Easiest Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Ever!

This easy sourdough discard banana bread takes just a few minutes to mix up. But the taste is anything but simple! This quick bread is a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard … and those brown bananas sitting on your countertop! 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!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Use Pantry Staples – Sourdough discard banana bread uses pantry staples, along with your sourdough discard, to create a decadent banana bread – rival to your favorite coffee shop!

No Fancy Equipment – No stand mixer necessary, just a bowl, a fork and spatula is all you need to make this recipe!

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 and are baked in the same size loaf pan.

Ingredients

• Bananas – 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!
• Eggs – my eggs are large, around 60g each.
• Vanilla Extract
• Butter – I melt my butter in the microwave before adding to this recipe. You could also use coconut oil if you prefer, but it does change the texture of the banana bread a little.
• Sourdough Starter or 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 making a sourdough starter. You can use sourdough discard in this recipe – but active, fed sourdough starter is perfectly fine too. Like most sourdough discard recipes, you can just use whatever you have on hand!
• All Purpose Flour – I’ve used white all purpose flour. You can use half whole wheat flour or even all whole wheat flour, but this will change the texture of the sourdough banana bread. 
• Baking Powder – use baking powder, not baking soda.
• Brown Sugar – I’ve used light brown sugar, but you can of course use dark brown sugar if you want a deeper caramel flavor.
• White Sugar
• Salt
• Golden Syrup – this is an inverted sugar syrup and is a by product of refining sugar cane into sugar. You can generally buy it at the grocery store (it’s an Australian staple). If you can’t get it, just use a simple sugar syrup instead, or alternatively maple syrup – or just skip this step altogether!

How To Make Sourdough Banana Bread

This is such an easy sourdough discard recipe to make! It’s my go to recipe when I know we have company calling in for coffee because I know that I can quickly mix it together and have it in the oven ready to serve when they arrive. 

Mash the ripe bananas with the back of a fork until they form a puree (a few lumps is fine). Then add the egg and vanilla to the bananas and mix together. Follow this with the melted butter and sourdough starter. Set this aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, before adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stirring until just combined. 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.

Pour the banana bread batter into a buttered loaf pan. Bake in the oven at 180ºC/350ºF for around 1 hour – or until a toothpick comes out of the bread clean. 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.

Brush with golden syrup while the loaf is still in the pan before allowing to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Loaf Pan Size

I have used a USA Pan 1 pound loaf pan to bake this loaf and it fits perfectly! This pan measures 9″ x 5″. It’s also easy to double the recipe if you have 2 pans. I use the same pan to make this sourdough zucchini bread.

Add Ins for 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. If you love macadamia nuts, try this sourdough Hawaiian banana bread!
• 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! Or go all out and make this double chocolate sourdough banana bread!
• 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!
• Pumpkin – Give your sourdough banana bread some serious fall vibes with this sourdough pumpkin banana bread recipe.
• Cinnamon – I love adding 3 g of cinnamon to this loaf to give it a cozy flavor, especially in the fall!

How To Store and Freeze

This sourdough banana bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It will last around a week in the fridge (although I recommend letting it come to room temperature before serving if it has been in the fridge).

It freezes so well! I like to cut it into individual slices and place them into ziplock bags and freeze for easy grab and go snacks. It also freezes well wrapped in aluminum foil and placed into a ziplock bag if you want to freeze the loaf as a whole. Thaw at room temperature.

Want More Sourdough Banana Recipes?

Sourdough Banana Fritters [crispy + delicious]

Sourdough Banana Waffles or Pancakes

Sourdough Banana Muffins

Sourdough Berry Banana Bread

Share the sourdough love!