Banana Bread Sourdough Focaccia with Cinnamon Swirls and Vanilla Drizzle
This overnight sourdough focaccia combines the comfort of banana bread with Italian bread technique. Mashed bananas create an incredibly moist crumb while long fermentation develops complex flavors. Beautiful cinnamon swirls run throughout and a sweet vanilla drizzle finishes this unique breakfast bread.
Ingredients
For the Dough Evening
- 500 g bread flour
- 375 g water room temperature
- 100 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 200 g large very ripe bananas mashed, 2 large the best result is using defrosted bananas that you had frozen
- 12 g fine sea salt
- 30 g brown sugar
- 30 g avocado oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
For Cinnamon Swirl
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- For Topping and Finishing
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 banana sliced thin
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Flaky sea salt
For Vanilla Drizzle
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Evening Day 1
- In a large bowl, mash bananas until mostly smooth with some small chunks remaining.
- Add water, sourdough starter, avocado oil, vanilla, brown sugar, and mashed bananas. Whisk until well combined.
- Add bread flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will be quite wet and shaggy.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or damp towel.
- First Stretch and Fold
- After 1 hour, perform a stretch and fold. With wet hands, grab one side of the dough and stretch it up, then fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 3 to 4 times total. Cover again.
- Bulk Fermentation
- Let ferment for the remaining 7 to 11 hours overnight at room temperature.
Morning Day 2
- Prepare Pan. Generously oil a 9x13 inch pan or large rimmed baking sheet with avocado oil.
- Prepare Cinnamon Swirl. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter into a paste. Set aside.
- Transfer Dough. The dough should be bubbly and increased in size. With wet hands, gently transfer the dough to the center of the oiled pan.
- Cinnamon Swirl. Gently stretch the dough out in the pan to make room for the cinnamon mixture. Evenly spread the cinnamon sugar paste over the surface of the stretched dough.
- Envelope Fold in Pan. Fold the top edge of the dough down about 2/3 of the way toward the bottom. Then fold the bottom edge up and over the top fold, just like sealing an envelope. This will create beautiful cinnamon swirls throughout the dough.
- Flip. Flip the folded dough seam side down in the pan.
- Second Proof. Cover and let proof for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature until puffy and jiggly.
- Baking
- Preheat oven to 425°F 220°C during the last 30 minutes of proofing.
- Dimple. Drizzle dough with avocado oil. Use your fingertips to create deep dimples all over the surface.
- Top. Arrange banana slices over the surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and flaky salt.
- Bake. 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 200°F 93°C.
- Cool. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Vanilla Drizzle
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Adjust consistency with more milk if needed.
- Drizzle over cooled focaccia just before serving.
Notes
Use very ripe bananas or thawed frozen bananas for best flavor and moisture. Frozen bananas work exceptionally well as they release more liquid and have concentrated banana flavor.
The dough will be wetter than traditional focaccia due to the bananas. This is normal and creates the open airy crumb.
If the dough feels too wet during the first stretch and fold and is not holding together, add 50 to 75 grams more bread flour to achieve a more manageable consistency. The dough should still be quite sticky but should hold some structure when folded.
For faster morning proofing, place the pan in the oven with just the oven light on. This reduces proof time to about 1.5 to 2 hours.
For extra banana flavor, add 1 tsp banana extract with the vanilla.
Store covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Rewarm slices gently in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes to refresh.
The focaccia freezes beautifully. Slice before freezing for easy individual portions.
Optional cream cheese drizzle variation: Replace 1 tbsp milk with 2 tbsp softened cream cheese in the vanilla drizzle for a tangy twist.
