Nutty Banana Sourdough Muffins
After reading Nourishing Traditions, I’ve been very cautious about minimizing the intake of phytic acid, which are mineral-blocking compounds found in flour, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Mixing sourdough starter culture with flour is one effective way to reduce the amount of phytic acid. The starter culture also predigests gluten; this will make the muffins you are making here easier to digest, especially when you are sensitive to gluten (source). The starter culture I have is from Cultures for Health, a great website to look into for ingredients, advice, and timely support for your fermentation experiments.
I first found a sourdough banana muffin recipe on Cultures for Health. Later, I made slight modifications to the original recipe. One of them is adding nuts into the muffins. Because nuts also contain phytic acid, soaking them for eight to 12 hours is another way to cut it down. I recommend soaking them the day before you plan to make the muffins.
Because sourdough starter culture requires a longer time to ferment the flour, start preparing the dough a day earlier by mixing the culture and the flour and let it sit for eight to 12 hours.
Then, I like to mix all the other ingredients with an immersion blender to create a smooth consistency.
To make the batter, I find it hard to combine the dough and other ingredients by pouring the liquid directly over the dough. Instead, I divide the dough into pieces by hand before adding the liquid ingredients. It is much easier to mix them all together with the immersion blender later.
After the muffins are freshly baked, be patient and wait till they cool down before you pinch them out of the tins. It is easy to take them out that way. They have a better texture when the internal temperature drops, too.
Unlike muffins you buy at a store, these little guys are flavorful but not too sweet, as I am conscious about not eating too much sugar. If you have a sweet tooth, double the amount of sugar in my recipe. But be mindful of your sugar intake and avoid eating sugar in excess. Having too much sugar may lead to inflammation, premature aging, hormonal imbalance, and other health issues. But it is not realistic to totally exclude them from your life. I believe in the magic of natural sweeteners to enhance the flavors of desserts, baked goods, and certain cuisines. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding the balance.
Want to learn more about sugar and my recommended sources? You can get a free 31-page report here, along with my weekly updates and exclusive content.
Last but not least, when you eat, give the muffins your full attention and eat with no distraction. Set your phone to the airplane mode and fully enjoy your mealtime with your company, even if it is just for five minutes. Eating with concentration will help relax the body and improve your digestion. Besides, this is your chance of spending quality time with people at the dining table.
Happy baking!
Nutty Banana Sourdough Muffins
Inspired by Cultures for Health
Yields about 12 muffins
Time for preparation
- 8-12 hours (for soaking the nuts and fermenting the flour with sourdough culture)
Time for making the muffins
- 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup starter culture
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup assorted nuts
- 2 ripe spotty bananas, peeled
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix starter culture and whole wheat flour into a thick dough and cover it with a moist towel; soak nuts in filtered water; let the dough and nuts sit for 8-12 hours.
- After 8-12 hours, preheat the oven to 375°F; mix all other ingredients and blend well to create a smooth consistency; divide the dough into pieces with fingers; pour the liquid ingredients on top and blend everything together with an immersion blender; drain the nuts, slightly grind them, and mix them into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into a muffin tin and fill each tin about ¾ full; bake at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out without any batter residue attached.
- Take the muffin tin out and rest it on the counter; remove muffins from the tin after the tin and muffins cool down.
Notes
- Ripe spotty bananas are recommended because they contain higher sugar content and maximum vitamin and mineral content.
- Pastured eggs are preferred because of the balanced omega 3 and 6 ratio.
“Put your phone aside while you eat.”
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