Sourdough banana bread

After gaining some good experience from my apple-raisin sourdough cake (inspired by the recipe by madebyellen), I decided to experiment with other flavors. This version is inspired by the classic banana bread—made sourdough style. One of the nice things about the madebyellen recipe is that it includes 50 ml of water. Since frozen bananas contain quite a bit of moisture, I skipped the water and instead used two overripe (frozen) bananas and one fresh overripe banana. Below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to making soft, flavorful sourdough banana bread at home.

Image: tasty banana bread, sourdough style

Ingredients (sourdough version)

• 75 g Sugar (3/8 cup)

• 225 g Wheat flour (1 + 3/4 cups)

• 100 g Active sourdough starter (1/2 cup)

• 2 Eggs

• 75 g Butter (5 + 1/2 tablespoons or 2/3 stick)

• 3 Very ripe bananas

Step 1: Prepare the dough

Gently melt the butter (75 g or 2/3 stick) in the microwave or on the stove. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar (75 g or 3/8 cup), flour (225 g or 1 + 3/4 cups), and eggs (2). Mix until smooth. Add the active sourdough starter (100 g or 1/2 cup) and two of the bananas, then mix again until everything is well combined. Once you have a homogeneous batter, pour it into a greased cake pan.

Step 2: Let the dough rise

As with sourdough bread, the dough needs time to ferment and rise. Cover the cake pan with a clean, damp towel and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours, depending on room temperature. In cooler weather, it may take closer to 24 hours. To speed up the process, you can:

• Place the pan in the oven for about 1 hour at 45°C (113°F), or

• Set it in a warm spot, such as near a radiator.

Even when speeding-up the fermentation process, it still takes 6 hours or more. With sourdough you just need to prepare a day ahead most of the time. Before baking, check that the dough has risen close to the top of the pan. If it hasn’t, wait longer. If needed, place it in a warmer spot next time.

Image: preparation of delicious banana bread, sourdough style

Step 3: Bake and enjoy

Once the dough has risen, slice the third banana in half lengthwise and place it on top of the batter for decoration. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake for about 45 minutes. Test with a skewer—if it comes out clean, the bread is ready.

This recipe can be adapted with different fillings. If you use fruit with high water content, simply reduce the amount of added liquid in the recipe to maintain the right texture.

Nutritional Information

Nutrient	Per Whole Cake	Per Slice (1/20)
Calories	2,140 kcal	107 kcal
Protein	42 g	2.1 g
Fat	76 g	3.8 g
Carbohydrates	335 g	16.8 g
Sugar	125 g	6.3 g
Salt	0.95 g	0.05 g
Sodium	380 mg	19 mg

Enjoy your homemade sourdough banana bread—and feel free to experiment with your favorite variations! Some of our favorite sourdough pastry recipes can be found in the link.