Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe

By The Cooking World, Editorial Staff

September 8, 2023

Our Go-To Sourdough Banana Bread

If you have followed our recipes, you know how much we love good banana bread. In this week's recipe, we share our favorite Sourdough Banana Bread, a recipe from The Perfect Loaf cookbook.

In this delightful creation, Maurizio Leo combines sourdough culture's tangy, complex flavors with the sweet, comforting embrace of ripe bananas to form a harmonious and utterly irresistible treat.

Sourdough Banana Bread is a testament to the art of baking, where patience and tradition come together to produce a mouthwatering result that transcends the ordinary. Join us on a journey where the age-old practice of sourdough fermentation marries the timeless allure of banana-infused goodness, resulting in a delectable union of flavors and textures that will leave your taste buds longing for more.

PREP TIME

10 minutes

COOK TIME

55 to 65 minutes

serves

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing
125 g walnuts (or pecans), coarsely chopped
125 g dark brown sugar
365 g (about 4) very ripe bananas
100 g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration (may use discard)
40 g honey
125 g extra-virgin olive oil
2 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
108 g (2 medium) eggs
225 g all-purpose flour, whole spelt flour, whole wheat flour, or a mix
3 g (½ teaspoon) baking soda
3 g (½ teaspoon) fine sea salt
3 g (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
Small pinch (⅛ teaspoon) ground cloves (optional)

Special Equipment

23 x 10 x 10 cm ( 9 × 4 x 4-inch) Pullman pan
‍Immersion Blender

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175 ºC (350 °F). Grease a 23 x 10 x 10 cm (9 × 4 x 4-inch) Pullman pan or 9 × 5 × 2¾-inch loaf pan with butter (unless it has a nonstick liner).
In a small bowl, combine 30 grams of the walnuts with a few large pinches of the brown sugar. Set the topping mixture aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the bananas and sourdough starter and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (Alternatively, use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash everything to a smooth puree.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, vanilla, remaining brown sugar, and the eggs. Stir in the banana puree.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves (if using). Fold the flour mixture into the banana mixture and then stir in the remaining walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle on the reserved walnut/brown sugar topping.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 93°-96°C (200°-205 °F). Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and gently transfer it to a wire rack to thoroughly cool before slicing.