starter is perfectly fine too!
Just use whatever you have on hand!
And if you love this sourdough banana bread, why not try this sourdough zucchini bread or sourdough discard pumpkin spice bread - they have a very similar style.
How To Make Sourdough Banana Bread
Making sourdough discard banana bread is really easy. You don't need any fancy equipment and you can mix it all together in one bowl!
The secret to this banana bread being so delicious is the golden syrup glaze on top! It is out of this world! If you've never used golden syrup before, you can read up about it here.
Here's how to make easy sourdough discard banana bread:
- Mash the overripe bananas with the back of a fork until they form a puree (a few lumps is fine).
- Beat the egg and vanilla together and add to the bananas.
- Melt the butter on a low heat and add that to the banana and egg mixture.
- Then stir through the sourdough starter until well combined.
- Next mix all the dry ingredients together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (do not over mix).
- Pour the batter into a buttered loaf tin.
- Bake at 180C for around 1 hour - or until a skewer comes out of the bread clean.
- Glaze while still in the tin.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing from tin.
Tips & Tricks
While this recipe is super simple, there are few things you can do to ensure you get banana bread success!
- Always use overripe bananas! They need to be brown and a bit squishy. These brown bananas add sweetness and texture to your bread. Do not use fresh, yellow bananas straight from the store.
A little tip - always keep a stash of brown bananas in the freezer - they are great for emergency banana bread making! Just leave them out for 10 minutes to soften before you mash them up! - Be careful not to over mix the ingredients once you've added the wet and dry together. Just like sourdough muffins, over mixing can result in tough bread.
- If you feel that the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, carefully place a sheet of tin foil over the top. This will allow the banana bread to continue cooking, without burning the top of your bread.
Which Loaf Pan To Use?
I have baked this banana bread in a 1 litre loaf pan. It is a great size and makes a nicely proportioned loaf. It is approximately a 2 pound pan.
The pan I've used is this Jamie Oliver Loaf Pan - mine is a different color to the one I've linked to, but they are the same pan.
I also like that this pan shields the top a little so it doesn't burn in the oven (also see my tips above for ensuring your loaf doesn't burn).
If you wanted to make a larger loaf, you could double the quantities in the recipe and make a larger loaf with larger slices.
What Can I Add to Sourdough Banana Bread?
While this sourdough discard banana bread is amazing just as it is, there's always room for improvement, right?
Add your extras to the dry ingredients before you mix in the wet ingredients to ensure they are evenly distributed.
Here are a few suggestions on things you can add to take your sourdough banana bread to the next level!
- Roasted and chopped nuts - the easiest way is to purchase your nuts already roasted, but if they're raw, toast them lightly in a heated pan before adding.
You could add up to 150g of chopped walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts. I prefer them in the mixture as they don't burn on the top this way. - Chocolate - bananas and chocolate are sooo good together! Add up to 100g of chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate chopped. White, milk or dark all work well!
- Butterscotch or Peanut Butter Chips - these flavors both team up so well with bananas! Add up to 150g of these for a little flavor twist!
Want More Sourdough + Banana Recipes?
If you love this recipe for sourdough banana bread, you might also like to try these sourdough recipes:
Easy Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 250 g Bananas approx. 3 medium overripe bananas
- 1 Egg
- 5 g Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
- 80 g Butter Melted (can be salted or unsalted)
- 100 g Sourdough Starter Discard or fed & bubbly
- 200 g All Purpose Flour
- 12 g Baking Powder 2 teaspoons
- 100 g Brown Sugar
- 50 g White Sugar optional
- pinch Salt
- 20 g Golden Syrup for brushing on after baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Mash the overripe bananas with the back of a fork until they are fairly smooth (a few lumps is fine).
- Now lightly beat the egg and vanilla together and add that to the mashed bananas. Use your fork to lightly mix the egg mix through.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat and then add that the egg and banana mixture.
- Now add the sourdough starter to the egg mixture and mix throughly.
- In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together and ensure that everything is mixed thoroughly.
- Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour mixture into a buttered loaf tin.
- Bake at 180C/350F for around 1 hour. Baking time will depend on the size of your tin and your oven.
- The banana bread is cooked when a skewer is inserted and comes out clean.
