Once again I seem to have have found myself with one too many browning bananas sitting on my countertop. Before these brown blobs of sweetness met their demise, I took it as the perfect opportunity to make a recipe I’ve been dying to try since I bookmarked it a few months ago. Not only did I get to use up my slowly rotting bananas but I also got to try out the whole wheat sourdough starter I’ve been nursing for the past month. This is an incredibly soft whole wheat sandwich bread with a sweet banana flavour and a subtle sour tang and is seriously the most perfect bread to make a PB & J! If you don’t have your own sourdough starter and are interested in trying it out, there’s a great recipe you can follow here. This is a really addictive bread, both me and P. gobbled this one up within a couple days, but in our defence, it is a pretty small loaf…ok, it’s not that small, I’m just a carb fiend.
Whole Wheat Sourdough Banana Bread
Adapted from txfarmer
Makes One 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 Loaf
Pre-ferment:
- 18g whole wheat sourdough starter (100% hydration)
- 29g non-dairy milk (I used almond)
- 54g whole wheat bread flour
Mix all ingredients together and let ferment at room temperature for 12 hours.
Final Dough:
- 357g whole wheat bread flour
- 168g banana, mashed
- 29g agave (maple syrup would also be good here)
- 130g non-dairy milk
- 29g earth balance buttery sticks, softened
- 5g salt
- all pre-ferment
Mix together all ingredients except the earth balance and salt, autolyse (let rest) for 40-60 minutes. Add in the earth balance and salt, then knead the dough until it is very developed. This intensive kneading is the key to a soft crumb, and proper volume. The windowpane will be thin and speckled with grains, but don’t expect it to be as strong as one would get form a white flour dough. Make any water or flour adjustments but keep in mind that the dough should be slightly tacky.
Place dough in a well oiled bowl and let rise at room temp for 2 hours. Deflate dough, and continue on to next step or for a more developed flavour, cover bowl and place in fridge overnight.
For refrigerated dough: Remove dough from fridge, punch down, divide and let rest for one hour.
Spray an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pan with oil. Flatten the dough and try to get out as many air bubbles as possible, then shape very tightly into a sandwich loaf. Shaping the dough into a tight, uniformed loaf prevents the crumb from having holes and instead gives it an even texture. Transfer to prepared loaf pan.
Proof until the dough is double in size or reaches one inch higher than the tin. About 5 hours at room temp. Yup, you read that right, about 5 hours. Don’t worry, your patience will be rewarded.
Bake at 375F for 40-45min, until the crust is a deep golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. While the loaf is still warm, brush the top with margarine.
Once the loaf is cool, cut off a big slice and slather that sucker in peanut butter. Enjoy!
Submitted to Yeastspotting
Maggie, we’d love to have you join us for the next Food Network Friday! Hope you enjoy your time away.
Hi, I saw your banana bread on wild yeast, I just wanted to tell you It look so good, I think when the heat breaks, 102 degrees out to with heat index of 115, I will be baking this one, I have been looking for some good wheat bread recipes, thanks, Maria
I want to make this but I use cup and spoon measurements…do you have the equivalents for these?
Sorry, I’ve only ever made this by using a scale. When I get another chance to make this I’ll make sure I measure everything and update the recipe.
This was delish. It came out perfect. It really is the best sandwich bread I have made to date.
I forgot to add, that I am not vegan and used some soured raw milk I had and have a rye SD starter. And used raw honey in place of the agave. I made sure I developed it as you said and agree that I think this is the key. thank you for sharing this.
That’s fantastic! I’m glad it worked out for you.