Quick Pumpkin Banana Bread with Sourdough Starter

Name: Sourdough Pumpkin Banana Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: DRY INGREDIENTS; • 2 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour; • 1 tsp baking soda; • 1 tsp baking powder; • 1/4 tsp salt; • 1 tbsp cinnamon; • 1 and 1/2 tspn pumpkin spice; • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar; • optional: walnuts (just on top); WET INGREDIENTS; • 1 very ripe banana (about 1/2 cup); • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree; • 2 eggs; • 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey); • 1/2 cup butter; • 1/4 cup banana milk (any milk will do for this. almond, whole, 1% oat, etc); • 1 tsp vanilla extract; • optional: 1/4 tsp almond extract; • optional: 1/2 cup sourdough starter (or 1 tspn yeast mixed with 1/2 cup warm water)

A pumpkin twist on the classic banana bread – and just in time for Halloween! Great for sourdough discard but Long Fermented version included too.

sourdough pumpkin banana bread in a glass loaf pan topped with walnuts and brown sugar

All my kids are OBSESSED with banana bread – thanks to my husband showing them the viral banana bread at work video.

But Even though they never get tired of eating the same old recipe, I really do get tired of making it so I’m constantly looking for new ways to spice it up.

I am happy to say that this pumpkin version is my family’s new ABSOLUTE FAVORITE way to eat sourdough banana bread and it is so good, I’ve already made it 3 times this week!

sourdough discard pumpkin banana bread topped with walnuts on top of a olive wood cutting board next to a yellow fall kitchen towel.

Pumpkins have been the inspiration to all my cooking lately for a couple reasons. Most obvious, it’s pumpkin season.

But the biggest reason is we’re expecting our 4th baby, due on Halloween which has earned him the cute nickname of “Pumpkin Baby“. So I’m a little bit obsessed with all things pumpkin at the moment.

Even my kids asked me the other day “why does all our food have pumpkin in it?” – whoops!

WHAT IS SOURDOUGH STARTER?

Sourdough starter is just flour and water mixed together then left to ferment. After it has become “mature” enough, it has the ability to make dough rise. In laments terms: sourdough starter = YEAST PACKETS.

IS SOURDOUGH STARTER BETTER THAN USING YEAST PACKETS?

This depends on what’s more important to you. Faster rising time or healthier bread?

If you use yeast packets, the time it takes to get your breads to rise is shorter. But when you use sourdough starter in your dough, it breaks down the phytates in the grains making it easier for your body to absorb as much of the nutrients in grains as possible. Here’s a link to a great article all about it.

DO I NEED A STARTER TO MAKE THIS PUMPKIN BANANA BREAD?

NOPE! In fact, you don’t even need yeast packets. I just like any excuse to use sourdough starter so I incorporate it when I can. The conversion without the starter will be in the recipe section for you. 🙂

scroll to bottom for printable recipe

PUMPKIN BANANA BREAD (QUICK VERSION)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl then mix them all together.

Pour mixture into a bread loaf pan and sprinkle walnuts & brown sugar on top. Then place into preheated oven for 90 minutes. Check on it after 70 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, its ready! If not, continue cooking 10 minutes at a time until done.

Let it sit in the loaf pan for 1 hour to cool before slicing into it.

INGREDIENTS

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar (in and some more sprinkled on top)
Optional: 1/4 cup walnuts (in and some more sprinkled on top)

WET INGREDIENTS

1 very Ripe Banana (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Maple Syrup (or honey)
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Banana Milk (any milk will do for this. almond, whole, 1%, oat, etc)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
Optional: 1/2 cup sourdough starter (or 1 tspn yeast mixed with 1/2 cup warm water)

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PUMPKIN BANANA BREAD (LONG FERMENTED VERSION)

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Combine sourdough starter, flour, cinnamon, maple syrup, butter, and milk together in a large bowl. Cover and let it sit overnight or 8-10 hours.

THE NEXT DAY

Add the remaining ingredients

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Let it sit in the loaf pan for 1 hour to cool before slicing into it.

