For nutty, banana-y bliss.
Hello bakers!
Who wants to use their sourdough discard to make the most amazing Vegan Banana Bread ever? Me too! Let’s do this.
A lot of people have taken up sourdough baking since Covid 19 hit the scene. Are you one of them? How’s it going? Are you making gains? Is your bread tasty and exciting, or frustrating and disappointing? I’ve been baking for years and it’s still a mixed bag over here. Sometimes I make beautiful bread, sometimes I make gummy flying saucers. It’s a practice. I’m learning (to be patient and follow instructions).
One thing that’s SUPER exciting to me is finding fun things to do with sourdough discard. I hate to throw it out, so I often whip up a pancake or two with it, and most recently I found out that you can use it to make sourdough granola. (Who knew?)
But guys – this vegan sourdough banana bread is the stuff that vegan dreams are made of. It’s truly blowing my mind. I loooooove it. I’ve been making tasty quick breads since becoming vegan, don’t get me wrong, but this one is incredible. I feel like I’m eating the super decadent, sugar-egg-and-oil-laden banana bread of my grandmother, but this version has a surprisingly small amount of oil and sugar. If you’re into baking sourdough at home, you HAVE to give this a try.
What I’m sharing with you here is simply my vegan adaptation of an incredible recipe I found on The Perfect Loaf. He has a lot of helpful information for novice bakers, so definitely check him out.
I mean, just look at this thing – it’s gorgeous!
Vegan Sourdough Banana Bread
- I usually measure in cups instead of grams, but I figure if you’re here it’s because you bake, and if you bake, you have a scale!
- One important point on the baking: Use a thermometer! Especially if you used frozen bananas. You’re going to bake until the internal temperature reaches 200-205°F or 93-96°C. This is a game changer. Historically I’ve been a terrible under-baker of quick breads, but this makes all the difference.
Ingredients – Makes one loaf
- 2 tbs flax + 6 tbsp water
- 240 grams flour – spelt, whole wheat, AP, or a mix
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 75 grams coconut oil (or sub canola)
- 100 grams brown sugar
- 360 grams super ripe banana (about 4 bananas)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
- 125 grams starter
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 banana to go on the top – optional
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly oil a 9X5 baking pan.
- Mix the flax and water together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the S blade, cream together the coconut oil and brown sugar.
- Add the bananas, vanilla, oil, syrup and starter to the food processor and process until everything is well combined. Then add the flax and water mixture and process to incorporate.
- Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts (saving a few to sprinkle on top)
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle extra walnuts on top and press in the banana slices, if using.
- Bake until the internal temperature reaches 200-205°F or 93-96°C, about an hour (I’ve made this using frozen bananas and it took close to 2 hours to bake!)
That’s it! I hope you love this banana bread as much as I do. Please leave a comment and let me know how it goes!