Sourdough Banana Bread with Sprouted Rye and Maple Syrup

Sourdough Banana Bread

While many banana bread recipes are more like cake, my sourdough banana bread is more like soft sweet bread.

For this recipe, you want to use brown sugar and maple syrup for the best flavor. The pure vanilla extract with maple syrup, brown sugar, and rye flour creates a fabulous caramel flavor.

I like to whip softened grass-fed butter with organic maple syrup to spread on a slice for a perfect sweet snack.

My Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe

Here are all the ingredients and supplies you need to make this fermented sourdough banana bread:

• salt
• chia seeds
• baking Soda
• all-purpose flour
• rye flour (I used sprouted rye flour, but any rye flour will do)
• Cinnamon
• brown sugar
• Sourdough Starter
• warm water or milk
• ripe banana
• coconut oil
• maple syrup 
• vanilla extract

You will also need:

• 9×5 loaf pan
• parchment paper

Making Banana Bread with Sourdough Starter

Most sourdough banana bread and zucchini bread recipes don’t allow any rise time. Instead, most people treat it like a sourdough discard recipe that goes straight into the oven after combining the ingredients.

I let my sourdough banana bread rise. Allowing the dough to ferment and rise has two main benefits.

First, the flavors and textures develop so nicely. Second, giving the dough time to ferment and rise makes the bread easier to digest. I have trouble digesting fructans, which bananas and rye flour contain a lot of.

When sourdough ferments, the starters’ microbes pre-digest all the fructans in the banana and flour, so it gives me no trouble. You can learn more about the digestibility of sourdough by clicking here.

Sourdough

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5 from 2 reviews

Sourdough Banana Bread with Sprouted Rye and Maple Syrup

I let my sourdough banana bread ferment and rise for hours. This is the best sourdough banana bread recipe, so flavorful and easy to digest!

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• Prep: 30 Minutes
• Cook: 1 Hour
• Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds (optional)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Rye Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 Cup Sourdough Starter, active and bubbly
• 1/2 Cup warm water or milk
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 Mashed Ripe Banana
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, Melted
• 3/4 Cup Maple Syrup 

Instructions

1. Line a 5″ by 9″ loaf pan on all sides with parchment paper. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the chia seeds, salt, baking soda, flour, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until evenly combined. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the sourdough starter, warm milk, vanilla extract, ripe banana, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Whisk until the mixture is uniform. (note that the sourdough starter is a wet ingredient)
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold in until evenly combined. The mixture will be wet and stretchy.
5. Transfer the mixture to the parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Using a spatula, spread the mixture into the pan evenly. Top with banana slices. 
6. Allow rising at a warm temperature for 4 hours. 
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through.
9. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then slice.  
10. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Optional Streusel Topping

• 2 Tablespoons Cold Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

For the streusel topping (optional), combine the sugar, flour and butter. Sprinkle ontop of the loaf right before it goes in the oven. 

Kaitlynn Fenley Food Microbiologist and Fermentation Specialist

Kaitlynn is a Food Microbiologist and FSPCA-certified fermentation specialist. An alumna of the LSU College of Science, she combines her academic background in microbiology with her Cajun heritage to create safe and delicious recipes.

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