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Have you ever tasted a fresh Georgia peach? A few times each summer, The Peach Truck makes a stop in our town, bringing 20-25-pound boxes of sun-ripened peaches straight from Georgia. That’s a lot of peaches, so I’m always looking for delicious ways to use up all those juicy peaches. That’s where Sourdough Peach Bread comes in.
This easy, quick bread recipe is based on my popular Sweet Peach Bread recipe, but with sourdough discard incorporated. Sourdough peach bread is moist, tender, and bursting with juicy chunks of fresh peaches. Whether you’re looking for a new way to use up sourdough discard, searching for the best peach recipes during peak season, or just craving a soft and peacy quick bread, this Sourdough Peach Bread is everything summer should taste like!
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Peach Bread
Looking for a new way to use ripe peaches and sourdough discard? This moist and tender quick bread is loaded with juicy peach chunks and topped with a buttery crumb for the ultimate summer bake.
- Discard Recipe – I love how sourdough discard adds moisture and flavor to this quick bread, just like my favorite recipe for The Best Sourdough Banana Bread.
- Ripe Peaches – This bread is best made with ripe, softened peaches. If your peaches are hard, let them ripe on the countertop until softened which makes them easier to peel. Then I chop them up to use in the bread or in my equally delicious Sourdough Peach Muffins.
- Summer Favorite – We love peach season at our house, and this peach bread has made its way into our yearly rotation. It is moist, flavorful, and really the perfect peach bread. For more summer peach goodness, try my Perfect Peach Cobbler or Sourdough Peach Cobbler too!
- Sweet Treat – This peach bread is sweet and delicious. For an even sweeter peach dessert, try my Sourdough Peach Crisp or for a showstopper, my Sourdough Peach Galette.
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter, and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like The Best Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread, and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like my other summer favorite, Sourdough Berry Pie.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – In sweet recipes, I use younger/fresh sourdough discard or bubbly sourdough starter if you prefer. If you don’t mind a more pronounced sourdough flavor, you can use refrigerated discard up to a week or two old. I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard.
- Peaches – The true star of this bread is in the ripe peaches. I like to bake this bread in the summer when I have access to freshly picked Georgia peaches. The peaches should be peeled and cut into chunks for best results.
- Crumb Topping – A combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, melted butter, flour, and salt makes for a perfect crumb topping.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Peaches: Ripe peaches seem to have the best peach flavor and texture for the perfect peach bread. I’ve only ever used fresh, ripe, peaches in this loaf, though canned peaches that are cut into chunks and patted dry should work well. Frozen peaches cut into chunks and mixed immediately with the flour mixture should also work (let me know in the comments how it goes if you try them!).
- Sourdough Discard: You can substitute bubbly sourdough starter for discard in this recipe. Alternatively, check out my non-sourdough version of Sweet Peach Bread if you don’t want to use sourdough discard in this recipe.
- Almond Extract: This is optional, but gives a delicious flavor to this peach loaf.
How to Make Sourdough Peach Bread
Prepare the Peaches
Step 1: Peel ripe peaches to remove the skin. With ripe peaches the skin comes off easily with a peeler or paring knife.
Step 2: Chop peeled peaches into 1/2 inch chunks and set aside in a bowl or container.
Peeling Peaches: While we love eating peaches with the skin on (and I truthfully don’t mind them that way in my sourdough peach cobbler), I prefer peeled peaches for this discard peach bread – the texture is just better. You can blanch them in boiling water to remove the skins, but I usually don’t. I go for ripe peaches with the skins that start to pucker, then use a peeler or cut them into quarters and gently peel back the skin using a paring knife and my fingers.
Mix the Batter
Step 3: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and then add the chopped peaches on top.
Step 4: Toss the peaches with the flour mixture until they are evenly coated.
Mix-In Tip: The flour coating helps suspend the peaches throughout the bread and keeps them from all sinking to the bottom. Definitely don’t skip this step! I’ve found this method works great for blueberry mix-ins in my sourdough blueberry crumb cake, too.
Step 5: After coating the peach chunks in the flour mixture, whisk together the liquid ingredients, including the sourdough discard, in a bowl or liquid measuring cup until fully combined.
Step 6: Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and gently stir until everything is just combined and evenly moistened.
Prepare Pan & Crumb Topping
Step 7: Prepare a parchment sling to line your 9 by 5 loaf pan. I find this method works well to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan, and it makes it much easier to slice too. Pour prepared peach batter into the loaf pan.