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar (in and some more sprinkled on top)
Optional: 1/4 cup walnuts (in and some more sprinkled on top)

WET INGREDIENTS

1 very Ripe Banana (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Maple Syrup (or honey)
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Banana Milk (any milk will do for this. almond, whole, 1%, oat, etc)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
optional: 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
optional: 1/2 cup sourdough starter (or 1 tspn yeast mixed with 1/2 cup warm water)

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Yield: 1 loaf

Sourdough Pumpkin Banana Bread

A pumpkin twist on the classic banana bread. Great for sourdough discard but Long Fermented version included too.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS
• 2 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 and 1/2 tspn pumpkin spice
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• optional: walnuts (just on top)
WET INGREDIENTS
• 1 very ripe banana (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup banana milk (any milk will do for this. almond, whole, 1% oat, etc)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• optional: 1/4 tsp almond extract
• optional: 1/2 cup sourdough starter (or 1 tspn yeast mixed with 1/2 cup warm water)

Instructions

(for LONG FERMENTED VERSION SEE NOTES SECTION)

Preheat oven to 325°

Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Now combine wet and dry ingredients.

Pour mixture into a bread loaf pan then sprinkle walnuts and more brown sugar on top.

Place bread loaf pan into preheated oven for 90 minutes. Check on it after 70 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean then it's ready! If not, continue cooking 10 minutes at a time until done.

Let it rest in the loaf pan on your counter top for 1 hour to cool before slicing into it.

Notes

LONG FERMENTED VERSION

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Combine sourdough starter, flour, cinnamon, maple syrup, butter, and milk together in a large bowl. Cover and let sit overnight (8 to 12 hours)

THE NEXT DAY

Add the remaining ingredients.

Preheat oven to 325°

Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Now combine wet and dry ingredients.

Pour mixture into a bread loaf pan then sprinkle walnuts and more brown sugar on top.

Let it rest in the loaf pan on your counter top for 1 hour to cool before slicing into it.

Easy Valentine’s Day Bagels

Showing just how easy it is to make your own delicious bagels at home and with a step by step guide on how to shape each one into a cute heart, perfect for your loved ones.

7 sourdough heart shaped bagels laying on dark wooden cutting board

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you but I only recommend products that I actually use and love. Read the full disclosure here.

Even if you’ve never made bagels before, you’ll soon be a bagel expert because I’m gonna show you everything I know!

scroll to bottom for printable recipe

My kids especially love when there are home made bagels cooking because it almost always means we’ll be backroading or off-roading in our old pick-up truck to have a picnic in the hills.

3 kids and dad having a bagel sandwich picnic in the hills

Our favorite thing to do with bagel bread is use them to make sandwiches since the everything bagel seasoning gives the sandwich such delicious flavor.

And to make them even more special, every now and then, I’ll shape them into little hearts just to remind my family that I love them ;).

It took a few trial and errors before getting them to keep their cute heart shape because they like to fatten up in the boiling water but my pain is your gain!

Let’s Connect!

The Tattooed Momma

I’m gonna show you exactly how to get it right, and if you don’t, I show you how to fix it to make it still look like they’re perfect.

scroll down for printable version

INSTRUCTIONS – valentine’s day heart bagels

1. THE NIGHT BEFORE – prep the dough

add sourdough starter, water, maple syrup, salt, and 2 cups flour to a stand mixer. (you can mix by hand if you don’t have a mixer).
set your mixer to low speed and let the dough mix for 7-10 minutes until it’s all incorporated together.
switch to a dough hook and add your remaining 2 cups of flour, only adding a 1/2 a cup of flour at a time.
mix until most of the dry spots are gone
roll the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, and cover it.
let rest overnight or at least 4 hours.

bagel dough after resting overnight, sitting on top of wooden cutting board — bagel dough after resting overnight

2. THE NEXT DAY – shape your heart bagels

divide dough into 10 equal pieces
shape your bagels using either a heart shaped cookie cutter or form your hands into a heart shape while squeezing a ball of bagel dough into your heart shaped hands. (see video for visual description).
poke a hole in the center of your bagel using your finger or a straw.
stretch the hole until it is about a nickel to a quarter size wide.
cover shaped bagels with a kitchen towel and let rest 1-3 hours. (if you don’t want to wait, you can move on to the next step but the longer you wait the fluffier they’ll be.)

