Phew, that may be the longest recipe title I’ve used to date. BUT I feel equally excited about all of those elements of the recipe that I felt like I had to just lay it all out there at the beginning.
These muffins were born out of my necessity to get rid of 200g of sourdough starter as well as 5 very ripe bananas — both common things I find myself in abundance of.
I opted for a muffin, but this could have definitely been turned into a cake with the addition of a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting, BUT to keep the recipe nutrient dense I kept them as muffins and opted to use whole wheat flour. Specifically I used Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage Whole Wheat Flour because it is more nutrient dense than traditional whole wheat flours. Heritage wheat is more digestible which is great for everyone, but espeically those who struggle to process gluten normally.
To give the muffins texture I wanted to add some chopped pecans, but once I started chopping them I remember that the only thing better than a regular pecan, is a toasted pecan. So I toasted the pecans in the oven. It only took an extra 10 minutes, but helped build more flavor.
The last thing I did was ferment the batter by leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours prior to baking it. This allowed the batter to build up a more complex flavor profile and break down some of the gluten in the bread — making it easier to digest.
I hope you like this recipe and find it to be a nice option the next time you find yourself with a lot of sourdough starter and a lot of bananas.
Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins With toasted Pecans
Makes 18 standard size muffins
200g sourdough discard, does not need to be active
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
5 very ripe bananas, mashed (It’s imperative that these be really ripe to provide adequate sweetness)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (200g) whole wheat flour, I like to use Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage Whole Wheat to maximize the nutritional value
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped - reserve a few for topping the muffins
Step 1) Mash bananas in a bowl until they are smooth.
Step 2) Mix the sourdough starter, 2 eggs, honey, vanilla extract and applesauce in a bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
Step 3) Stir the mashed banana into the liquid ingredients.
Step 4) In a separate bowl mix together whole wheat flour flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 5) Now pour the liquid ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until just mixed. It’s important not to overmix or the muffins will be tough instead of the nice tender texture we are going for.
Step 6) Place the mixture in the oven overnight or up to 24 hours. This step is optional, but I like the sour flavor that the overnight fermentation imparts to the muffins. I’ve baked it without letting them set overnight
Step 7) Preheat oven to 350F. Place muffin tin liners in a 12 hole muffin tin. Spray muffin liners with avocado oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.
Step 8) Remove the mixture from the oven and spoon into greased muffin tin, filling each muffin tin 3/4 of the way. This recipe will fill a 18 hole muffin (each hole around ¾ full). Sprinkle each muffin with a few of the remaining toasted pecans.
Step 9) Bake at 350F for approximately 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. My oven tends to run a bit hot so yours might not take quite as long.
