Sourdough enhances baked goods for even better nutrition. So it makes sense to use this lost art of baking to make a lovely, tasty loaf of spiced banana bread. Chia seeds add a little crunch and a healthy boost of omega 3s.
This bread is so moist, with the sweet taste of bananas and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve each slice however you like, plain, with some real butter or whipped cream cheese on top and you have a great snack or dessert even. NOTE: When the weather turns cool and the holidays grow near try using pumpkin puree in-place of the banana for a delicious treat.
Sourdough Banana or Pumpkin Spice Bread
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This moist flavorful loaf of banana (or pumpkin) bread is easy to make using the traditional method of sourdough baking. Enjoy a great tasting treat that is not only healthy and packed with nutrition, but low in gluten as well.
Recipe type: Baked Good
Cuisine: Sourdough
Serves: 8 to 12
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sourdough starter, previously fed
- 1 cup whole spelt flour
- ⅓ cup butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ cups rapadura / sucanat sugar
- ¼ teaspoon natural pure stevia powder, optional (if not using, increase sugar to 1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup very ripe banana, mashed (2 large or 3 small) OR 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- Extra Add-In* - 2 Tablespoons dry chia seeds, for a boost of omega 3s and little crunch (optional)
Instructions
- 5 to 8 hours before you want to bake the bread: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter and spelt flour to form a slightly sticky, but smooth soft ball of dough. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Leave at room temperature for about 8 hours, a little less if the room is really warm.
- 8 hours later, baking the bread: In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter (or coconut oil), egg, sugar, stevia (if using), cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add this butter-sugar mixture to the large mixing bowl of "soaking" sourdough. Fold in until thoroughly mixed.
- Fold in the mashed banana (or pumpkin puree) - followed by the baking soda, walnuts, and chia seeds (if using). Fold in until combined.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with coconut oil.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the filled loaf pan aside for 20 minutes.
- Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If the loaf top is getting too brown in the middle of baking, you may cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes in pan. Remove and allow the bread to cool completely....or almost completely. (If not mostly cooled before slicing, the bread will fall apart......it is very moist.)
Notes
Makes 1 9x5-inch loaf.
I love this recipe and I make it all the time into muffins. I don’t normally set the filled pan aside for 20 min though and am wondering what is the purpose for that instruction?
Morgan, the purpose of setting it aside for 20 minutes it to the the dough rest a bit while the baking soda activates and helps the dough/batter to rise.
Absolutely fantastic recipe!! This appears to be one of tue only true sourdough banana bread recipes on the net – thank you so much! Really impressed with the wonderful cakey texture. Delicious. Used half a cup of honey as the only sweetener and it worked perfectly.
I told my husband I was making sourdough muffins, he wasn’t excited at first. After he tried one he said they were the best muffins I have ever made! YAY! I am so excited to have a sourdough version of breakfast muffins for us all to enjoy!! Thank you!
I should also mention, I used 1/3 cup of honey as a sweetener instead of sucanat sugar. We didn’t use any other type of sweetener, it was plenty sweet for our taste and the texture was soft and fluffy! (normally my muffins are hard and dense) Great with some butter on it : )
Christine, so glad the muffins were well enjoyed. Sourdough is so versatile. I know, most people think it sounds weird to say something like “sourdough muffins” or “sourdough chocolate cake”. But homemade sourdough makes all breads and grain-based baked goods so healthy, and tasty too! I love it so much! Now I really can have my cake and eat it too! 🙂
Oooh I’ve made this recipe twice already and loved it both times! I only used 1/2c of natural cane sugar and it was plenty sweet. I’m glad to hear that honey worked well for you though, because I’d rather use that!
This is really good! I put in a whole cup of sucanat and it’s pretty sweet, so I think next time I’ll probably only use 3/4 cup. I also added a tsp. off vanilla. 🙂 Yummy! Thank you for the sourdough recipes!
This is by far the most amazing banana bread I’ve ever had!!! It will be my go-to recipe from now on! Yum yum yum!!!
Thank you!!
Amanda, thanks for the comment. Glad you like it! We love it here as well…it never lasts long in our house!
Shannon, this is BY FAR the best banana bread we have ever eaten! And it’s such an easy recipe, too. I love it! We have already wiped out the loaf I made yesterday, so I’m making another loaf today. Thank you so much for posting your recipies. They are all delicious and treasured in my kitchen.
Thanks for the comment DeeAnn. So glad you like them 🙂