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Banana Sourdough Crunch Loaf — Sourdough Swirl with Caramel Banana & Coconut Crunch

  • AI Kitchen
  • Aug 9
  • 10 min read

Unique, school-friendly, and quick to prep — a tangy sourdough swipe into beloved banana bread, with caramel banana “layers” and a satisfying coconut crunch that’s perfect for lunchboxes and sweet enough for banana latte lovers.

Slice of bread on a white plate, surrounded by flowers on a beige cloth. A knife and a small glass of honey are nearby. Text: aikitchen.blog.

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Recipe


Yield: 12 slices

Calories per serving: ~280 kcal (est.)

Total time: ~6 hrs (2 hr levain + 4 hr prep & bake)

Banana Sourdough Crunch Loaf — Sourdough Swirl with Caramel Banana & Coconut Crunch

Slice of bread on a white plate, surrounded by flowers on a beige cloth. A knife and a small glass of honey are nearby. Text: aikitchen.blog.

Ingredients

  • Levain (start 2 hrs before refrigerating): 60 g active sourdough starter, 60 g warm water, 60 g bread flour. Mix at 9 pm, rest 2 hrs, refrigerate overnight.

  • Dough: 320 g bread flour, 80 g whole wheat flour, 50 g light brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp sea salt, 200 g warm milk (or plant-based), 50 g melted butter (or coconut oil), all levain.

  • Caramelized Banana Strata (adds unique twist + sweetness): 3 almost-ripe bananas (green-yellow with stripes), sliced 1 cm thick; 40 g butter; 60 g brown sugar; pinch of salt.

  • Coconut Crunch Topping: 30 g shredded coconut (unsweetened), 20 g brown sugar, 15 g softened butter.


Method

  1. Levain: Mix levain ingredients at 9 pm, rest 2 hrs, then refrigerate overnight (~8–12 h).

  2. Next morning (~8 am): Bring levain to room temp 30–45 min. Mix flours, sugar, cinnamon, salt. Add milky blend, butter, levain — mix into a shaggy dough, rest 30 min.

  3. Bulk ferment (~2–3 hrs): Knead until smooth, perform 3–4 stretch-and-folds every ~30 min until dough rises ~50%.

  4. Caramelize bananas: While the dough rests, melt butter and sugar, cook banana slices ~2 min per side until golden and glazed, cool.

  5. Shape with strata: Roll dough into a rectangle, layer half the bananas, fold like lasagna, repeat with remaining, then roll into a log trapping banana pockets.

  6. Proof & top: Place in greased loaf pan, proof until it crowns (~1–1.5 hrs). Mix coconut topping and sprinkle over loaf.

  7. Bake: 375 °F (190 °C) for ~35–40 min, tent with foil halfway to prevent over-browning. Internal temp: ~195 °F (90 °C).

  8. Cool: Rest at least 45 min before slicing to let caramel set.


Nutritional Value (per slice, approx.)

  • Calories: ~280 kcal

  • Carbs: ~38 g (from banana, flour, sugar)

  • Fat: ~10 g (from butter, coconut)

  • Protein: ~4 g

  • Fiber: ~2 g


Storage

  • Room temp (up to 4 days): Wrap completely cooled loaf in plastic or parchment, store in airtight container.

  • Longer: Freeze slices; thaw at room temperature or toast straight from frozen. Keeps up to 3 months.

Prompt

Here's how I prompted the "Banana Sourdough Crunch Loaf — Sourdough Swirl with Caramel Banana & Coconut Crunch" recipe:

I had some suspicious bananas that wouldn't turn yellow. I wanted to use them for something good:

I have 8 bananas that I bought a long time ago and never really turned yellow. Can you suggest a few fun kid friendly recipes? List 25

ChatGPT had some ideas:

Got it — bananas that never turned yellow are usually either:

  • Plantains (meant to be cooked, not eaten raw), or

  • Overly green bananas that stalled in ripening (starch-heavy, not sweet).

Either way, they’re going to be firmer, starchier, and less sweet than ripe bananas — so the “fun” here will come from treating them more like a mild vegetable or incorporating sugar in the recipe. I’ll give you 25 kid-friendly ideas that work for unripe bananas or plantains, leaning toward finger foods, treats, and easy bakes.

