Easy Sourdough Banana Bread
This soft sourdough banana bread is a great use of ripe bananas. It’s super soft and tender, with a crackly cinnamon topping. I love adding candied ginger, too, for a little something extra. If you’re not a candied ginger fan, you can just leave it out, or swap it for chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
About this banana bread
This recipe is based on the banana bread I have been making for years, with a simple sourdough twist. The starter adds depth and moisture without making the loaf taste sour. The batter rests overnight in the fridge, which gives the flour time to hydrate fully and lets the sourdough do a slow ferment. This helps the crumb stay soft and keeps the bread fresh for longer. I have recently updated it to include a little yogurt too which makes the crumb even softer.
The key ingredients
The method
- If baking right away, preheat the oven.
- If you’re using it, chop up candied ginger into small pieces.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl.
- Add in the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk it well together until all combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and ginger and fold it together until the flour mixture is well combined but not over-mixed.
- If fermenting first, cover the bowl tightly.
- Scoop into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake until golden.
Serving and Storing
Serve the banana bread fresh with a pat of butter. Leftover banana bread can be covered and stored at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This recipe freezes very well too. Cover the cooled bread tightly with aluminium foil or in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
More sourdough discard recipes
Easy Sourdough Banana Bread
Ingredients
Sourdough Banana Bread
- 100 g butter
- 50 g crystallised ginger optional
- 250 g overripe bananas measured after peeling
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 100 g sourdough discard starter
- 60 g Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cinnamon sugar Topping
- 2 Tbsp granulated white sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F regular oven.
- Grease or line a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove. Let it cool slightly. 100 g butter
- Finely dice the candied ginger into small 2mm/ 1/16th inch pieces. 50 g crystallised ginger
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add in the cooled butter, brown sugar, eggs, yogurt, sourdough starter and vanilla. Whisk well until all are combined. 250 g overripe bananas, 150 g soft brown sugar, 100 g sourdough discard starter, 60 g Greek yogurt, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. 250 g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
- Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients along with the diced ginger and fold it together until well combined but not over-mixed.
- If you want to ferment the batter before baking, the bowl can be covered and refrigerated for 6 hours, or overnight before baking.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the batter. 2 Tbsp granulated white sugar, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- Bake for 60-70 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
The recipe doesn’t say when to add the 150g brown sugar ???
I forgot about it but then added at the end as the batter didn’t taste right 😊
Thank you so much for pointing that out! I have fixed that up now
Absolutely divine. 5 stars for this recipe thanks .
Thank you Viv!!
Hi, I would really like to try this banana bread recipe but don’t have a recipe for a sour dough starter. Can you please help me with this.
Hey carol, you can find how to make a sourdough starter here – https://homegrownhappiness.com/starting-and-maintaining-a-sourdough-starter/ 🙂
This is a keeper, loved the simplicity and great use of extra starter.
Appreciate you sharing your passion… my bread making has improved heaps.
one point, in Oz we have baking powder and bicarbonate soda. I assumed the latter and it worked fine.
So happy you loved it! And you assumed right, in NZ we call bicarbonate soda ‘baking soda’ 🙂
Hi,
I would like to try this as have heaps of sourdough discard to use up. I wondered if I could sub some or all of the brown sugar with honey and also reduce the amount of sugar? I am cooking for toddlers hence the question.
Cheers
Hey yes you can! That’ll still work well 🙂
Really nice and simple recipe.
I added a spoon of strong (sweet chestnut) honey (couldn’t resist) and a few broken pecan nuts.
Thanks for sharing your talents and recipes!
Can you please give the standard measurements (cup / tablespoon/teaspoon/etc.)? I don’t have a scale for measuring the ingredients.
This is the best banana bread. I have been making mine dairy free for my daughter and it works out quite well. I love flexibility to the mix at night and bake the next day. I would love a sourdough discard carrot loaf if you are looking for more inspiration.
Thanks so much Toni! And for the inspiration, I will definitely add that one!
hi I’ve just taken my starter out of fridge, taken what I need for my bread. have fed starter to go back in fridge. do I only feed it again when I’m next baking.
I have it in the oven at 180 as per. However, how long is cooking time? Top of recipe says 28mins instructions say 60-70 minutes. Its cooked 40 minutes and burning on top. I’ve lowered it I the oven and turned temp down to 160.
Hi Peta, the 25 minutes is a display error and should say 60 to 70 minutes. Are you using a fan forced oven or regular oven? I use a regular oven myself, so if yours is fan forced that might explain the browning and in that case the move to 160 is ideal. Otherwise you can also try tenting the loaf with foil.