Baker’s Banana-Nut Bread

Yes! Another sourdough recipe- all so good! I love that this recipe combines two of the most popular items to bake during this period of self-isolation- sourdough and banana bread. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from theperfectloaf.com. I incorporated whole wheat flour, added turbinado sugar to the topping, and baked the loaf in a Pullman loaf pan, adjusting the baking time accordingly. I loved that this version included olive oil for moisture and honey for sweetness. Lovely.

We ate it as-is, but the original recipe recommends spreading full-fat Greek yogurt over the top of each slice.

Yield: One standard or Pullman loaf

• 240g (2 cups) spelt, whole wheat, all-purpose flour, or a mix
• 3g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
• 3g (1/2 teaspoon) sea salt
• 125g (1 cup) chopped walnuts or pecans, divided
• 126g(1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 100g (1/2 cup lightly packed) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 125g (3/4 cup, stirred down) sourdough starter
• 42g (2 tablespoons) raw honey
• 3 super ripe medium mashed bananas (almost black and mushy)
• 28g (2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
• 4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla
• zest of 1 lemon, optional
• turbinado sugar, for topping, optional

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF, preferably on convection.
2. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan or Pullman loaf pan with cooking oil spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a small bowl, mix a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans and a teaspoon or two of turbinado sugar. Set aside to be used as the topping later.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time. While mixing, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Add in sourdough starter, honey, mashed bananas, and olive oil.
8. Add in the vanilla.
9. Add the flour mixture slowly, pausing to scrape down the sides if necessary.
10. By hand, fold in the remaining walnuts or pecans and lemon zest.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
12. Sprinkle on the reserved chopped nuts and sugar.
13. Bake for 45-50 minutes in a Pullman loaf pan or 55-65 minutes in a standard loaf pan. (It’s better to undercook this than overcook: you want it moist.)
14. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then gently remove onto a wire rack to thoroughly cool.

Note: This banana bread will stay moist for days after baking, but be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container to prevent moisture loss.

Sourdough Muffins: Oatmeal Raisin & Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon

I love making muffins with my sourdough starter discard. Both of these muffins were very wholesome, minimally sweet, and had a wonderful crumb/texture. I incorporated whole wheat flour into both varieties and also sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar prior to baking. I think that the sweetness on top was an essential addition.

The Oatmeal Raisin Muffin recipe was adapted from Food.com, contributed by Yankiwi. I weighed the ingredients, incorporated whole wheat flour and cinnamon in the batter, and sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar prior to baking. I also reduced the baking time for a convection oven.

Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

• 90 g (1 cup) rolled oats
• 1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
• 113 g (1/2 cup) sourdough starter, unfed
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 57 g (1/2 cup) whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (see Note)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C), preferably on convection.
2. In a medium bowl, combine rolled oats and milk. Set aside to soak.
3. Grease 12 muffin cups; set aside. (I used cooking oil spray.)
4. Stir sourdough starter, oil, egg and raisins into soaked oats; set aside.
5. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar.
6. Add oats mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened; don’t over mix.
7. Divide batter among the 12 cups. (I used a cookie scoop.)
8. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar.
9. Bake in preheated oven 15 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove promptly from muffin cups.
10. Can be served hot or cold.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins

The Whole Wheat Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe was adapted from tastykitchen.com, contributed by baking barrister. I weighed the ingredients, added salt, incorporated brown sugar and reduced the total amount of sugar by half, modified the proportions and baking time, and used a Pink Lady apple. They were very moist and tasty.

Yield: 12 muffins

• 170 g (3/4 cup) sourdough starter, unfed
• 113 g (1 cup) whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 100 g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 T (1/4 cup) canola or vegetable oil
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch chunks (I used a Pink Lady apple)
• cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling (see Note)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F, preferably on convection.
2. Thoroughly mix the starter, flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, egg, vanilla extract, and oil.
3. Fold in the apple chunks.
4. Using cooking oil spray, generously grease a muffin tin.
5. Divide batter among the 12 cups. (I used a cookie scoop.)
6. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 17 to 24 minutes, until they pass the toothpick test. Promptly remove from muffin cups.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature. Let cool completely before storing.

Note: I usually have leftover cinnamon sugar in my kitchen. Proportions vary, but 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon is a nice start. More sugar can be added to taste.

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

I have been sharing quite a few sourdough recipes… and I have quite a few more. 😉 I made many of these baked goods while waiting for my sourdough starter to become fully active- which took a full month!

Now it’s (finally) time to share the most simple and delicious sourdough bread recipe I’ve made thus far. It is a sourdough version of the famous Dutch oven “no-knead” bread. Heavenly.

The recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen. I weighed the ingredients. I liked that the bread bakes on a piece of parchment paper inside the Dutch oven which is an improvement from the classic Sullivan Street No-Knead Bread. The preparation process begins the night before baking the loaf.

Yield: 1 large round loaf

Time: 1 1/4 hours, plus 14 hours resting

• 18.3 oz (3 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur or substitute any brand bread flour)
• 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt or coarse salt
• 12.6 oz (1 1/2 cups plus 4 tsp) water, room temperature
• 3 oz (1/3 cup) mature sourdough starter

1. Ideally, feed your starter the morning you are planning to make the dough. Leave it at room temperature for up to 12 hours. (I weighed and fed 3oz of starter with equal parts water and flour and left it loosely covered at room temperature for 10 -12 hours.)
2. Whisk flour and salt together in medium bowl. (I try to start the process at 7pm)
3. Whisk room-temperature water and starter in large bowl until smooth.
4. Add flour mixture to water mixture and stir using wooden spoon, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until dough comes together, then knead by hand in bowl until shaggy ball forms and no dry flour remains.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 18 hours.
6. Lay 12 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter and spray generously with vegetable oil spray.
7. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead 10 to 15 times. (I lightly flour my hands as well.)
8. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. (For the best rise, you want to create a smooth, round, somewhat taut top.)
9. Transfer dough, seam side down, to center of parchment.
10. Pick up dough by lifting parchment edges and lower into heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Cover with plastic wrap.
11. Adjust oven rack to middle position and place a metal loaf or cake pan in bottom of oven.
12. Place pot on middle rack and pour 3 cups of boiling water into pan below.
13. Close oven door and let dough rise until doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with your floured finger, 2 to 3 hours.
14. Remove pot and water pan from oven; discard plastic from pot.
15. Lightly flour top of dough (I use a small sieve) and, using razor blade, kitchen shears, or sharp knife, make one 7-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. (Using kitchen shears, I made a large # on the top of the dough instead.)
16. Cover pot and place on middle rack in oven.
17. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake bread for 30 minutes (start timing as soon as you turn on the oven).
18. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. (I baked mine for an additional 22 minutes.)
19. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Sourdough Popovers

This deliciousness was dangerously easy to throw together.

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour. I used a popover pan and modified the baking time for a convection oven. We ate them with rocket soup and green salad but they would also be incredible for breakfast- maybe even with jam.

Instructions for sweet and savory variations are below the recipe.

Yield: 6 popovers

• 1 cup (227g) milk (full-fat, reduced-fat, or skim), warmed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (113g) sourdough starter, ripe (fed) or discard
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (120g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In the microwave or in a small saucepan, warm the milk until it feels just slightly warm to the touch.
2. Combine the warm milk with the eggs, sourdough starter and salt, then mix in the flour. Don’t over-mix; a few small lumps are OK. The batter should be thinner than a pancake batter, about the consistency of heavy cream.
3. Heat a muffin or popover pan in the oven while it’s preheating to 450°F, preferably on convection.
4. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, and spray it thoroughly with non-stick pan spray, or brush it generously with oil or melted butter. (To use melted butter: Melt 2 T butter and then distribute 1/2 tsp to the base of each popover cup before adding batter.)
5. Quickly pour the batter into the cups, filling them almost to the top. If you’re using a muffin tin, fill cups all the way to the top. Space the popovers around so there are empty cups among the full ones; this leaves more room for expansion.
   
6. Bake the popovers for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 10 (in a convection oven) or up to 20 minutes in a standard oven, until popovers are golden brown.
7. Remove the popovers from the oven and serve immediately.

Variations:

• For sweet, cinnamon-sugar popovers: Prepare and bake the popovers as instructed. When the popovers come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter (about 1/4 cup per batch), and roll them in cinnamon-sugar (about 1/4 cup per batch).

• For savory, cheddar-herb popovers: Mix 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence and 1/4 cup shredded Vermont cheese or cheese powder to the flour before stirring it into the sourdough-egg mixture. Finish the popovers according to the recipe instructions.

Overnight Golden Sourdough Waffles

I made these super light and slightly tangy waffles for my husband’s birthday breakfast. They were absolutely amazing topped with fresh berries and sliced bananas and drizzled with pure maple syrup.

The wonderful recipe was adapted from theperfectloaf.com. I weighed the ingredients and incorporated whole wheat flour into the batter. According to the original recipe, these waffles also freeze incredibly well. Perfect.

