Banana bread is a great way to use up things! Bananas that are browning, sourdough discard that's adding up, and to work in whole grains!
Muffins and quick breads, especially ones with brown bananas, hide fresh wheat from whole grain wary family members! You can even use red wheat berries here and no one will be the wiser.
I love to use up my discard before it takes over my fridge. But if you aren't yet into sourdough, I've got a honey-sweetened banana bread recipe without it! Also, this recipe makes two loaves so it's perfect for enjoying now and saving a loaf for later.
Why You Need This Recipe
- Two loaves - perfect for sharing or for the future!
- Use up discard, bananas, whole grains, etc.
- Sweetened with honey so it's a little lighter than a cake.
Key Ingredients
Bananas - Make sure they are good and ripe to mash easily! We also stash peeled bananas in the freezer to use in both smoothies and bread.
Flour - This is very forgiving and you can use all-purpose, whole wheat, fresh ground - it's all good here!
Sugar - Use either a cup of white sugar or half cup of honey. I love having options because sometimes we have more honey and sometimes we don't.
Fat - I prefer melted butter, but again, this is all about "use what ya got" and you can use other liquid oils instead.
Options - Add chocolate or nuts, or neither.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Quick Bread
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 2: Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Crack the eggs into the banana and mix well.
Step 4: Add the dry to wet and stir only until just combined.
Step 5: If adding any chocolate or nuts, fold them in now.
Step 6: Add to prepared loaf pans and bake!
Tips and Tricks
- Let the finished bread rest in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing to finish cooling.
- Make one loaf of bread and one pan of muffins!
- Add chocolate to one and not the other so they don't feel the same.
FAQs
I like melted butter, but you can also use melted coconut oil or olive oil. And honestly if you use canola oil in your house, that's fine, too! Everyone has different budgets and uses different ingredients for their family. It all works here. If it's a solid oil you need to melt, just make sure it's not too hot so it doesn't cook the eggs.
This recipe makes two loaves or 24 muffins. You can make any combo of 2 loaves, 24 muffins, or 1 loaf with 12 muffins. Muffins will take 15-20 minutes to bake so check them early!
I love using fresh wheat, and even red varieties, which have a strong flavour, work well here! You can use red or white, hard or soft, and they all work. Definitely make sure you let the loaf pans rest for 20 minutes or so to allow the grains to hydrate before baking. I do this by not preheating the oven until then so I make sure they rest!
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
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Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups mashed banana about 3 bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar or use ½ cup honey
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- ½ cup melted butter or other liquid oil
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line or grease two loaf pans.
- Add all dry ingredients to a bowl (flour through nutmeg) and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Mash the bananas well in a large mixing bowl, then stir in the eggs. Add sugar, discard, and oil and stir well.
- Carefully add dry to wet and mix the two together - don't over mix it. I like to use a danish dough whisk.
- Fold in chocolate chips or nuts if using.
- Divide between two prepared loaf pans and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
- Let rest in the pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely.
Notes
- You can freeze one loaf for later! Make sure it has cooled completely over several hours before wrapping well to freeze.
- You can use fresh ground wheat here as well, and even red hard wheat works because the banana flavour is so strong. If using fresh wheat, let the batter rest in the loaf pans about 20 minutes before baking so the wheat hydrates.
Naomi Groff
Could this be long fermented?