If you are a fellow sourdough baker, you know the familiar weekly ritual: the feeding, the bubbling, the beautiful rise of a fresh loaf, and… the inevitable question of what to do with all that sourdough discard. While pancakes and crackers are wonderful, I am here today to offer you what I believe is the most delicious and satisfying solution of all: this incredible Sourdough Banana Bread.
This isn’t just a way to avoid being wasteful. This is a recipe that actively uses the unique properties of sourdough discard to create a truly superior loaf. The result is a banana bread that is unbelievably moist and tender, with the familiar, comforting sweetness of ripe bananas that is perfectly balanced by a subtle, complex tang from the sourdough.
This is banana bread, but elevated. It has a richer flavor and a softer, more delicate crumb than any standard recipe. It’s a simple, no-fail quick bread that will change the way you look at your sourdough discard forever. Get ready to turn that byproduct into the star of the show!
The Sourdough Baker’s Secret Weapon
For a long time, I saw my sourdough discard (Sauerteig-Anstellgut) as just something I had to get rid of before feeding my starter. But then I discovered its magic in “quick breads” like this one. Sourdough discard is a baker’s secret weapon, and here’s why it makes this banana bread so special.
First, it adds an incredible amount of moisture, leading to a wonderfully tender crumb that stays fresh for days. Second, the natural acidity in the discard works with the baking soda to create a beautiful lift, making the bread soft and light. But most importantly, it adds flavor. The discard imparts a subtle, sophisticated tang that cuts through the sweetness of the bananas and sugar, creating a more balanced, complex, and interesting loaf. It’s less of a sweet treat and more of a rustic, artisanal bake, perfect for a cozy afternoon here in Heek.
Why Sourdough Makes Banana Bread Better:
- Incredibly Moist & Tender Crumb: The discard adds moisture and helps to tenderize the gluten in the flour, resulting in a wonderfully soft texture.
- A Complex, Tangy Flavor: It provides a subtle, sophisticated tang that perfectly balances the sweetness of the bananas, creating a more “grown-up” flavor profile.
- The Absolute Best Way to Use Sourdough Discard: This recipe transforms a byproduct into a key flavor component of a truly spectacular loaf.
- A Simple, No-Knead, Quick-Bread Method: Despite using a sourdough starter, this is still a quick and easy recipe with no kneading or long proofing times required.
Ingredients & Equipment
For the Sourdough Banana Bread:
- Very Ripe Bananas: 3 large, mashed well (about 1 ½ cups).
- Sourdough Discard (100% hydration, unfed): 225g (1 cup).
- Unsalted Butter: 115g (½ cup), melted and slightly cooled.
- Light Brown Sugar: 150g (¾ cup), packed.
- Eggs: 2 large, at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.
- All-Purpose Flour: 240g (1 ¾ cups).
- Baking Soda (Natron): 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder (Backpulver): ½ teaspoon.
- Ground Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon.
- Salt: ½ teaspoon.
- Optional Add-Ins: 1 cup of chocolate chips or toasted, chopped walnuts.
Helpful Equipment:
- A 9×5 inch (or similar 23×13 cm) loaf pan (
Kastenform). - A large mixing bowl.
Time Estimates
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 55-65 minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is a simple “muffin method” quick bread—no fancy techniques required!
Step 1: Prepare Oven and Pan Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour your loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides to make it easy to lift the bread out later.
Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients In a large bowl, mash the very ripe bananas until they are mostly smooth. To the mashed bananas, add the sourdough discard, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until it is well combined and the sugar has started to dissolve.
Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 4: Combine (But Don’t Overmix!) Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the batter together just until the last streaks of flour disappear. The batter will be thick and may have some lumps, which is perfectly okay. Overmixing is the enemy of a tender quick bread!
Step 5: Add Optional Mix-Ins and Bake If you’re using chocolate chips or nuts, gently fold them in now. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. The bread is done when it’s a deep golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
Step 6: Cool Completely Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper handles to carefully lift the loaf out of the pan. Place it directly on the wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes, Tips & Variations
- What is 100% Hydration Discard?: This is simply a sourdough starter that is maintained with equal parts flour and water by weight. This is the standard for most sourdough recipes.
- The Age of Your Discard: The flavor of your loaf will change depending on when you last fed your starter. A discard that is fresh (1-2 days old) will have a milder tang. An older discard (a week or so) will be more acidic and will produce a noticeably tangier loaf. Both are delicious!
