Enjoy these deliciously moist Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins for a weekend brunch or to make ahead for a grab-and-go weekday breakfast. Filled with bananas, English walnuts, and topped with coconut to give the muffins a nice crunchy top.
This Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Dessert takes me back to my childhood. It’s easy to put together and has the yummy layers of Vanilla Wafers, bananas, and homemade vanilla pudding, topped with whipped cream.
Sourdough Banana Bread is a delicious way to use your “unfed” sourdough starter. I have tried a lot of banana bread recipes through the years, and this is one of the best, in my opinion. It has a crisp sweet crust and is moist on the inside.
Plus, this bread will keep for several days without drying out. And it’s perfect for sharing!
DID YOU KNOW? – Sourdough will keep fresher for longer than store-bought bread, thanks to the natural acidity which deters the growth of mold, and it’s bacterial compounds that slow hardening and loss of moisture. A typical loaf of sourdough will easily keep for 5-7 days at normal room temperatures.
What is “unfed” sourdough starter?
Lets start at the beginning. A sourdough starter is a fermented dough that has natural yeast in it that feeds bread dough and makes it rise. You use it in place of yeast.
I keep my sourdough starter in a little crock with a lid and refrigerate it until ready to use. I will bake bread with it once or twice a week. “Unfed” starter is what some people call the “discard”. It has been sitting in the fridge unused and has not been fed.
To feed the starter, I will add a cup of flour and 1/2 cup warm water to it. This “feeds” it and after a few hours makes it rise and bubble. At that point, it’s ready to use. However, if you don’t “discard” some of the dough before you feed it, there won’t be enough room in the crock for the dough to rise or grow. Because it will grow a lot! Ask me how I know!
So, rather than “discard” the “unfed” starter, you can use it in what I call quick bread recipes, such as biscuits, muffins, pancakes, or recipes like this banana bread. Recipes that don’t require yeast, but need some type of leaven such as baking powder. The “unfed” starter is used for imparting its flavor, rather than its leavening power.
Does that make sense? Okay, enough from the school of sourdough. Let’s move on to our recipe instructions.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Prepare 4 small loaf pans by coating the sides and bottoms with baking spray.
Mash the bananas in a small bowl. Using a nut chopper, chop the pecans or English walnuts. Set both aside until ready to use.
In a large mixing bowl bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar. Add the large egg, vanilla extract, and Princess Flavoring. Mix until well blended.
Princess Cake Flavoring is what I call my Secret Ingredient. Trust me, you’ll want to purchase some of this emulsion to have on hand when you need it. See Recipes that use Princes Flavoring Here.
Stir in bananas and unfed sourdough discard.
In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir into batter until just blended. Fold in chopped nuts.
Spoon into prepared small loaf pans. If desired, you may use 2 regular-sized loaf pans to make two loaves. If you do this, however, may may need to increase the baking time by 10-15 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until bread is golden brown and set in the center.
You may use the toothpick method to check if the loaves are done. Simply insert a toothpick into the center of one or more of the loaves. If it comes out clean, it is fully baked. If the toothpick comes out with sticky dough, it needs a few more minutes to bake.
Remove from pan after 10 minutes. Allow to cool on wire racks.
This recipe will make four small loaves. I like to give this bread to friends and family. Plus, this bread freezes well. Just wrap the loaves in aluminum foil and place in quart-sized freezer bags. Freeze up to 3 months.
See more Sourdough Recipes Here. Browse Quick Bread Recipes Here. View recipes that use Princess Flavoring Emulsion.
My grandma liked to make Hummingbird Cake. It was one of our family favorites. It’s easy to make and a great way to use those ripening bananas sitting on the counter. (Post modified with new photos on 3/22/22.) I have no idea what it has …
