Sourdough Banana Zucchini Bread
This moist sourdough banana zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use up overripe bananas, extra garden zucchini, and leftover sourdough discard! It's soft, lightly sweetened with honey and brown sugar, and easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. Enjoy a slice for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Save those brown bananas from being wasted! This recipe turns them into a delicious treat.
- The blend of bananas, zucchini, and brown sugar creates a wonderfully moist and tasty loaf.
- Delicious way to use up extra sourdough discard!
- Easy to follow recipe with simple steps and common ingredients, even beginner bakers can achieve great results.
Growing Zucchini
As my teens would say, we set a PR in the garden this summer—it was the best zucchini harvest EVER! Now, don’t get too excited; we still lost the battle with squash bugs eventually, but I was picking perfect zucchini and yellow squash every morning for the entire month of June.
Here's my guide to growing zucchini if you're interested in upping your game, too!
We ate a lot of it fresh, but I also found myself preserving the extras several times a week. I shredded zucchini and freeze-dried it for future quick bread recipes, and cubed the yellow squash for winter soups.
My dehydrator and freeze dryer were preserving loads of zucchini almost nonstop!
Our three favorite ways to eat fresh zucchini are simply roasted, sautéed in butter with salt and pepper, and in easy zucchini banana bread.
Quick Bread Tips
- Measure it out: Okay, so this might sound basic, but trust me, it's important. Level out those dry ingredients and don't overfill the measuring cups for wet stuff.
- Stir until just combined: Over mixing is a bread deflator! Bye, delicate air bubbles and mile-high loaves. Just mix until everything's combined and call it good.
- Prep that pan: You wanna make sure your bread doesn't stick, right? Grease and flour that pan, or use parchment paper.
- Toothpick test: Poke your bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, it's done!
- Be patient: Let your bread chill out in the pan for a bit before slicing. Trust me, it'll thank you later.
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EQUIPMENT
- 9X5 loaf pan or two 8" loaf pans - I'm using this pullman-style 9" pan without the lid. I like the extra tall sides and sharp corners for a really crisp and clean shaped loaf.
- measuring spoons & cups
- parchment paper or cooking spray
- stand mixer & spatula
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- Bananas
- Zucchini
- Eggs
- Honey
- Sourdough starter discard
- Vanilla extract
- Butter room temperature
- Brown sugar
Dry Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 9" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter and brown sugar two minutes until light and fluffy.
4.Add in eggs, beating well after each addition.
5. Add honey, vanilla, sourdough starter and mashed bananas.
6. Slowly fold in the dry ingredients and zucchini and mix until just combined.
7. Pour into loaf pan and bake for about 60-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the center of the bread reaches 200°F with a thermometer.
8. Leave the bread in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool. This gives the bread a chance to set slightly, preventing it from falling apart when you invert it. Let it cool completely for about an hour before slicing. This prevents crumbling.
Variations
- Grate in two carrots or ½ of a large sweet potato alongside the zucchini for additional sweetness and moisture.
- You can use agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or date syrup as a substitute for the honey or maple syrup.
- For a richer flavor, use brown butter.
- Use a dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor.
- Add 1 cup of chocolate chips -- my family LOVES this version!
- Stir in 1 cup of fresh blueberries to make a loaf of blueberry zucchini bread! Or are we calling this blueberry banana bread? Both, I suppose!
Substitutions
- Bananas: You can substitute 1 cup of applesauce or mashed pumpkin for the overripe bananas.
- Zucchini: You can substitute 1 cup of grated apples or carrots for the grated zucchini.
- Sweetener: For a white sugar free option, use granulated monk fruit sweetener in a 1:1 ratio.
- Sourdough starter: You can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk or plain yogurt thinned with milk to 1 cup total volume.
- Butter: You can substitute the butter with equal parts vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil. I do not recommend subbing olive oil for butter.
- Brown sugar: You can substitute the brown sugar with granulated sugar or coconut sugar in a 1:1 ratio. If you do this, I still recommend adding a tablespoon of molasses for the rich flavor.
