Day 10 out of 40

Today I was reading an article by PJ Hamel at Kind Arthur website on how banana bread has been adapted thorough time. During the Depression Era recipes used inexpensive wheat bran. During the World War II used single egg and no spices.

My banana bread also reflects this time and what baking in March in Maine looks like, during transitional seasons, when we are still using butternut squash from our garden. It also reflects our preferences to use local whole grains and reduce sugar.

Sourdough starter became popular the past couple of years when the whole country went into quarantine and many people found themselves at home, with time to bake but not being able to get commercial yeast. I was already baking with sourdough, but I became interested in the starter not just to leaven bread, but as an ingredient – fermented flour. Sourdough starter is made of flour and water. If I would like to use 1/2 cup of sourdough starter in my quick bread, I reduce the flour by 1/4 cup and the liquid by 1/4 cup. Now that is because my starter is often fed about same amounts of flour and water, but often it works well even if it is not. Another thing to keep in mind is that adding sourdough we are adding acidity that works on texture and flavor and reacts with baking soda if you are adapting your own recipes.

Sourdough Banana or Squash Bread

In a bowl add and mix:

1 cup of mashed bananas or roasted squash

1/2 cup of starter fed and bubbly or older from the fridge

2 eggs

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of butter

Stir in:

1 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1 cup of chocolate chips, optional

Hand-full of walnuts

Bake 350 F for 45-55 minutes on a greased loaf pan.