Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Oh, so tender and sweet, these jumbo sourdough peanut butter banana muffins are made with very ripe bananas, sourdough discard and smooth peanut butter. 

My poor neglected sourdough starter has been sitting in the refrigerator for almost six months, just hanging out and hanging on. It had very little hooch on top so I took that as a good sign.

I fed it up without discarding a couple of times and it responded well until finally, I took some out to make these muffins. While the discard doesn’t help with the rise, it surely adds moisture, giving the muffins a lovely texture. 

Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

You can use fed or unfed sourdough starter for these muffins though unfed will give them more sourdough flavor. This recipe makes nine jumbo muffins.

Ingredients

2 cups or 250g flour

½ cup, firmly packed, or 100g brown sugar 

½ cup or 100g sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅔ cup or 150g very ripe banana (peels were brown and speckled)

2 large eggs

½ cup or 113g melted, cooled butter

½ cup or 125g sourdough discard 

¼ cup or 60ml milk

¼ cup, rounded, or 80g smooth peanut butter (with sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a large muffin pan with jumbo paper liners. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. 

In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and add the eggs and mix.

Add in the butter, sourdough discard, milk, peanut butter and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. 

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold together until just combined.

Divide the batter between your muffin cups. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Transfer the muffins to the wire rack. 

These can be eaten warm or cold. Either way, they go great with a cup of coffee in the morning or a cup of tea in the afternoon. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for Muffin Monday. Check out the lovely muffins my baker friends are sharing below.

• Cinnamon Stuffed Streusel Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Lemon Pomegranate Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oatmeal Zucchini Muffins with Dried Cranberries from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peanut Ripple Banana Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Simple Banana Muffins (2 Bananas = 6 Muffins) from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page. 

Pin these Sourdough Peanut Butter Banana Muffins! 

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Fig Feta Serrano Ham Sourdough Focaccia #BreadBakers

A little bit sweet and a whole lot savory, this Fig Feta Serrano Ham Sourdough Focaccia makes a great brunch, lunch or snack with drinks. 

A while back we had a friend visiting for a few days and I knew we’d be out and about showing her the sights of this beautiful island. I wanted to prepare something that could be made ahead then baked when we got home. 

This sourdough focaccia is perfect for that. It can have its last rise in the refrigerator and is very forgiving if you leave it a little longer before baking. 

Fig Feta Serrano Ham Sourdough Focaccia

Start at least one day ahead of when you want to bake this to allow for overnight proofing. This recipe was inspired by one on the Good Food website. I’ve since made this three times and it never fails to please!

Ingredients

For the base: 

1 cup or 240ml water

1 oz or 28g bubbly active starter

2 2/3 cups or 332g strong white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the topping:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 purple onion

2 garlic cloves

4-5 fresh figs,

3 1/2 oz or 100g serrano ham slices

2 1/2 oz or 70g feta

flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

freshly ground black pepper

Method

In your mixing bowl, mix the starter with the water. Stir the starter and water loosely together just to lift the starter off the bottom of the bowl.

Next, add the 332g of strong white bread flour to the bowl, and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. 

Mix it all together loosely, so that it’s pretty ragged but all the flour and water is mixed; I use a Danish whisk for this first rough mix but you can use your hands, if you prefer. I follow this up using a bowl scraper to clean round the bowl and make sure it is all nicely roughly mixed together.

Cover the bowl with a shower cap or cling film, and leave it for an hour or so on the kitchen counter. 

After an hour, remove the cover, and start to lift and fold the dough to build up the structure in the dough, wake up the gluten, and bring it into a smooth ball of dough. Literally pick up a small handful of dough from one side of the bowl, lift it and fold it over the rest of the dough to the other side of the bowl. Then turn the bowl and repeat the process, do it about 20-25 times maximum, until it is a smooth ball.

Please note: you will only need to perform this many pulls and folds on this first occasion; after this, far fewer pulls and folds will be required to pull the dough into a ball before covering and leaving it again. You do NOT need to perform 20-25 each time. At this point the dough will be at its stickiest, from this point it will become less sticky with each handling.

Cover the bowl again with your same cover, and leave it out on the kitchen counter.

Over the next few hours, perform sets of the pulls and folds/lifting and folding actions 2 to 4 more times; these do not need to be done at fixed time periods apart, as long as you fit in sufficient sets during that time, that’s the key. Aim for 4 sets in total. The dough will not be starting to grow at this stage.

