deb perelman is a true queen.
amongst the kitchen goddesses of the internet, smitten kitchen reigns supreme in my heart (read: stomach. they’re the same thing right?). when i came across her recipe for double chocolate banana bread last month, i knew i had to make it. and i knew it was going to be delicious.
sourdough discard and overripe bananas are two things in constant supply in my brooklyn apartment. i love whipping up a batch of banana bread or banana baked oatmeal over the weekend and bringing it to work for breakfast for the remainder of the week — it makes the entire kitchenette smell heavenly and i never fail to get compliments from coworkers as i’m warming it up 🙂
i’ve adapted the smitten kitchen recipe a bit to create a sourdough discard version. i’ve swapped out…
- some flour for a hearty portion of sourdough discard
- butter for coconut oil to make this lighter and dairy-free
- all the brown sugar for a tiny bit of honey
most internet recipes are far too sweet for my personal taste, so i’ve decreased the amount of sweetener substantially (1-2 tbsp honey). feel free to adjust the honey to the sweetness of your liking.
when i make this for breakfast, i add walnuts to the party for a healthy kick of omega-3’s, and significantly reduce the amount of chocolate chunks. this is completely optional. turn up the chocolate and omit the walnuts if that’s how the banana bread spirit moves you.
double chocolate banana bread
formula
- 4 medium-sized very ripe bananas, or 3 large bananas (400-480 g)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (45 g)
- 2 tbsp honey, adjust to taste (30 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (3 g)
- 3/4 cup discard starter (180 g)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (62 g)
- 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted (50 g)
- 25-50 g dark chocolate, chopped in chunks (i use 2 squares TJ’s pound plus chocolate)
- 1/3-1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional (60 g)
method
- preheat oven @ 350 degrees F. lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with coconut oil.
- mash bananas at bottom of large bowl. whisk in coconut oil, then your starter, honey, egg, and vanilla extract.
- sift flour and cocoa powder (good-bye lumpy cocoa powder, hullo silky smooth luxury) over wet ingredients, and add the baking soda and salt. stir dry and wet ingredients with spatula or spoon until just combined.
- lightly fold in chocolate, walnuts, and any other add-ins you'd like to include.
- pour into pre-greased pan and bake 50-60 min @ 350 degrees F, until tester or toothpick inserted into center comes out batter free. cool in pan for 15 min, and then run a knife around the edge. carefully invert onto cooling rack and onto serving platter.
- serve warm (recommended!) or at room temperature. keeps for 4 days room temp, and longer in the fridge wrapped in foil or in an air tight container.
The sourdough discard used here is at 80% hydration or 100%?
Hi Yee Ling, all my recipes use a sourdough starter at 80% hydration!