Sourdough discard banana bread is a delicious twist on traditional banana bread that incorporates leftover sourdough starter. It has a slightly tangy flavor from the sourdough, which complements the sweetness of ripe bananas beautifully.
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease the loaf pan with butter and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon until well combined, set aside.
In another mixing bowl, add the mashed bananas, egg, brown sugar, and sourdough discard, whisk together until thoroughly combined and blended together.
Make a well in the flour mixture, and pour the mixed wet ingredients into the center. Gently stir until just combined.
Pour into the greased loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes. It’s finished when the edges have pulled away from the pan, the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack.
Once the bread is completely cooled, spread the frosting on top. Allow it to set before serving.
For the frosting:
Melt the butter and sugar together over medium low heat, whisking them together until they are incorporated.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly.
Add the heavy cream, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to come to a boil again, and then remove it from the heat. Stir in the sifted powdered sugar until combined. If you prefer, you can use a hand mixer to blend the sugar in so it’s nice and smooth.
Using a rubber spatula, gently spread the frosting over the cooled banana bread.
Notes
Although this recipe calls for unfed sourdough starter (discard), you can also use active, bubbly sourdough starter.
You can substitute white sugar for the brown sugar if desired.
Milk or half and half work just fine in the icing if you don’t have heavy cream.
Ovens vary, start checking for doneness at 45 minutes.
The bread is finished when it is golden brown, the edges are pulling away from the side, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.