Each time you perform these pulls and folds, stop when the dough comes into a ball, that is the dough telling you it has had enough handling at that stage.

Complete the final set, pulling the dough into a nice firm ball, then re-cover the bowl, and leave it on the counter overnight. This is often called the “bulk fermentation” period.

The ideal temperature for this is between 64°F- 68°F or 18°C – 20°C for 8-10 hours. If it is a lot colder than this, it will take longer, just give it a few more hours. 

The next morning, the dough should have really grown within the bowl, to at least double, with a smoothish, slightly domed surface. There should be a nice structure to the dough, it does not need to be bubbly, just grown. 

Prepare a large baking tray by lining it with parchment. 

Using a bowl scraper or your hands, gently ease the bubbly risen dough from the bowl and let it fall onto the parchment. Gently stretch it out. 

Pour over about half of the olive oil. Cover loosely and leave it on the counter to prove again for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. If you won’t be home to bake then, you can pop the dough in the refrigerator for a longer rise time. 

When you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. 

Slice the onion as thinly as possible. Remove the stems and quarter the figs. Crumble the feta and mince the garlic. Pick the thyme leaves off the stems. 

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Tear the ham into bits. 

Use your finger tips to firmly press dimples all over the dough. Toss the thyme leaves, onion, garlic, figs, ham and feta with one tablespoon olive oil, then scatter these over the top. 

Use your fingers to press the toppings into the bread a little, and spread the bread to fill any gaps. 

Cover loosely with oiled cling film and leave to rise for 20 minutes more until it has puffed up.

Drizzle over the remaining oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and bake for 30 mins until risen, golden and crisp on top. 

Leave to cool in the pan for 15 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into rectangles to serve. Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month which means it’s the day my fellow Bread Bakers and I share our recipes, this time for sourdough bread. Many thanks to our host Radha of Magical Ingredientst.

• Food Lust People Love: Fig Feta Serrano Ham Sourdough Focaccia
• Sneha's Recipe: Quick Sourdough Discard Burger Buns
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Sourdough Seeded Bread with Tangzhong
• A Messy Kitchen : Hot Honey Sourdough 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Sourdough Multi-Grain Bread
• Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Sourdough Jewish Rye Bread

 

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Fig Feta Serrano Ham Sourdough Focaccia!

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Slow Rise Sourdough Baguettes

These slow rise sourdough baguettes are so flavorful that they just might be my favorite ever loaves. Slice and serve with butter. So good!

This recipe is made in several easy steps and can take a couple of days but most of it is hands-off time. The dough is very forgiving so if you get busy and miss a pull and turn or leave it a bit longer in the refrigerator, no worries. Just pick up where you left off and it will be fine. 

We start by making the dough which spends the first overnight in the refrigerator then the next day, the sourdough starter is added, and you’ll pull and fold the dough a few times to build up the gluten. Then there’s a final night in the refrigerator before shaping and baking the baguettes on the third day. 

Slow Rise Sourdough Baguettes

This recipe is adapted from one on The Fresh Loaf. Mine didn’t turn out near as holey but the flavor is all there. 

Ingredients for two baguettes

3 2/3 cups or 455g strong white bread flour

1 1/3 cups or 320ml cold water

2/3 cup or 160g 100% hydration starter (fed equal parts water and flour by weight)

2 teaspoons fine sea salt 

Method

Mix the flour and cold water together to form a soft dough. 

Put it in a bowl and cover that with cling film. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Mine went in at 2:40 p.m. on day 1.

On day 2, using your clean hands, mix the sourdough starter and salt into the dough until it’s evenly distributed. 

I did this step at 11:40 a.m. that day so my dough was in the refrigerator for about 21 hours. 

Leave the dough out, the bowl covered with cling film, at room temp (70 to 75°F or 21 to 24°C) for about three hours until it grows about 1/3 in volume. 

Stretch and fold it every half hour or so to develop the gluten. (I set a timer to remind myself. You might want to do the same.) If your kitchen is too cool, find a warmer place to set the dough.

When the three hours are up, put the covered dough bowl back in the refrigerator for another overnight stay. Mine went back in the fridge a few minutes after the three-hour rise time was up, so around 2:50 p.m.