- When you take the banana bread out of the oven, brush the top with golden syrup for a lovely shiny, sweet glaze.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin.
Nutrition
What is “golden syrup”?
Hi Melody - you can find a full explanation of Golden Syrup in the blog post above the recipe 🙂
I can’t find where it talks about Golden Syrup. I read everything above the recipe and cannot find it. Please tell me what it is. I’m getting ready to make it. Thanks so much.
Sorry I talk about it here - https://www.pantrymama.com/sourdough-anzac-biscuits/ I'll add a link to it from the banana bread for future reference 🙂
Google how to make golden syrup. Long story short - it's water sugar and a slice of lemon simmered down until its browned.
This is a delicious way to use up sourdough discard. However I cut the sugar by a third and skipped the golden syrup and yet found the bread rather sweet.
I used two big over ripe red bananas.
This recipe was so delicious, I should’ve doubled it! The bread was so moist and not overly sweet! It’s so much more delicious than the traditional banana bread recipe, which I’m tossing out. Thanks,PM, for another great discard recipe.
Made this yesterday evening with ripe red skinned bananas and it was awesome. It took about 45-50mins, at 180 deg C. The bread was so moist, it crumbled in the mouth. It was sweet enough without the optional white sugar, and didn't have golden syrup, so used honey. This is a keeper.
I substituted the butter for Plain Greek Yogurt to make it less calories and it turned out perfect! so tasty!! I have been on the look for a really nice Banana Bread recipe for a long time! Think I have found it and it uses up my discard 🙂
Yogurt sounds good, I'll try that next time. I used coconut butter which was moist and delicious.
Wow! Best banana bread I have ever had. I veganized the recipe and used Ener-g egg replacer and vegan butter. I am a total newbie and I don't have a scale yet and made a mistake on the sugar conversion but I am happy with how it came out. I only used 1/3 cup of coconut sugar and it's perfect for my taste. I also used 1/3 whole wheat flour and 2/3 bread flour. The taste and texture are wonderful! Thank you!!!
Our new favorite banana bread. Easy to make, great way to use up discard and tastes amazing. I added cinnamon and did a cream cheese icing instead of the golden syrup. Highly recommended
This is my absolute favourite recipe lately! I double the recipe and make 2 loaves every week - one to keep my husband happy and the other to give away. Compared with similar recipes this is the simplest. I cut the brown sugar down to 80g and omit the white sugar so it’s healthier too. Try substituting chopped apple (same weight, leave some biggish chunks), add cinnamon and top with walnuts. The golden syrup makes it taste and look amazing
Thank you you inspired me to use an Asian pair that was tart in flavor but mixed with bread it was a perfect contrast. Kept it from being too sweet used mainly brown sugar and it feels decadently delicious.
I was so excited I use my very first sourdough discard. This recipe is great and has a perfect texture. I decided not to add 50g sugar since it was optional but I wish I did, because the bread needed little bit more sweetness. I'll be definitely making it again.
Regular is yummy. I just made two, one with addition of chocolate chips and one with chopped walnuts. Fantastic! Thank you!
A great way to use discard. Wondering what would happen if I used more discard and less flour? [I have so much of it] I use mine for making pancakes with one egg and the discard with baking powder. My discard is whole-wheat.
I added white flour according to the recipe. Brown sugar and coconut butter. And I added some chunks of a tart Asian pear which toned down the sweetness and added a nice contrast. I loved it so much I'm gonna I'm gonna have another slice right now. I love the caramelized crispy crust! A yummy indulgent way to spend a rainy day in LA.
This is the most delicious banana bread I’ve ever had. It is just special! It was a hit amongst my family and extended family. I didn’t add the golden syrup and don’t need the extra step or calories.
Sounds good, but too much sugar, would like to substitute pure maple syrup
This banana bread was amazing!! I didn’t put in the white sugar and skipped the golden syrup and it was absolutely delicious!!! I didn’t find it overall sweet at all. Perfect sweetness! It is so moist and a perfect way to use discard. I love this recipe over my other non-discard recipe and I’ll be using this recipe from now on!
The absolute best banana bread I've ever tasted!
We loved this! I omitted the white sugar and forgot about the golden syrup but didn’t miss it. I added 100g of semi sweet chocolate chips. Delish!!