Storing Your Zucchini Banana Bread
- Room temperature: For optimal freshness and flavor, store your cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: For longer storage, wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place it in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, let it sit on the counter overnight.
Tip: If you plan to freeze the bread, consider slicing it before freezing for easier thawing and serving.
How to Ripen Bananas Faster for Zucchini Banana Bread
There are a few methods to speed up banana ripening:
- Brown paper bag method: Place bananas in a brown paper bag. The ethylene gas released will accelerate ripening.
- Oven method:Â Wrap bananas in foil and place them in a low-temperature oven for a short time.
- Freezer method: Place the unpeeled bananas directly in the freezer for about 30 minutes. The peel will begin to turn black and the banana will be perfectly soft and sweet! This is my go-to method.
FAQ
Yes! You can replace some or all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, although the finished bread may be a little denser. Whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture, so I recommend starting with a 50/50 blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Let the batter rest for 10–15 minutes before baking to give the flour time to hydrate, and check for doneness rather than relying on baking time alone.
Absolutely! To freeze zucchini, grate it, then squeeze out excess moisture. Place in freezer-safe bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before using in your recipe.
For short-term storage, keep the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or foil. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
-Use ripe bananas, as they add natural moisture.
-Don't over bake the bread. Check for doneness with a toothpick.
-Use a combination of wet ingredients like oil or yogurt for extra moisture.
-Properly store the bread to prevent it from drying out.
More Sourdough Quick Breads and Muffins
If you love baking with sourdough discard, here are a few more of my favorite recipes to try!
- Sourdough Discard Chocolate Banana Bread Bars are perfect when you're craving something chocolatey.
- Sourdough Banana Bread is a classic, moist banana bread made with active starter or discard.
- Sourdough Banana Zucchini Muffins have all the flavors of this quick bread in an easy, grab-and-go muffin.
- Sourdough Apple Zucchini Muffins are another delicious way to use fresh zucchini, especially during apple season.
Related
Looking for other sourdough discard recipes like this? Try these:
What's New on the Homestead
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Recipe
Sourdough Banana Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 9X5 loaf pan or two 8" loaf pans
- measuring spoons & cups
- parchment paper or cooking spray
- stand mixer
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 bananas * ripe
- 1 zucchini * small
- 2 eggs large, room temperature
- â…“ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons butter room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar tightly packed
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 9" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter and brown sugar two minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs, beating well after each addition.
- Add honey, vanilla, sourdough starter and mashed bananas.
- Â Slowly fold in the dry ingredients and zucchini and mix until just combined.
- Pour into loaf pan and bake for about 60-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the center of the bread reaches 200°F with a thermometer.
- Leave the bread in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool. This gives the bread a chance to set slightly, preventing it from falling apart when you invert it. Let it cool completely for about an hour before slicing. This prevents crumbling.
Notes
- 3 bananas ripe (300 grams)
- 1 small zucchini (100 grams)
- Grate in two carrots or ½ of a large sweet potato alongside the zucchini for additional sweetness and moisture.
- You can use agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or date syrup as a substitute for the honey or maple syrup.
- For a richer flavor, use brown butter.
- Use a dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor.
- Add 1 cup of chocolate chips -- my family LOVES this version!
- Stir in 1 cup of fresh blueberries to make a loaf of blueberry zucchini bread!
- Bananas:Â You can substitute 1 cup of applesauce or mashed pumpkin for the overripe bananas.
- Zucchini: You can substitute 1 cup of grated apples or carrots for the grated zucchini.
- Sweetener: For a white sugar free option, use granulated monk fruit sweetener in a 1:1 ratio.
- Sourdough starter:Â You can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk or plain yogurt thinned with milk to 1 cup total volume.
- Butter: You can substitute the butter with equal parts vegetable oil, canola oil, melted coconut oil, or applesauce. I do not recommend subbing olive oil for butter.
Nutrition
I made this yesterday and did a double batch- one loaf, and 18 muffins. We ate some (kids loved it!) and I froze the rest for breakfast once school starts back up.
I cannot get over how moist this bread was!