10 Sourdough Discard Recipes
There’s something about making sourdough starter that feels so empowering, am I right? Like, if you can keep that starter alive, you can do anything! Today, keeping the sourdough starter alive, tomorrow, saving the world!
But, I’ve got some news we just can’t ignore. With becoming a sourdough starter connoisseur comes a lot of extra sourdough starter discard.
That’s the leftover sourdough starter that you don’t need to make your sourdough bread. Feed your starter enough times and eventually you have extra starter that you need to discard to keep the starter you need for baking your bread nice and healthy.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t love waste. Sure, you can toss the sourdough starter discard in the garbage but it’s perfectly good food! Or, at least a perfectly good ingredient to use for food.
Plus, often there’s two reasons we make things from scratch. The first is because we like to eat food with ingredients that we are familiar with and can pronounce, and secondly, to hopefully save a little bit of money. Throwing out the discard wouldn’t save us money now, would it?
That’s where the sourdough discard recipes come in handy. You can use that sourdough discard in plenty of things! From cookies, to quick breads, to brownies, there’s no end to what you can make.
It’s really easy to make sourdough discard recipes. Really, it’s often just adding the sourdough discard as another ingredient. So, if you can make cookies, or brownies, or biscuits – you can most likely make sourdough discard versions of those recipes.
The good news is, there are plenty of those type of recipes online created with the added sourdough discard ingredient!
So, if you feel like you are drowning in sourdough starter and aren’t quite sure what to do with it all, try some of the recipes listed below!
New to sourdough and not sure how to make a starter? You can read about how do it here.
Easy and Delicious Sourdough Discard Recipes
Sourdough Pancakes
These sourdough pancakes from Jennifer Cooks are perfect for when you have a lot of starter to get rid of. The recipe calls for 3 cups of sourdough discard.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite and having extra sourdough discard is a great excuse to make these ones from an Off-Grid Life.
Sourdough Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
If you want a change from the classic chocolate chip cookie, why not try these sourdough oatmeal toffee cookies from a Hint of Homestead.
Sourdough Blueberry Scones
Why not make some sourdough blueberry scones from Lynn’s Way of Life for a sweet afternoon snack, or even to enjoy for breakfast.
Sourdough Apple Muffin Recipe
In the mood for some muffins? Try these sourdough apple muffins from Simple and Fraiche.
Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts
I love pop tarts, but every time I eat a store bought one it hurts my stomach. I bet these sourdough pop tarts from Bake with Jamie wouldn’t hurt my stomach!
Sourdough Lemon Bars
In the mood for something fruity? Try making a batch of sourdough lemon bars from Home Grown Happiness.
Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones
Oh. My. Word. These maple pecan sourdough scones from Foragers of Happiness look amazing, am I right? I’ll be adding these to my list to make with my sourdough discard!
Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread
I adore garlic and if you do too you should make this sourdough discard garlic pull apart bread from This Jess Cooks.
Sourdough Brownies with Protein
The added protein in these sourdough brownies from For the Pleasure of Eating adds some nutrition to a sweet treat. Also, I just thought I should let you know, I love-love-love brownies. Because, chocolate.
Let’s talk about a few questions many people have when working with a sourdough starter.
Can I Freeze Sourdough Starter Discard?
Yes, you can freeze sourdough starter discard for later use! Divide it into smaller portions (1/2 cup to 1 cup is a good amount), seal it in airtight containers or freezer bags, and then label it so you know how old it is when you go to use it. When you are ready to use it you can thaw it in the fridge overnight or on the counter at room temperature for a few hours.
How long will sourdough starter last in the freezer?
It will last for months this way, though the longer it’s in the freezer the harder it is to re-activate if you’d like to to bring it to the active state again.
Can I store sourdough discard starter in the fridge?
Yes, this is where I keep my discard until I’m ready to bake. It can last a few weeks in the fridge.
Simple Sourdough Discard Recipes
These simple sourdough discard recipes will help you reduce the waste of your starter and leave you with enough bubbly active sourdough starter to make all your sourdough bread as well. Once you get into the groove of using both the active starter and the discard, it won’t feel so overwhelming to keep feeding that starter.
Sourdough is one of those things that seems more complicated before you do it, but once you finally attempt to work with sourdough you’ll wonder why it took you so long to try it out.
Do you have anything else like that? Something that seemed too hard so you avoided it until one day you actually attempt to try it and discover it really wasn’t that hard at all? That was lasagna for me.
It seemed so labor intensive and complicated and what I discovered in the end is that it was really just layering meat sauce, cheese, and noodles in a casserole dish and baking!
Sourdough is kind of like that. Looks hard on the outside, but once you do it a few times you’ll be amazed at how simple it really can be. And you’ll most likely get hooked on the discard recipes because the discard can improve the taste and texture.
