Sourdough Discard Maple Walnut Quick Bread

Name: Sourdough Discard Maple Walnut Quick Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 cup (240 ml) sourdough starter discard, unfed, at room temperature; ½ cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup; ⅓ cup (80 ml) neutral vegetable oil; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract; 1¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour; 1½ tsp (7 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (2½ g) baking soda; ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt; ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp (½ g) ground nutmeg; 1 cup (120 g) walnuts, toasted, roughly chopped

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A tender, lightly sweet quick bread made with sourdough discard, maple syrup, and toasted walnuts. The sourdough adds subtle tang and complexity while the maple syrup and nuts create a satisfying breakfast or snack loaf. Moist crumb, perfect for eating plain or with butter.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 55 min
Wait: 15 min
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Makes: 1 loaf (10 slices)

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Steps

Before you start

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan generously.
Have your sourdough discard at room temperature—if it comes straight from the fridge, let it sit for 15–20 minutes.
Toast the walnuts in a 350°F oven for 5–7 minutes until fragrant, then chop roughly; this deepens their flavor.

1
Mix wet ingredients
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, maple syrup, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
- The mixture should be homogeneous with no streaks of egg white visible.
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Ready when: mixture is smooth and homogeneous
Tip: Use room-temperature eggs so they blend smoothly with the sourdough discard without temperature shock.
2
Combine dry ingredients
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Make sure the baking soda is fully distributed throughout the flour to prevent dark brown streaks in the finished loaf.
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Ready when: spices are evenly distributed throughout the dry mixture
Tip: Sift if your cinnamon or nutmeg is clumpy to ensure even flavor distribution.
3
Fold in dry mixture
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined—do not overmix.
- A few small streaks of flour are fine.
- Overmixing develops gluten and makes the bread tough.
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Ready when: no large streaks of flour remain
Tip: Stop folding while small flour streaks are still visible. The residual stirring as you transfer the batter will finish incorporating the flour.
4
Fold in walnuts
- Fold the chopped toasted walnuts into the batter with 3–4 gentle strokes, distributing them evenly throughout.
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Ready when: walnuts are distributed throughout the batter
Tip: Don't overmix the walnuts; you want chunks, not walnut paste.
5
Transfer to pan and smooth
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Use a spatula to gently even out the top surface, working from the center outward to avoid pressing out air bubbles.
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Ready when: surface is relatively smooth and level
Tip: A slight dome in the center is fine and normal—it helps with even baking.
6
Bake until golden brownOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place the loaf pan in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- If the top begins to darken too quickly after 30 minutes, loosely tent it with foil.
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Ready when: top is deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs
Tip: Don't overbake—a few moist crumbs mean the bread will stay tender. If the toothpick comes out completely clean, the bread is dry.
7
Cool in pan and turn out
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack.
- Let it cool completely (about 30–40 minutes) before slicing.
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Ready when: loaf is completely cool and firm to the touch
Tip: Slicing warm bread tears it. Wait until fully cooled for clean slices.

Good to know

Tips

Sourdough discard straight from the fridge is cold and won't mix evenly. Let it sit on the counter for 15–20 minutes first.
Toast your walnuts before adding them. Even a quick 5-minute toast in the oven deepens their flavor dramatically and prevents them from tasting raw.
This loaf is excellent the day after baking—the flavors deepen and the crumb becomes more evenly moist. Store overnight before slicing.

Make ahead

You can prepare the dry ingredients up to 2 days ahead in an airtight container. Mix wet and dry together just before baking.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: 2–3 days in an airtight container or wrapped in foil. Refrigerator: up to 5 days. Freezer: up to 3 months wrapped well. To reheat frozen: thaw at room temperature for 2–3 hours, or wrap in foil and warm in a 300°F oven for 15 minutes.

Substitutions

walnuts, toasted → pecans or chopped almonds. Pecans add more buttery depth; almonds are milder and drier. Toast either the same way.
pure maple syrup → honey or brown sugar (1/2 cup packed). Honey gives less maple flavor but similar sweetness. Brown sugar makes a slightly denser, darker crumb.
neutral vegetable oil → melted coconut oil or unsalted melted butter. Coconut oil keeps the bread vegan; butter adds richness but changes flavor slightly.
ground cinnamon → omit spices entirely or add 0.5 tsp cardamom. Cardamom creates a more sophisticated, slightly floral note. The bread is delicious either way.