On day three, when you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator. If it has not doubled or nearly doubled, give it more time to rise at room temperature. Mine was just about doubled that morning around 8 a.m. but I left it out for two hours to warm up. 

After your dough is sufficiently risen, divide it into two equal balls and and rest them for 40 minutes. 

Shape the dough into baguettes using this method here from King Arthur Flour: https://youtu.be/IRDL3lPQSkc

Proof for 24-28 minutes, then score deeply with a sharp knife or lame. Again, I offer you a King Arthur Flour video for method: https://youtu.be/ZaLnzomvEF8 Even after watching that a bunch of times, I still didn’t cut as deeply as I should have! 

During that last proof, preheat your oven to 450°F or 232°C with an iron skillet, if you have one, or another baking pan, if you don’t, on the bottom of the oven. 

Put the baguettes into the preheated oven bake and quickly add boiling water to the skillet on the bottom. Close the oven door immediately to keep in the steam. 

Bake the baguettes for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and well risen. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. 

When cool, slice to serve. 

Enjoy! 

It's the second Tuesday of the month so that means it's Bread Bakers time! Today we are sharing baguette recipes Many thanks to our host, Renu of Cook with Renu. Check out the recipe links we are sharing below:

• Chocolate Baguettes from A Messy Kitchen
• Gluten Free Artisan Baguette from Sneha’s Recipe
• No Knead Gluten Free Baguette from Cook with Renu
• Italian Pane Francese from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Slow Rise Sourdough Baguette from Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Slow Rise Sourdough Baguettes!

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Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Waffles #BreadBakers

While the sourdough starter in these overnight sourdough cinnamon waffles adds flavor, the addition of buttermilk and baking soda makes them fluffy and light. 

Since we got back to Jersey a couple of months ago, I’ve nursed my sourdough starter back to robust good health and have enjoyed using it in a number of baked treats like sourdough baguettes, rolls and muffins. 

Since it survived the several months of abandonment, I decided it finally deserved a name so it was duly christened Jane Dough. The quart jar sports a label now with her name.

Jane is the most forgiving of souls. She lives in the refrigerator most of the time, but when I know I’m going to need her good services, she has place of pride on the countertop where she gets a decent meal (100 percent hydration which means 50g water and 50g flour, stir well) and sits out for a night. If it’s chilly, I warm her up by sitting her jar in a bowl of warm water first. 

Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Waffles

This recipe is adapted from one on the King Arthur Baking website. They used sourdough discard but I decided to feed Jane Dough up the day before instead because she was getting low and the half cup would have been a lot to use, leaving her dangerously small. If you have enough discard, certainly use it. 

Ingredients - makes 8 square Belgian waffles

For the overnight sponge: 

1/2 cup or 113g sourdough starter (fed or unfed)

1 cup or 125g flour

1 cup or 240ml buttermilk

1 tablespoon sugar

For the batter:

all of the overnight sponge

1 large egg

2 tablespoons canola or other light oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

To make the overnight sponge, stir down your starter, and remove 1/2 cup or 113g. In a large bowl, whisk together the starter, flour, buttermilk and sugar, 

Cover with cling film and leave rest at cool room temperature (about 65°F to 70°F) for about 12 hours, or overnight.

The next morning, beat the egg and oil together in a small bowl. As you can see off to the left, Jane Dough has done some good work overnight. Bubbling along nicely. 

Add it to the overnight sponge, stirring just to combine.

Add in the cinnamon, salt and baking soda and fold well to combine. 

To make the waffles: Pour the batter onto your preheated, greased waffle iron, and bake according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

Repeat with the remaining batter.

If you like crunchy waffles, I suggest serving them immediately. You can hold them in a warm oven till they are all baked but they do lose some of their crispness then. 

Serve with a generous smear of softened butter and lashings of syrup. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it Bread Baker day! We are sharing recipes for breads with spices. Many thanks to our host, Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen. Check out all the links here: 

• Ajwain Paratha by Cook with Renu
• Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Ginger and Earl Grey Sourdough with Dates by A Messy Kitchen
• Fire Roasted Corn Fritters by Palatable Pastime
• Kardemummabullar (Swedish Cardamom Buns) by Culinary Cam
• Sourdough Chocolate Cardamom Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Waffles by Food Lust people Love
• Stuffed Cheesy Braided Turkish Kebab Bread Rolls by Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Waffles!

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