Step 8: Prepare your crumb topping by mixing together the butter, brown sugar, flour, and spices with a fork or your fingers. Sprinkle prepared crumb topping over the top of the loaf.
Crumb Topping: While the crumb topping is technically optional, it really sets this sweet sourdough peach bread apart, so I don’t like to skip this step!
Bake Sourdough Peach Bread
Step 9: Bake Sweet Peach Bread at 425ºF for about 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350ºF and continue baking for an additional 45-55 minutes. You’ll know it is baked through when you can insert a toothpick or fork into the center and have it come out clean.
Step 10: Let bread cool for about five minutes before removing from the pan. Once bread is cooled, slice and enjoy!
How to Store Leftovers
Slices of leftover Peach Bread can be placed in a ziplock or plastic bag and stored at room temperature for a couple of days. After that, I stick the bagged slices in the freezer and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Defrost individual slices to enjoy for breakfast or a snack when the craving hits.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
Bakery-Style Peach Bread: One of my tips for the perfect loaf of quick bread is baking this loaf at 425ºF for the first 10 minutes to get a nicely domed top. The initial burst of high heat activates the baking powder and helps the loaf rise quickly. After that, I reduce the temperature to finish baking. You can bake the whole loaf at 350ºF, but it won’t rise quite as high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Don’t let them thaw. Cut them into small chunks and toss with the flour mixture before adding the liquid ingredients. For canned peaches, make sure all of the liquid is thoroughly drained and the peaches are patted dry before using them in this recipe.
You don’t have to peel them. But many people like the texture better with them peeled. If your peaches are very ripe, the skins will come off easily. If not, you can boil, blanch, cool, and then peel the peaches.
Yes! I love peach muffins. I suggest following my recipe for Sourdough Peach Muffins.
Yes! If you want the fermentation benefits of sourdough, mix up the batter, leaving the peaches out of the batter, and make sure you are using double-acting baking soda. Cover the batter and let it sit in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. This will give the discard time to pre-digest some of the gluten in the batter. The longer you let it ferment the batter, the more tangy/sour flavor you will taste in the peach bread. When you want to bake it, preheat your oven, slice the peaches and add them to the batter. Spread the batter in a loaf pan. Sprinkle with crumb topping and bake according to recipe directions. Add a couple of extra minutes to bake time for chilled batter.
Sourdough QuickBread Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Peach Bread or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Peach Bread
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Equipment
Ingredients
Sourdough Peach Bread
- 260 grams all-purpose flour, about 2 cups
- 165 grams light brown sugar, about 3/4 cup
- 15 grams baking powder, about 1 Tablespoon
- 7 grams salt, about 1 teaspoon
- 380 grams ripe peaches, peeled & chopped in 1/2 inch cubes, about 3-4 medium-sized peaches, see recipe notes
- 113 grams unsalted butter, melted, about 1/2 cup
- 120 grams milk, 2% or whole, about 1/2 cup
- 1 large egg, about 50 grams
- 100 grams sourdough discard, scant 1/2 cup
- 4 grams vanilla extract, about 1 teaspoon
- 4 grams almond extract, about 1 teaspoon (optional)
Crumb Topping
- 30 grams unsalted butter, softened, about 2 Tablespoons
- 30 grams light brown sugar, about 2 Tablespoons
- 35 grams all-purpose flour, about ¼ cup
- 2 grams ground cinnamon, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 gram nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon
- 2 grams salt, about 1/4 teaspoon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a 9 by 5 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.
- Peel and chop the peaches about 1/2-inch in size. Choose peaches that are ripe but firm enough to peel the skin with a peeler. Pour the peaches on top of the flour mixture and lightly coat the peaches in the flour mixture until dispersed throughout.
- To a liquid measuring cup add melted butter, milk, egg, sourdough discard, vanilla extract and almond extract. Whisk together until completely combined.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the peach and flour mixture, then gently stir until a batter forms. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate any remaining flour.
- Make the crumb topping by mixing the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and spices with a spoon or your fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
- Pour the peach batter into the reserved parchment-lined baking pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the peach bread.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 425ºF. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350ºF and bake for another 45-55 minutes until a toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out clean. Let rest for 5 minutes in the pan and then pull out to cool on a cooling rack. Let the peach bread cool completely, then slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family loves this sweet sourdough peach bread. Moist, tender and we love the crumb topping and hint of almond flavor too.