8 uncooked bagels, 1 shaped in a valentines day heart, 7 round shaped bagels on white parchment paper — shape your bagels

3. BOIL

bring a pot of water to a boil and preheat oven to 425 degrees while you finish this step.
add 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or your sweetener of choice) to the boiling water then a little bit at a time, add 1 tablespoon baking soda
add a few bagels to your pot BUT DON’T CROWD THE BAGELS. leave enough room for each to puff out a bit more.
line your baking dish with parchment paper (or foil).
after 1-3 minutes, flip them so the other side boils in the baking soda/sugar water. (the time you leave them in the water is entirely up to you because the longer they boil, the puffier they get.)
once the bagels have reached your puffy preference, place them on your baking sheet that you’ve lined with parchment paper.
continue steps 4-7 until all your bagels have been boiled.
(optional) reshape your bagels if they got a bit wonky in the boiling water
(optional) add bagel toppings.

raw bagels being placed in a boiled water mixture of 1 tablespoon sugar + 1 tablespoon baking soda — boil the bagels

4. BAKE

place your boiled bagels in your 425 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes or until SLIGHTY GOLDEN.
Now, let them rest on your counter for 10 minutes to finish cooking on the inside.

slightly golden heart shaped food bagels

5. SLICE & EAT!

Valentine’s Day Heart Bagel Video Tutorial

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Yield: 10 bagels

Easy Valentine's Day Bagels

Heart shaped sourdough bagel recipe. see Youtube video for visuals.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

Bagel Dough Ingredients

1/2 cup sour dough starter (or 1/2 packet of active dry yeast mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons maple syrup (or your sweetener of choice)
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 more cups all purpose flour (set aside)

Boiled Water Ingredients

1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or your sweetener of choice)

Instructions

THE NIGHT BEFORE - prep your dough

add sourdough starter, water, maple syrup, salt, and 2 cups flour to a stand mixer. (you can mix by hand if you don't have a mixer).
set your mixer to low speed and let the dough mix for 7-10 minutes until it's all incorporated together.
switch to a dough hook.
adding 1/2 a cup at a time, add your remaining 2 cups of flour. (1/2cup, mix it in. 1/2cup, mix it in. 1/2 cup, mix it in. 1/2 cup, mix it in.)
mix until most of the dry spots are gone
roll the dough into a ball
place in a bowl and cover it.
let rest overnight or at least 4 hours.

THE NEXT DAY - shape the bagels

divide dough into 10 equal pieces
shape your bagels using either a heart shaped cookie cutter or form your hands into a heart shape while squeezing a ball of bagel dough into your heart shaped hands. (see video for visual description).
poke a hole in the center of your bagel using your finger or a straw.
stretch the hole until it is about a nickel to a quarter size wide.
cover shaped bagels with a kitchen towel and let rest 1-3 hours. (if you don't want to wait, you can move on to the next step but the longer you wait the fluffier they'll be.)

BOIL THE WATER

bring a pot of water to a boil and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
add 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or your sweetener of choice)
a little bit at a time, add 1 tablespoon baking soda
add a few bagels to your pot BUT DON'T CROWD THE BAGELS. leave enough room for each to puff out a bit more.
line your baking dish with parchment paper (or foil).
after 1-3 minutes, flip them so the other side boils in the baking soda/sugar water. (the time you leave them in the water is entirely up to you. The longer they boil, the puffier they get.)
once the bagels have reached your puffy preference, place them on your baking sheet that you've lined with parchment paper.
continue steps 4-7 until all your bagels have been boiled.
(optional) reshape your bagels if they got a bit wonky in the boiling water
(optional) add your bagel toppings.

BAKE

place your boiled bagels in your 425 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes or until SLIGHTY GOLDEN. (see youtube video for visual)
let them rest on your counter for 10 minutes to finish cooking on the inside.

SLICE & EAT!

Notes

UNDERCOOKED

if your bagels are undercooked, this is mostly likely because the hole needed to be bigger to allow for even cooking. WE CAN FIX THIS! slice your bagels and place them in your toaster before eating.

UGLY BAGELS

add bagels toppings to hide mistakes. 😉