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

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

FAQs

Can you do anything with sourdough starter discard? ›

The discard is not active enough to make sourdough bread rise but it does have many other uses and baking powder can be added if required. Savoury options include English breakfast muffins, pretzels, caramelised onion biscuits, and sourdough pizza dough.

Is sourdough starter discard healthy? ›

Sourdough discard recipes not only reduce waste but also offer health benefits, making them a wonderful addition to a balanced diet. The fermentation process of the sourdough starter increases the availability of certain nutrients and can help improve digestion.

When can I use sourdough starter discard in recipes? ›

Remember, you can't use the discard from your homemade sourdough starter for the first 7 days. You can use sourdough discard in all kinds of sourdough discard recipes, including these no wait sourdough recipes, overnight sourdough discard recipes and sourdough discard recipes that use up a lot of discard.

Why discard half of sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

How to tell if sourdough discard is bad? ›

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.

How old can sourdough discard be? ›

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.

Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

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 you bring sourdough discard back to life? ›

Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.

What is the difference between sourdough discard and sourdough starter? ›

Only a small portion of the sourdough starter is reserved and fed during each feeding, the rest is referred to as discard, since typically it is thrown away. In efforts to reduce waste, discard is often collected from multiple feedings and stored in the fridge until enough is allotted to be used for discard recipes.

Should sourdough discard be at room temperature before using? ›

When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake. I will keep sourdough discard in the fridge for about one week. I do know others that keep it much longer. The longer you keep it, the higher the risk of the discard growing mold or bad bacteria.

Do you have to discard every 12 hours for sourdough starter? ›

Starter that's kept at room temperature is more active than refrigerated starter, and thus needs to be fed more often. Room-temperature starter should be fed every 12 hours (twice a day) using the standard maintenance feeding procedure: discard all but 113g, and feed that 113g starter with 113g each water and flour.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from the fridge? ›

Can I use my sourdough discard straight out of the fridge to refresh my starter? Yes! You do not need to warm it up first. Just grab what you need and do your refreshing!

Can you feed starters without discarding? ›

A no-discard sourdough starter is simply a starter where you don't discard a portion of the starter every time you feed it! You only feed the starter when you plan to bake with it, then you save the rest for next time. Not only is it less wasteful, it's easy and you don't have to babysit it constantly!

What happens if I forgot to discard sourdough starter? ›

If you didn't discard a portion of your starter each time you feed it, two things would happen: Your starter would grow to an enormous, unmanageable size. Your starter would likely become more and more inhospitable to the bacteria and yeast we want as the mixture would become ever more acidic.

Can I make a second sourdough starter with discard? ›

Can I start another sourdough starter with my discard? Technically, yes you can start another sourdough starter with your sourdough discard - however you don't need two sourdough starters!

What to do with a lot of sourdough discard? ›

What to do with sourdough discard? Don't throw it away! Instead, use it to make delicious and nutritious treats like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and bread. Sourdough discard is a great source of natural yeast and flavor, and can add a unique tangy taste to your baked goods.

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.

What happens if I use my sourdough starter too early? ›

It's not a good idea to use a sourdough starter right after feeding. Ideally you should wait at least 2-4 hours. When you first feed a sourdough starter, it's at its weakest point. It has not had time to consume the sugars in the flour and is flat and inactive.

Can you dry sourdough starter discard? ›

Reason #2. You can easily share it with friends, even when they don't live nearby. Reason #3. Any excess, also called the discard, can be dried and ground to powder.

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