Sourdough banana muffins with walnuts and cinnamon streusel

SOURDOUGH BANANA MUFFIN RECIPE

The two constants in my kitchen are overripe bananas and excess sourdough starter. I prefer banana muffins to their denser companion, banana bread, which I always struggle to cook through. Plus, these are easy to freeze and then thaw individually when you need a sweet treat for breakfast!

Recipe yields 12 muffins.

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS

• 3 overripe bananas (about 400g)​
• 4 tablespoons (60g) melted butter
• 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt or sour cream (or more butter)
• 1 cup (250g) ripe sourdough starter
• 2 eggs (about 100g)
• 3/4 cup (175g) brown sugar
• 2 cups (225 - 275g) whole wheat flour*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 cup (125g) walnuts

STREUSEL INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp (60g) melted butter
• 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (115g) brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

​For a dairy-free alternative, replace the butter and sour cream with vegetable oil, and use 1/2 cup honey in the streusel instead of the butter and brown sugar.

SOURDOUGH BANANA MUFFIN PROCESS
 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or line your muffin tin.
2. To start the muffin batter, mix together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
3. Mash up the browned bananas in a medium to large mixing bowl. Using a fork works just fine!
4. Add the butter, sour cream or yogurt, brown sugar, sourdough starter, and eggs to the mashed bananas, and mix thoroughly if mixing by hand, or for 1 1/2-2 minutes if in a mixer.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients until no dry bits remain.
6. Fold in the walnuts.
7. To start the streusel topping, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
8. Add the melted butter and mix together with a fork until chunks of streusel emerge. If it's too paste-like, add more flour, starting with 1 tsp and working your way up in small increments. If it's too dry, do the same with more melted butter.
9. Ladle the muffin batter into your pre-greased or lined pan, filling nearly to the top.
10. Sprinkle the streusel liberally on top.
11. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, checking halfway through to spin the pan if your oven is anything like mine.

*Updated on 6/13: home-milled whole wheat flour is much lighter than store bought, so this range was updated after some more recipe testing with both kinds of whole wheat flour.