This recipe for Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins combines the extra nutrition of sourdough with one of our favorite flavors. My kids and I adore the flavor combination of bananas and nuts; how about you?
Why Sourdough and Einkorn?
The process of souring the flour works to neutralize the phytic acid antinutrient (which is present in all grains), thereby making the nutrients in the bread more able to be utilized by the body. Recent scientific research has shown that sourdough white bread actually has a more beneficial affect on blood sugar than (non-sourdough) whole grain bread. And, sourdough is often better tolerated by people with gluten issues, too.
This recipe uses Einkorn flour, which is made from an ancient variety of wheat that has never been hybridized. Einkorn is quite different from modern wheat: Einkorn has 14 chromosomes, whereas modern wheat has 42. Einkorn is naturally lower in gluten and higher in protein than modern wheat. Some people who have sensitivities to gluten in modern wheat can actually consume Einkorn with no problems. Einkorn also has a superior nutrient profile compared to modern white flour, even though it does not have added vitamins like conventional flour does.
Making Sourdough Muffins
If you've never had sourdough muffins before, you're in for a treat! These muffins are fluffy, moist, and lightly sweetened. Make sure the bananas you use in this recipe are ripe, with plenty of brown spots on the skin.
For fresh morning muffins, you'll need to get this recipe started the night before you want to bake the muffins. The sourdough starter I use in this recipe is cold and inactive, straight from the fridge. That makes it easy-peasy to put get this recipe started the evening before you're planning to bake the muffins.
Sourdough Einkorn Banana Nut Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
For the overnight ferment:
3/4 cup inactive Einkorn sourdough starter, straight from the fridge
1&3/4 cups Einkorn all-purpose flour (I use Jovial brand)
1/3 cup sucanat
1/2 cup whole milk kefir (or substitute plain whole milk yogurt, thinned just a little with some milk to make it runnier)
To add in the morning:
6 Tb melted butter
3 small-medium bananas (about 1 cup mashed)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, preferably prepared as crispy nuts (or substitute your favorite type of nuts)
2 large eggs, preferably from pastured hens
1/2 tsp fine-ground Celtic sea salt
3/4 tsp vanilla extract (preferably organic or homemade)
1&1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
The night before you want to bake the muffins, combine the Einkorn sourdough starter, Einkorn flour, sucanat, and milk kefir in a large bowl.
Stir to combine. This batter will be very thick, and that's totally fine. Make sure there is some headspace at the top of your bowl, because this will rise overnight.
Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature overnight.
In the morning, you will probably see that your batter has risen overnight, and likely even fallen some. Don't worry; the baking powder in this recipe will make sure that you get a nice rise in the recipe regardless.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool a bit.
Chop your nuts. If you're using raw nuts instead of crispy nuts, toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will enhance the flavor of the nuts.
Line your muffin tin with paper liners. I like If You Care unbleached muffin papers because they are naturally non-stick!
Mash the bananas in a medium bowl. A potato masher works well to mash the bananas.
In a medium bowl (or 2-cup glass measuring cup), combine the eggs, salt, vanilla, and baking powder. Use a mixer to mix these ingredients together well.
Mix the egg mixture and melted butter into your Einkorn batter. This will work best if you use a machine mixer instead of trying to do it by hand. Mix just until everything is well incorporated (and don't overmix).
Fold in the mashed bananas and chopped pecans.
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups. I like to use a 3-Tb scoop, which makes it really easy to have evenly-filled muffin cups.
Bake the muffins at 350 degrees for 27-32 minutes, until the muffins have started to brown on top.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and enjoy!
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