25 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Green/Unripe Bananas

  1. Banana Fritters with Cinnamon Sugar – Pan-fried banana slices in a light batter, rolled in cinnamon sugar.

  2. Baked Banana Fries – Toss banana sticks in olive oil, bake until crispy, serve with ketchup or sweet yogurt dip.

  3. Banana Chips – Thin slices baked or air-fried until crisp; lightly salted or sweetened.

  4. Green Banana Pancakes – Mashed banana in pancake batter with extra sugar for sweetness.

  5. Banana Waffles – Add mashed banana to waffle mix; top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

  6. Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips – Sweet muffin base to balance banana’s starchiness.

  7. Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Glaze – Extra sugar in batter to compensate for less natural sweetness.

  8. Mini Banana Donuts – Baked donuts with a vanilla glaze.

  9. Banana and Cheese Quesadillas – Sweet-savory twist using shredded mozzarella and thin banana slices.

  10. Banana Pudding Cups – Sweetened mashed banana layered with pudding and crushed cookies.

  11. Banana Smoothie with Honey and Vanilla – Blend with milk, honey, vanilla, and ice.

  12. Banana & Peanut Butter Pinwheels – Banana slices rolled in tortillas with peanut butter.

  13. Banana Milk Popsicles – Blend with milk and sugar, freeze in molds.

  14. Banana Cinnamon Rolls – Use banana puree in cinnamon roll filling.

  15. Banana Cake Pops – Banana cake rolled into balls, dipped in chocolate.

  16. Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – Sweet frosting balances the green banana flavor.

  17. Banana Oat Cookies – Mash banana with oats and chocolate chips, bake.

  18. Banana Caramel Sundaes – Fried banana chunks topped with ice cream and caramel sauce.

  19. Banana S’mores Bites – Banana slices topped with mini marshmallows and chocolate, broiled briefly.

  20. Banana Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites – Wrap dough around banana pieces, bake, coat with cinnamon sugar.

  21. Banana Chocolate Fondue Dippers – Banana chunks dipped in melted chocolate.

  22. Banana French Toast Sticks – Banana puree mixed into egg batter, coat bread strips and fry.

  23. Banana Marshmallow Puff Pastries – Puff pastry squares filled with banana and mini marshmallows.

  24. Banana Yogurt Parfaits – Banana slices layered with yogurt, berries, and granola.

  25. Banana Brownies – Banana puree added to brownie batter for moisture and texture.

If you want, I can separate these into “needs sugar” vs. “naturally sweet enough” so you can better choose depending on whether you want to disguise the green banana taste or embrace it.

Do you know if these bananas are plantains or just permanently green dessert bananas? That’ll help me fine-tune which ones will taste great without wasting effort.

I had to explain:

No they were overly green. They are almost yellow now, starting to get dark stripes and greenish yellow

So ChatGPT gave me some new ideas:

Got it — so you’ve got those finally ripening after weeks bananas that are just hitting that greenish-yellow stage with a few dark streaks.

That means:

  • They’re still firmer and less sweet than fully ripe bananas.

  • They’re totally fine to use raw or cooked.

  • In baking, you’ll just want to add a little extra sugar/honey/maple to compensate.

  • In snacks, you can use dips, spreads, or coatings to make them more appealing to kids.

Since they’re almost ripe, you have way more flexibility than if they were plantains. Here’s your 25 kid-friendly ideas refined for this exact ripeness so you get the best flavor and texture.

25 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Almost-Ripe Bananas

  1. Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – Slightly firmer banana texture adds nice chunks.

  2. Banana Oat Energy Bites – No-bake mix of mashed banana, oats, honey, chocolate chips.

  3. Banana Smoothie with Peanut Butter & Cocoa – Naturally sweetened with a little honey.

  4. Banana Pancakes – Mash banana into batter; top with berries and syrup.

  5. Frozen Banana Pops – Dip banana halves in chocolate, roll in sprinkles, freeze.

  6. Banana Cinnamon Swirl Bread – More texture than with overripe bananas.

  7. Banana Yogurt Parfaits – Layers of banana, yogurt, granola, drizzle of honey.

  8. Banana and Nutella Quesadillas – Fold and toast until gooey.

  9. Banana S’mores – Banana slices + mini marshmallows + chocolate, broiled.

  10. Banana Pudding Cups – Layer pudding, banana slices, crushed vanilla wafers.

  11. Banana Waffles – Mix banana into waffle batter; serve with whipped cream.

  12. Banana Apple Sauce Cups – Mash banana into applesauce for a quick snack.

  13. Mini Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – Perfect for decorating.

  14. Banana Rice Krispie Treats – Stir banana puree into melted marshmallows.

  15. Banana Fruit Skewers – Alternate banana, strawberries, melon on sticks.

  16. Banana French Toast Sticks – Banana mashed into custard mixture before dipping bread.

  17. Banana Popsicles – Blend banana, milk, vanilla, freeze.

  18. Banana Milkshakes – Banana, vanilla ice cream, milk, touch of honey.

  19. Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies – Soft-baked with mashed banana in the dough.

