Sourdough Banana Bread #BakingBloggers

This month, Sue of Palatable Pastime told the Baking Bloggers that for June: "We are baking with bananas this month- both  sweet and savory. Let your creative juices flow! I will also accept recipes that include bananas on top of a baked good. So banana ice cream and things of that nature are a go on top of something like a dessert. Even something like banana chips mixed into a baked granola. Just as long as some part of the recipe is baked. ;)" Here's the #BakingBloggers banana-infused baking party.

• Baked Raw Banana Chips from Cook with Renu
• Banana After School Snack Cake from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Banana Oatmeal Muffins from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Brown Sugar Banana Cake from Cookaholic Wife
• Dulce De Leche Banana Cake from Sneha's Recipe
• Hummingbird Muffins from Veggies First Then Dessert
• Margy's Best Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal from Making Miracles
• Roasted Banana Ice Cream from Caroline's Cooking
• Soft Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sourdough Banana Bread from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Triple Chocolate Banana Bread from Palatable Pastime

When we were deciding what to make, we talked about a re-do of our Banana Cream Pie; the crust is baked, but the bananas aren't. I thought about revisiting Bacalao con Plátano Verde (Cod with Green Plantain Crust); but I wasn't totally sure that Sue would consider plantains a banana. They are certainly related, but not the same thing. Then I thought that I should experiment with using sourdough discard in a banana bread. With this shelter-in-place order in force, I've been baking a lot of sourdough. So, the discard is never in short supply. This recipe is simple and I've made it a handful of times already.

Ingredients makes four mini loaves or one regular loaf and two minis

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3/4 C organic dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• 1 cup sourdough starter
• Also needed: loaf pans, butter for greasing pans

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare loaf pans with a light rubbing of butter. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine olive oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, bananas, and sourdough starter. Mash bananas with a fork, then whisk the entire mixture until combined. Leave some chunks of banana, if you want. Sift in flour and baking soda. Stir until just moistened.

Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 55-65 minutes, depending on the size of your pans. Mini loaf pans take around 55 minutes; large loaf pans can take up to 65 minutes. An inserted toothpick should come out clean. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.