- Optional Overnight Ferment: For an even more pronounced sourdough flavor and an even more tender crumb, you can cover the mixed batter and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours). The next day, just pour the cold batter into your loaf pan and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Classic Add-Ins: This bread is a perfect canvas. It’s fantastic with 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans folded into the batter.
The Best Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large very ripe bananas mashed
- 225 g 1 cup unfed, 100% hydration sourdough discard
- 115 g ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 150 g ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 240 g 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Prepare a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Mix Wet: In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Whisk in the sourdough discard, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
- Mix Dry: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Combine: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in any optional add-ins.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
- Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Use unfed (discard) sourdough starter for this recipe.
- The tanginess of the bread will depend on the age of your discard.
- For an even more tender crumb and deeper flavor, you can let the batter rest in the fridge overnight before baking.
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Title: The Best Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe (Perfect for Discard!) Author: Lena Schmidt Date: 07. Oktober 2025
[Jump to Recipe] [Print Recipe]
Introduction
If you are a fellow sourdough baker, you know the familiar weekly ritual: the feeding, the bubbling, the beautiful rise of a fresh loaf, and… the inevitable question of what to do with all that sourdough discard. While pancakes and crackers are wonderful, I am here today to offer you what I believe is the most delicious and satisfying solution of all: this incredible Sourdough Banana Bread.
This isn’t just a way to avoid being wasteful. This is a recipe that actively uses the unique properties of sourdough discard to create a truly superior loaf. The result is a banana bread that is unbelievably moist and tender, with the familiar, comforting sweetness of ripe bananas that is perfectly balanced by a subtle, complex tang from the sourdough.
This is banana bread, but elevated. It has a richer flavor and a softer, more delicate crumb than any standard recipe. It’s a simple, no-fail quick bread that will change the way you look at your sourdough discard forever. Get ready to turn that byproduct into the star of the show!
The Sourdough Baker’s Secret Weapon
For a long time, I saw my sourdough discard (Sauerteig-Anstellgut) as just something I had to get rid of before feeding my starter. But then I discovered its magic in “quick breads” like this one. Sourdough discard is a baker’s secret weapon, and here’s why it makes this banana bread so special.
First, it adds an incredible amount of moisture, leading to a wonderfully tender crumb that stays fresh for days. Second, the natural acidity in the discard works with the baking soda to create a beautiful lift, making the bread soft and light. But most importantly, it adds flavor. The discard imparts a subtle, sophisticated tang that cuts through the sweetness of the bananas and sugar, creating a more balanced, complex, and interesting loaf. It’s less of a sweet treat and more of a rustic, artisanal bake, perfect for a cozy afternoon here in Heek.
Why Sourdough Makes Banana Bread Better:
- Incredibly Moist & Tender Crumb: The discard adds moisture and helps to tenderize the gluten in the flour, resulting in a wonderfully soft texture.
- A Complex, Tangy Flavor: It provides a subtle, sophisticated tang that perfectly balances the sweetness of the bananas, creating a more “grown-up” flavor profile.
- The Absolute Best Way to Use Sourdough Discard: This recipe transforms a byproduct into a key flavor component of a truly spectacular loaf.
- A Simple, No-Knead, Quick-Bread Method: Despite using a sourdough starter, this is still a quick and easy recipe with no kneading or long proofing times required.
Ingredients & Equipment
For the Sourdough Banana Bread:
- Very Ripe Bananas: 3 large, mashed well (about 1 ½ cups).
- Sourdough Discard (100% hydration, unfed): 225g (1 cup).
- Unsalted Butter: 115g (½ cup), melted and slightly cooled.
- Light Brown Sugar: 150g (¾ cup), packed.
- Eggs: 2 large, at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.
- All-Purpose Flour: 240g (1 ¾ cups).
- Baking Soda (Natron): 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder (Backpulver): ½ teaspoon.
- Ground Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon.
- Salt: ½ teaspoon.
- Optional Add-Ins: 1 cup of chocolate chips or toasted, chopped walnuts.
Helpful Equipment:
- A 9×5 inch (or similar 23×13 cm) loaf pan (
Kastenform). - A large mixing bowl.
Time Estimates
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 55-65 minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is a simple “muffin method” quick bread—no fancy techniques required!
Step 1: Prepare Oven and Pan Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour your loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides to make it easy to lift the bread out later.
Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients In a large bowl, mash the very ripe bananas until they are mostly smooth. To the mashed bananas, add the sourdough discard, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until it is well combined and the sugar has started to dissolve.
Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 4: Combine (But Don’t Overmix!) Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the batter together just until the last streaks of flour disappear. The batter will be thick and may have some lumps, which is perfectly okay. Overmixing is the enemy of a tender quick bread!
Step 5: Add Optional Mix-Ins and Bake If you’re using chocolate chips or nuts, gently fold them in now. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. The bread is done when it’s a deep golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
Step 6: Cool Completely Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper handles to carefully lift the loaf out of the pan. Place it directly on the wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes, Tips & Variations
- What is 100% Hydration Discard?: This is simply a sourdough starter that is maintained with equal parts flour and water by weight. This is the standard for most sourdough recipes.
- The Age of Your Discard: The flavor of your loaf will change depending on when you last fed your starter. A discard that is fresh (1-2 days old) will have a milder tang. An older discard (a week or so) will be more acidic and will produce a noticeably tangier loaf. Both are delicious!
- Optional Overnight Ferment: For an even more pronounced sourdough flavor and an even more tender crumb, you can cover the mixed batter and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours). The next day, just pour the cold batter into your loaf pan and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Classic Add-Ins: This bread is a perfect canvas. It’s fantastic with 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans folded into the batter.
Recipe Card
Recipe Name: The Best Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe Description: This Sourdough Banana Bread recipe is the absolute best and most delicious way to use your sourdough discard! The unfed starter adds a wonderful, complex tang that balances the sweetness of the ripe bananas, while also creating an unbelievably moist and tender crumb. This easy, no-fail quick bread is packed with banana flavor and warm spices, and is a favorite of sourdough bakers everywhere. Author: Lena Schmidt Date: 07. Oktober 2025 Category / Cuisine: Baking / Quick Bread / Sourdough Yield: 1 loaf (10-12 slices) Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
- 225g (1 cup) unfed, 100% hydration sourdough discard
- 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 150g (¾ cup) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 240g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
Equipment:
- 9×5 inch loaf pan, large mixing bowl
Instructions:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Prepare a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Mix Wet: In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Whisk in the sourdough discard, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
- Mix Dry: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Combine: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in any optional add-ins.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
- Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes / Tips & Variations:
- Use unfed (discard) sourdough starter for this recipe.
- The tanginess of the bread will depend on the age of your discard.
- For an even more tender crumb and deeper flavor, you can let the batter rest in the fridge overnight before baking.
Nutrition (Optional Estimate):
- Calories: 320 kcal per slice
- Protein: 6g
- Fat: 12g
- Carbs: 48g
Keywords: sourdough banana bread, sourdough discard banana bread, banana bread with sourdough starter, moist sourdough banana bread, how to use sourdough discard, Bananenbrot mit Sauerteig
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can I use an active, fed sourdough starter instead of discard? Yes, you can. The results will be very similar, though the flavor might be slightly less tangy than if you used an older discard. An active starter works perfectly fine in this recipe.
2. Does this banana bread taste sour? It doesn’t taste “sour” in a bad way! It has a pleasant, mild “tang” that is very similar to the tang you’d get from using buttermilk or yogurt in a recipe. This subtle complexity actually balances the sweetness of the bananas and makes the bread taste richer and less one-dimensionally sweet. It’s delicious!
3. Why do I still need to use baking soda and baking powder if I’m using a sourdough starter? This is a great question! Because we are using an unfed discard and not letting the loaf proof for many hours like a traditional sourdough bread, the starter is not active enough to provide all the leavening on its own. It’s acting more as a flavor and texture enhancer. The baking soda and baking powder are the primary leavening agents that give this “quick bread” its rise and fluffy texture.
4. Can I let the batter ferment overnight? Yes, and it’s a fantastic idea for more flavor! If you have the time, you can mix the batter as directed, cover the bowl, and place it in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. This cold fermentation will develop the sourdough tang even more and result in an even more tender crumb. The next day, just pour the cold batter into your pan and bake as directed, adding about 5-10 extra minutes to the baking time.
Happy Discard Baking!
I truly hope this recipe becomes your new favorite way to use up that sourdough discard. It’s such a rewarding bake, turning what would be waste into the star ingredient of a truly spectacular banana bread. If you bake a loaf, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and a star rating below.
For more creative ways to use your sourdough starter, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. Happy baking, fellow sourdough enthusiasts! And try my Banana Nut Bread.