  20. Banana Caramel Sundaes – Warm banana chunks in caramel over ice cream.

  21. Banana Oatmeal Bars – Sweetened with banana, brown sugar, cinnamon.

  22. Banana PB Rice Cakes – Banana slices on peanut butter–spread rice cakes.

  23. Banana Wraps – Tortilla with peanut butter and banana, sliced into pinwheels.

  24. Banana Chocolate Muffin Tops – All the best part of the muffin, in cookie form.

  25. Banana Strawberry Smoothie Bowls – Decorate with fruit, coconut, granola.

If you want these to really pop for kids, the key is contrast — sweet dips, crunchy coatings, or colorful toppings make firmer bananas feel like a treat.

If you want, I can also give you a 3-day “banana blast” plan so you can use all 8 without waste and keep it exciting for kids. That way they don’t get banana fatigue halfway through.

I needed to better explain my mood:

Think baked or ice cream. You can also consider sourdough starter

So ChatGPT provided:

Got it — so we’re going baked goods + ice cream possibilities, with the option to weave in sourdough starter for some recipes.Since your bananas are almost ripe, we can treat them as baking-friendly — they’ll soften during baking, and a touch more sugar will balance the flavor. Ice cream-wise, they’ll freeze beautifully and blend into creamy textures.

Here’s 25 kid-friendly recipes in that exact lane:

Baked Banana Treats

  1. Banana Sourdough Muffins – Tangy starter + banana + chocolate chips.

  2. Banana Sourdough Pancakes – Fluffy, lightly sweet, perfect with maple syrup.

  3. Banana Sourdough Coffee Cake – Cinnamon streusel topping.

  4. Banana Bread with Sourdough Starter – Soft crumb, rich flavor.

  5. Banana Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls – Banana puree in dough and filling.

  6. Banana Blondies – Soft, chewy squares with white chocolate chips.

  7. Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting – Kids can decorate.

  8. Banana Sourdough Waffles – Crisp outside, soft inside, perfect for syrup or ice cream topping.

  9. Banana Chocolate Chip Scones – Tender and slightly sweet.

  10. Banana Oatmeal Bars – Perfect after-school snack.

  11. Banana Brownies – Moist texture, chocolate-rich.

  12. Banana Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze – Sheet-pan friendly.

  13. Banana Sourdough Doughnuts – Baked, rolled in cinnamon sugar.

  14. Banana Pecan Quick Bread – Optional streusel top for crunch.

  15. Banana Caramel Sticky Buns – Drippy and gooey.

  16. Banana Crumble Bars – Layers of banana filling and oat topping.

Banana Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts

  1. Banana Nice Cream – Just frozen banana blended smooth; add cocoa for chocolate version.

  2. Banana Split Sundaes – Classic: banana, ice cream, toppings.

  3. Banana & Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream – Churn or no-churn.

  4. Banana Caramel Swirl Ice Cream – Ribbon of caramel throughout.

  5. Banana Sourdough Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches – Use waffles from #8.

  6. Frozen Banana Pops with Chocolate Dip – Sprinkles for fun.

  7. Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream – Creamy, protein-rich.

  8. Banana & Strawberry Frozen Yogurt – Tangy and fruity.

  9. Banana Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches – Use cookies from banana blondie or brownie batter.

If you want, I can map these out so you use all 8 bananas in a mix of baked goods + frozen treats in the same week — and even prep the bananas so nothing overripens or gets wasted. That would give you an assembly line feel but still kid excitement.

Do you want me to make that “banana week” plan next?

I decided sourdough (of course):

Banana sourdough bread. Make it original. Something the Internet hasn't thought about yet

ChatGPT knew what's up:

Alright — if you want a banana sourdough bread that isn’t another Pinterest clone and truly feels like something no one’s posted before, we have to take the concept somewhere unexpected without losing kid-friendliness.

