Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (2024)

/ Updated Sep 17, 2021 / by Carolyn Gratzer Cope / 4 Comments / This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.

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Our chocolate chip banana bread has been flying off the shelves worldwide for over a decade. I adapted that recipe into sourdough banana bread — a classic, tender, delicately flavored quick bread that doubles as an easy way to use up sourdough discard (unfed starter).

Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (1)

Why we love this recipe

The sourdough process has so much to recommend it. But one challenge — especially when you're in the process of creating a new sourdough starter — is using the unfed portion (also called discard) instead of wasting it.

This wonderful, classic-tasting banana bread recipe is a great way to use it. This bread is:

  • Tender
  • Delicately flavored
  • Mixed with a single fork in a single bowl
  • Ready in about an hour

What you'll need

Here's a glance at the ingredients you'll need to make sourdough discard banana bread.

Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (2)
  • Use extremely ripe bananas. Fresh or frozen and defrosted are both fine.
  • You can use whatever 100% hydration sourdough starter you have. Mine is made with hearty rye flour, and the banana bread still turns out delicate and mild. The purpose of this recipe is to hep use up unfed starter (sourdough discard), but you can also use ripe, bubbly starter. The bread will rise a little more if you do that.
  • If you like, you an add half a cup of chopped walnuts and/or half a cup of chocolate chips.

How to make it

Here's what you'll do to make a great loaf of sourdough banana bread. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get the all the details in the recipe card below.

Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (3)
  1. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the sourdough starter and mix it in. (You can use a fork to mix the whole recipe.)
  2. Stir in the melted butter, then crack the eggs into the bowl and mix until well-incorporated. Stir in the brown sugar and vanilla.
  3. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt evenly over the mix and then tip in the flour. Mix until combined.
  4. Pour batter into a greased, medium-sized loaf pan (see recipe card below for dimensions). Bake in the center of a 350°F oven for about 55 minutes. A tester inserted into the bread won't come out totally clean because of the banana, but it shouldn't be covered with batter.
Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (4)

Expert tips and FAQs

Can you taste the sourdough in this banana bread?

Honestly? It just tastes like banana bread, with perhaps the slightest bit of additional tang — even though my starter is made from hearty whole grain rye flour. The acidity of the starter contributes to a tender crumb, but since we bake the bread right after mixing, the dough doesn't have a chance to ferment.

What if my starter isn't 100% hydration?

This recipe uses half a cup (112 grams) of 100% hydration starter, which is 56 grams of flour and 56 grams of water. If your starter has a different hydration level, you can do the math. Add enough starter to contribute 56 grams of flour, along with additional water to make up the difference.

How long does sourdough starter banana bread keep?

Once completely cool, this loaf will keep well for three or four days wrapped in foil at room temperature. You can toast slices of it on subsequent days. For longer-term storage, wrap in foil, place into a zip-top freezer bag, and freeze for up to about six months.

More sourdough resources

  • Rye sourdough starter
  • My favorite crackers for using unfed starter
  • Scallion pancakes (discard recipe)
  • The perfect loaf of sourdough rye bread
  • Life-changing sourdough bagels
Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (5)

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Yield: 12

Sourdough Banana Bread

Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (6)

Our super-popular banana bread with chocolate chips has been a favorite of many families for over a decade. For times when you have an abundance of unfed sourdough starter, I developed this adaptation to merge the best of all possible worlds.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time55 minutes

Total Time1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454 grams) very ripe bananas (3 to 4 large, weighed with skins still on)
  • ½ cup (112 grams) unfed 100% hydration sourdough starter
  • 4 tablespoons (56 grams) butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup (100 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Grease a medium (8-cup/9 x 5 x 3 inch) loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.
  3. Mix in the sourdough starter.
  4. Mix in the melted butter.
  5. Crack the eggs into the bowl and mix well.
  6. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and mix with the fork to combine well.
  7. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the batter.
  8. Add the flour and mix with the fork until just combined.
  9. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out with only banana on it, not raw batter.
  10. Cool in the pan on a rack for ten minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.

Notes

  1. You can use refreshed (fed) sourdough starter if you like. The bread will rise a little more.
  2. When possible, it's best to weigh your ingredients for baking. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method to measure the flour.
  3. If you like, you can add ½ cup chopped walnuts and/or ½ cup chocolate chips to the batter after mixing in the flour.
  4. Once completely cool, store any leftovers at room temperature, wrapped in foil, for up to four days. You can toast slices in subsequent days if you like. For longer-term storage, wrap well in foil, place inside a zip-top freezer bag, and freeze for up to about six months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 127Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g

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More Sourdough

  • Sourdough Scallion Pancakes
  • Sourdough Rye Bread
Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (11)

About Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Hi there, I'm Carolyn Gratzer Cope, founder and publisher of Umami Girl. Join me in savoring life, one recipe at a time. I'm a professional recipe developer with training from the French Culinary Institute (now ICE) and a lifetime of studying, appreciating, and sharing food. More about me.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather W. says

    Hello. I'm new to SD. We use SD recipes for its properties with gluten degradation for a gluten sensitivity. It is my understanding that the degradation occurs during the fermentation process. I would like to try this banana bread. Is it possible to somehow long ferment this batter? I wouldn't think I could leave the batter out on the counter long because of the eggs. If I mixed the active starter with everything except the baking soda and eggs and left it on the counter to ferment for 6 hours or so would this be okay for this recipe? Would I also wait with the salt? Seems like a lot of recipes leave the salt off until the end, though I don't understand why. What about the bananas? Would it be safe to add the bananas at the beginning or could I add them in with the eggs? Thank you for any help you can offer me.