Yield: about 10 waffles

• 460g (2 cups) buttermilk
• 126g(1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 100g (1/2 cup, stirred down) ripe sourdough starter
• 125g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 113 g (1 cup) whole wheat flour
• 7g (1 1/2 teaspoons) raw sugar
• 110g (1/2 cup) water, if needed
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 5g (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
• 3g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda, sifted

The night before:

1. Add buttermilk and the melted and cooled butter to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add your ripe sourdough starter and mix thoroughly (use a whisk and your hands if needed).
3. Sprinkle the sugar on top and whisk in your flour, a little at a time, until incorporated.
4. If necessary, use some of the 110g (1/2 cup) reserved water to break up the batter until it resembles a traditional pancake batter. If you have a 100% hydration starter, you probably won’t need to add any water, but if your flour is extra “thirsty” or you have a stiff starter it might be necessary. (I didn’t add any water.)
5. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature overnight.

In the morning:

1. Warm your whole eggs to room temperature by letting them sit for a few minutes in a bowl of warm water.
2. Sift the baking soda and salt onto the top of the batter.
3. Crack the eggs and place the whites in one clean bowl and the yolks in another.
4. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
5. Lightly scramble up the egg yolks in the second bowl.
6. Pour the yolks into the batter and gently stir through.
7. Then, using a spatula, fold the eggs whites into the mixture until just incorporated (and no more).
8. Cook in your smoking hot waffle iron until done to your liking. (I cook mine for 5 minutes.)

Note: If you want to increase the amount of sourness you could hold back some of the sugar in the mix, let the batter ferment longer, or ferment the same time but at a slightly warmer temperature.

Buttery Sourdough Sandwich Biscuits

I usually eat my favorite Saturday morning fried egg over a bed of arugula with Swiss cheese and extra pepper. This biscuit sandwich brought it to the next level! The bacon was a nice bonus too. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur flour. I grated the butter and modified the baking time. They were very buttery and full-flavored.

Yield: 6  3-inch biscuits

• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, grated on the large holes of a box grater, cold
• 1 cup (227g) sourdough starter, unfed/discard, cold
• cold buttermilk, to adjust consistency, if necessary

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F, preferably on convection, with a rack in the upper third.
2. Grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Work the cold, grated butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.
5. Add the starter, mixing gently until the dough is cohesive. If necessary, depending on the consistency of your starter, add buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make the dough come together.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (a piece of parchment works well), and gently pat it into a 6″ round about 1″-thick.
   
7. Use a sharp 2 3/8″ biscuit cutter to cut four rounds, cutting them as close to one another as possible.
8. Gently push and pat the scraps into a 2 1/2″ x 5″ rectangle. Cut two more biscuits.
9. Push and pat the remaining scraps into a 1″-thick biscuit; it’ll be slightly smaller than the others.
10. Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2″ between them; they’ll spread as they bake.
11. Bake the biscuits in the upper third of your oven for 17 to 23 minutes, until they’re golden brown.
12. Remove the biscuits from the oven, and serve warm.

Note: Once cooled completely, the biscuits can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for several days. Freeze, well-wrapped, for longer storage.

*To make smaller biscuits: The dough can be patted 1/2-inch thick, cut into 2-inch rounds, and baked for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown.*

Blueberry Sourdough Muffins

I am going to share a couple more breakfast recipes that use sourdough starter. I was in LOVE with these muffins! They are sweetened with pure maple syrup, are loaded with blueberries, and incorporate cornmeal. Delicious.

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour, and added vanilla extract. Wholesome and tasty!

Yield: 12 muffins

• 1 cup (113g) whole wheat pastry flour or 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup (138g) yellow cornmeal, preferably whole grain
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup (227g) sourdough starter, ripe (fed) or discard
• 1/4 cup (57g) milk
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons (57g) melted butter or 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (156g ) maple syrup or 1/2 cup (170g) molasses or honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (340g) blueberries, fresh or frozen
• Turbinado, Demerara or coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F, preferably on convection.
2. Grease the wells of a 12-cup muffin pan, or line with papers and grease the inside of the papers. (I used cooking oil spray.)
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
4. In a second bowl, beat together the starter, milk, egg, melted butter, sweetener, and vanilla.
5. Blend the wet ingredients with the dry, taking about 20 seconds.
6. Gently stir in the blueberries just until blended.
7. Fill the cups of the prepared pan two-thirds full; sprinkle the tops of the muffins with sugar.
8. Bake the muffins for 17 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Don’t let them cool in the pan, or they’ll steam and the outside will become tough.

Note: If using frozen berries, don’t thaw them before adding to the batter; you’ll have fewer blue streaks if they’re added frozen, just before scooping.