Tender, sweet and moist, this sourdough banana bread is a favorite of all ages. The combination of sourdough discard and very ripe bananas make this the perfect bread to use up pantry staples and enjoy a delicious loaf of banana bread.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare a loaf pan. Line the pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray to grease.
To a medium-sized bowl, mash the bananas. Add the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and vegetable oil. Stir to combine.
Mix in the sourdough discard and stir until just combined.
In a separate bowl (or you can mix it straight in if you don’t like to get multiple bowls dirty) mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips or nuts (if desired). Mix until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 50 minutes. Insert a knife into the banana bread to check if it is completely baked through. If it's not baked through, continue baking for another 5-10 minutes until a knife or toothpick entered in the banana bread comes back clean.
Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before releasing from the pan and cooling on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions: I often substitute 1/4 cup of the oil for applesauce with good results.Sourdough Discard: Not all sourdough discard is created equal. The age of the discard makes a difference. I prefer using a “fresh” discard that is only a day or two old (at the most). Discard that has been sitting in the fridge for a week or two gives a lot more “tang” to this banana bread. You can also use bubbly sourdough starter for less sourdough flavor but all the sourdough benefits if desired.Banana Muffins: This recipe would also work well for banana muffins. Line a muffin tin. Fill your muffins a little over halfway and reduce the baking time to 6 minutes at 425 degrees then 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.