    Reply

  2. Chari says

    Sounds yummy. If I make 3 smaller loaves can you tell me how long they should bake? 46 min.?
    Thanks

    Reply

  3. Julie says

    Can I fix this and let the dough rest in the fridge overnight? To help the starter incorporate?

    Reply

    • Carolyn Gratzer Cope says

      Hi, Julie! There's no need to let the starter incorporate more than it would with a normal mixing process, but you can make the batter in advance if you'd like, as long as you follow a few tips. First, baking soda needs to be added shortly before baking, so don't mix it in until the last minute. Second, the longer the batter rests in the fridge, the more pronounced any sourdough flavor will be. This is especially true if you're using active starter but still applies to a lesser degree with discard. If you follow these guidelines it's fine to let the batter chill overnight, but you'll notice a bit more tang in the final result.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Sourdough Banana Bread (Starter Discard Recipe) - Umami Girl (2024)

FAQs

How much of your sourdough starter should you discard? ›

Experts recommend feeding a starter twice daily. And at each feeding, you hold onto 1/2 cup of your original starter, discard the rest, and then add its same weight in water and flour. With this schedule, you'd discard almost a cup of sourdough starter every day.

What is the secret to a good sourdough starter? ›

There is no single best ratio, but I've found a ratio of 1:5:5 fed twice daily at 12-hour intervals to produce a sourdough starter that's strong and healthy. This ratio corresponds to 20% ripe starter carryover, 100% water, and 100% flour (a mix of whole grain rye and white flour) at each feeding.

What is the difference between sourdough starter and discard? ›

The starter is a mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria over time, creating a leavening agent for bread. What is this? On the other hand, sourdough discard refers to the portion of the starter that is removed and discarded before feeding the remaining starter during regular maintenance.

Is sourdough starter discard good for you? ›

It adds a delicious flavor and imparts moisture to recipes which keeps bakes tasting fresher for much longer. You can also use sourdough discard to ferment recipes which makes them healthier and easier to digest.

Can you use 2 day old sourdough discard? ›

Can I Use Old Sourdough Discard? You can use old sourdough discard if it's been stored in the fridge, however, you really want to use it up within a week - 2 weeks max. It's better to use "fresh" discard in a sweet sourdough discard recipe.

How long can sourdough starter discard sit out? ›

As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.

Can I use starter that has fallen? ›

You can keep a “peaked” starter in the refrigerator for about 12 hours (sometimes more), and still use it directly in your mix. You do not need to let it come up to room temperature. If your starter is well past peak (a few hours) and visibly falling, you can give it a “refresh” feeding to reactivate it.

Do you add sourdough starter to warm or cold water? ›

Proportions: Here are our preferred proportions for feeding the starter: Take a smidgen of starter (5-10 grams). (Throw away the rest — or you can bake with it if it's ready!) Add to it 100g of water, at 80-85 F degrees.

Can you make sourdough starter without discarding? ›

Sourdough Starter Management: A Zero-Discard Method
  1. Ripe starter that is ready to use. ...
  2. Most of the starter goes into a dough and the remainder is fed. ...
  3. The starter is at least partially ripened and then refrigerated. ...
  4. Deciding whether and how to feed the starter again before the next bake. ...
  5. Ripe starter that is ready to use.
Mar 4, 2023

What happens if you bake sourdough starter discard? ›

Similar to case #2, above, discarded sourdough is used in recipes with no additional flour called for, so it can be baked immediately. The discarded starter's flour is already fermented and it adds sourdough flavor to the recipe.

Why discard half of sourdough starter? ›

Discarding half is wayyyy LESS wasteful than keeping it around or “sharing” the other half with a friend because… The sourdough starter is not a viable starter until 3 to 5 days old and sometimes longer. It takes that long for the organism balance to get established.

Why bake with sourdough discard? ›

Instead of throwing away (or composting) your excess sourdough starter during the feeding process, bake with it! Unlock the power of sourdough discard to both enhance your bakes with a subtle tang and make the most of those leftovers.

Can you make more sourdough starter from discard? ›

One of the amazing benefits of sourdough discard is that you can use it to create new starters, which are known as levains. These off-shoots from the mother starter can be used to experiment with different types of flour or given as a gift – there's nothing quite like sharing an entire ecosystem with your loved ones.

What is the best sourdough starter ratio? ›

The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 (sourdough starter: flour: water). This is also known as a 100% hydration starter. For example, let's say you have 40 g of sourdough starter in a jar. To feed it, you'll add 40 g of flour + 40 g of water.

When can I bake with my sourdough starter? ›

Fed sourdough starter refers to a starter that has been fed flour and water (preferably by weight). You should feed the starter equal or greater than its weight after discarding a portion. You should wait at least 2-4 hours or until the starter is at its peak before you use it in your baking.

Why do you discard half the sourdough starter? ›

If you don't discard your sourdough starter, it will grow too big and be unmanageable. Not to mention you will go through an unmentionable amount of flour.

Can you overfeed sourdough starter? ›

Premature discarding and overfeeding will weaken your starter and elongate the process. Don't discard and re-feed a weak starter before it shows increasing bubble activity or height from the previous feeding. If you don't see more bubbles or a faster rise each day, skip a feeding, and give it more time.

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