This sourdough banana bread with sourdough discard gets a major upgrade from nutty brown butter, taking it from cozy to completely unforgettable. The caramelized depth of browned butter enhances the sweetness of ripe bananas and the subtle tang of sourdough. You don’t even need cinnamon to create a loaf that tastes layered, rich and just a little bit fancy.
Making banana bread is absolutely essential when you have toddlers who will demand all of the bananas when you have none and none of the bananas when you have a Costco size bunch. So trust me when I say, I’ve made my fair share of banana breads to be somewhat of an expert here.
This sourdough banana bread recipe starts with my trusty brown butter banana bread that is the base for so many of my other banana bread recipes over at Wild Wild Whisk. I tested it multiple times to convert it to using sourdough discard in the batter. And the result is a loaf with ultra-moist crumb, slightly crispy top, and a soft, plush interior. And the flavor is out of this world – rich, sweet, nutty, and deeply caramelized!
Ingredients for sourdough banana bread
You’ll need 10 ingredients, pictured below, for this recipe. If you want to skip ahead, the complete list of ingredients with quantities are in the recipe card, as always.
Notes on key ingredients
- Both frozen and fresh bananas will work, as long as the frozen bananas were frozen at their peak over-ripeness. This is what I usually do when I have too many bananas going brown at once and I know I can’t use them all, I freeze them! To use frozen bananas, simply thaw and mash them up along with the liquid that releases during thawing.
- Brown butter is banana’s best friend! In this recipe, it not only adds flavor but by browning the butter, you will remove extra moisture in the butter to make room for the extra moisture in the sourdough discard.
- Sourdough discard adds that subtle tang and breadiness, as well as moisture. My sourdough discard is always at 100% hydration. You can use ripe sourdough starter as well, the acidity of the fed starter will be lower and the loaf will be less tangy. But TBH, I don’t think it will matter much underneath all the amazing flavors this loaf yields.
- Brown sugar pairs beautifully with brown butter, enhancing the caramelized notes. Dark or light brown both work but dark will give a deeper flavor. Don’t substitute with granulated sugar, you’ll need the extra acidity to react with baking soda in the batter.
Make sourdough discard banana bread with me!
Follow along visually as we make this banana bread with sourdough starter discard if you are like me and love seeing each step in photos. Otherwise, you can skip ahead, detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Quick tips
It can be a balancing act to keep your banana bread moist without underbaking it and fully cooked without over baking it.
You want to make sure the middle is completely cooked through so you don’t have a too-gooey center. The visual indicator is within the crack on the top of the bread, if it looks like wet batter still then it is not done yet.
When checking with a toothpick, stick it in the middle of the bread since the side will be cooked well before the center. You want the toothpick to come out clean or with a few moist crumbs and not wet batter.
If the top of the loaf starts to brown too much and the center hasn’t fully cooked, you can tent it loosely with foil and bake a few more minutes until done.
Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 113 grams (4 oz) unsalted butter brown
- 320 grams (1 ⅓ cup) mashed banana
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 150 grams (¾ cup) brown sugar light or dark
- 100 grams sourdough starter discard 100% hydration, room temperature
- 180 grams (1 ⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- 4 grams (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) kosher salt
- Melted butter or baking spray for pan
Instructions
- Brown butter – Place the butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will become foamy. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking continuously at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty – about 8 to 9 minutes – remove from heat and set aside to cool.113 grams unsalted butter
- Prepare wet ingredients – Mash the bananas with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled brown butter, egg and vanilla. Beat with a whisk until thoroughly combined.320 grams mashed banana, 1 large egg, 5 grams pure vanilla extract, 113 grams unsalted butter
- Add sugar – Add brown sugar and beat again until completely incorporated.150 grams brown sugar
- Incorporate sourdough starter – Add the sourdough starter and beat again until incorporated.100 grams sourdough starter discard
- Combine dry ingredients – Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients, sprinkle the salt on top. Mix gently with a whisk or a spatula until combined with no more large lumps of flour remaining.180 grams all-purpose flour, 3 grams baking soda, 4 grams baking powder, 3 grams kosher salt
- Preheat the oven – Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F while the batter rests.
- Prepare the baking pan – Brush a loaf pan generously with melted butter, line it with a longer piece of parchment paper leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Brush the top of the parchment paper with more melted butter.Melted butter or baking spray for pan
- Bake – Transfer sourdough banana bread batter to the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with no wet batter attached.
- Cool – Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. To remove banana bread from the pan, simply lift it out using the excess parchment paper as handles.
Notes
- Storage: you can keep your sourdough banana bread in an airtight container at room temp for 3-5 days. Or you can freeze leftovers for 3-6 months.
- Reheating: I love serving banana bread slightly warm. Simply wrap a slice in plastic wrap or cover it with a damp paper towel, then microwave for 15–20 seconds until warmed through. If it’s frozen, heat it in short bursts, checking as you go until it’s perfectly warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