Here’s my proposal:

Banana Sourdough Swirl Bread with Caramelized Banana Strata & Crispy Coconut Top

(soft, tangy crumb with pockets of gooey caramelized banana and a golden coconut crunch)

What makes it original:

  • Instead of mashing all the banana into the dough, we caramelize thick slices in butter + brown sugar first, then layer them in strata during shaping.

  • The bread has two contrasting textures: a tender sourdough crumb and sticky banana swirls.

  • A crunchy coconut-sugar topping bakes into the crust for a dessert-meets-breakfast appeal.

  • Works as toast, French toast, or an ice cream sandwich base.

  • No “banana lumpiness” in the main crumb, so it’s great for kids who dislike mush.

Ingredients

Levain

  • 60g active sourdough starter

  • 60g warm water

  • 60g bread flour

Dough

  • 320g bread flour

  • 80g whole wheat flour

  • 50g light brown sugar

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 tsp fine sea salt

  • 200g warm milk (or plant-based)

  • 50g melted butter (or coconut oil)

  • All of the levain

Caramelized Banana Strata

  • 3 medium bananas (yours, at current ripeness), sliced 1 cm thick

  • 40g butter

  • 60g brown sugar

  • Pinch of salt

Coconut Crunch Topping

  • 30g unsweetened shredded coconut

  • 20g brown sugar

  • 15g butter, softened

Method

  1. Build Levain (Night Before or 6–8 hrs ahead): Mix levain ingredients, cover, let double in size.

  2. Mix Dough: In a large bowl, mix flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add milk, melted butter, and levain. Mix to a shaggy dough. Autolyse 30 min.

  3. Knead & Bulk: Knead until smooth. Bulk ferment at warm room temp until ~50% risen, doing 3–4 stretch-and-folds over 2–3 hrs.

  4. Caramelize Bananas: In skillet, melt butter, add sugar, stir to dissolve. Add banana slices, cook just until coated and lightly softened, ~2 min each side. Cool completely.

  5. Shape with Strata: Pat dough into rectangle, spread cooled banana slices evenly in two layers, folding dough over each layer like lasagna sheets. Roll up tightly to trap banana pockets inside.

  6. Final Proof: Place in greased loaf pan. Cover, proof until dough crowns over edge.

  7. Coconut Topping: Mix coconut, brown sugar, and butter into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over loaf.

  8. Bake: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for ~35–40 min, tenting with foil halfway to avoid over-browning topping. Internal temp should hit ~195°F (90°C).

  9. Cool & Slice: Let cool at least 45 min before slicing to set caramel.

Serving Ideas

  • Toast and spread with cream cheese or almond butter.

  • Use slices as the “bread” for banana split ice cream sandwiches.

  • Make French toast, topping with more caramelized bananas.

I had some timing questions:

So for step 1, if it's 9 pm, what should I do?

ChatGPT suggested:

If it’s 9 PM right now, here’s the smart move so your timing works without wrecking your sleep or over-proofing:

Option A – Overnight Levain at Room Temp (Cooler Kitchen)

  • If your kitchen is cool (≤70°F / 21°C):

    • Mix the levain now (60g starter + 60g water + 60g bread flour).

    • Cover loosely, leave at room temp overnight.

    • By ~7–8 AM, it should be bubbly and peaked — perfect to start the dough in the morning.

Option B – Overnight Levain in a Warm Kitchen

  • If your kitchen runs warm (>72°F / 22°C):

    • Mix the levain now but use half the starter (30g starter + 60g water + 60g bread flour) to slow it down.

    • OR mix as normal, leave out for 2–3 hrs, then refrigerate overnight.

    • Pull it from the fridge at 7 AM and let it warm for 30–60 min before mixing dough.

Option C – Delay to Tomorrow Morning

  • If you don’t want to commit to dough-making tomorrow morning, just wait until 8–9 AM to mix your levain — then you can bulk ferment in the afternoon and bake by evening.

Since this recipe has caramelized banana strata, I’d recommend Option A or B so you can build the dough fresh in the morning and bake the loaf by late afternoon — it’ll smell amazing right at dinner time.

I can map you a full next-day timeline from your 9 PM start to eating the bread tomorrow so you hit peak flavor without stress. Want me to lay that out?

I wanted option 1:

Ok let's go with 2 hours outside. Can you rewrite the recipe with levain 2 hours then fridge?

Scroll to the top or click the link below for the final recipe.

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