Sourdough Nutri Grain Bars Are a Convenience Food with the Goodness of Whole Grains and Sourdough!
Sourdough Nutri Grain bars have become a staple around here. We love homemade granola bars but sometimes they are just too messy, and I’ve been looking for a great alternative. When you make your own homemade Nutri grain bars, you know you’re using wholesome ingredients to make the perfect healthy snack.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We’ve been making them weekly around here and I’m growing dependent on having them ready to grab. As a quick snack, they check all of the boxes. Made with 100% whole grains and sourdough starter, they are such a healthy grab and go option. Also, they pack well and are not too messy to take on the run! This recipe comes together so easily. Give it a try and see why this recipe is becoming a go to in our kitchen!
What is a Sourdough Discard Recipe?
Sourdough discard is starter that is left in the jar after you remove what you need to bake your sourdough bread. Often, sourdough discard is past its peak and is no longer be bubbly and active. We can also call sourdough discard “surplus” starter, because it is essentially extra starter.
A sourdough discard recipe puts this “extra” starter to work. Most of the time, these recipes are not using the wild yeast culture as the leavening, or rising, agent. Often when you find a sourdough discard recipe it includes baking soda or baking powder. So why do we add discard to these recipes? We add sourdough starter to a baking recipe and let it sit for a period of time. This process gives the grains a chance to ferment.
What’s So Great about Fermentation?
There are a lot of good reasons to consume fermented grains, including:
- The fermentation process begins to break down the complex carbs of the grains. This makes them easier for our bodies to digest.
- Increased bio-availability means more of the vitamins and minerals in the grains are available to be used by your body.
- Fermentation breaks down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that can bind minerals in the body and prevent their absorption.
We are adding our sourdough discard to this recipe for the fermentation benefits and not as a leavening agent. The starter does not need to be active and bubbly. However, use starter that has been at room temperature for less than 24 hours. Alternatively, it can be stored in the fridge for less than a week. Otherwise, the starter becomes very acidic and can add an unpleasantly sour flavor to your final product.
Why Sourdough Nutri Grain Bars Work
To make sourdough Nutri grain bars, we start out by creating a dough that’s very similar to pie dough. However, the addition of the sourdough starter and the Greek yogurt help to hold the dough together and soften it. This combination creates cereal bars that are tender and soft and delicious! Not only does a food processor make this a quick and easy recipe, it also helps to minimize gluten formation which leads to a more tender bar.
Gather Your Supplies
- A food processor, this is really what makes this recipe so easy to throw together and have it turn out great everytime.
- Your favorite fruit filling, whether it be your favorite brand or homemade jam!
- A baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Make the Dough
These homemade Nutri grain bars are so quick and easy to make. We start by simply throwing all of our ingredients into a food processor and letting our tools do the work for us. Add your dry ingredients and your butter to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the butter is evenly dispersed and the dough looks crumbly. Then add in your maple syrup, greek yogurt, and sourdough starter and continue to mix until the dough forms a ball around the blade. If the dough seems dry and is not forming a ball, go ahead and add a tablespoon of cold water until the dough is cohesive.
Take the dough out of the bowl of the food processor and place it in an airtight container or plastic wrap, Allow the dough to sit a room temperature for at least an hour to give the flour time to absorb all of the liquid, making for softer snack bars. However, to get the full benefits of fermentation, allow the dough to sit for 24 hours in the fridge.
Roll It Out
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and take your dough out of the fridge. You can let your dough set at room temperature for about 30 minutes to make it easier to roll out. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle, approximately 8 x 16 inches. The dough should be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal squares, about 4 x 4 inches each. I like to trim off the edges so my sides are nice and straight.
Putting it All Together
Crack an egg into a small bowl and give it a whisk with a fork to make an egg wash. Using a fork or your fingers, spread the egg wash along all four edges of each little square, making a 1 inch border. The egg wash will help our Nutri grain bars hold together and keep the jam from seeping out. Next, in the center of each square you will place a heaping tablespoon of jam. This could be strawberry jam for a homemade strawberry Nutri grain bar, Any flavor jam or fruit spread will work perfectly and give these a wonderful flavor!
To assemble your sourdough Nutri grain bars, take the bottom edge and fold up about halfway, almost covering the jam. Take the top edge and fold down a little more than halfway to seal in the jam, Use your fingers to lightly press down on the sides so that no jam leaks out.
Bake your Sourdough Nutri Grain Bars
When you’re ready to bake your sourdough Nutri grain bars, take a cookie sheet and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Place the bars seam side down on the prepared pan. For extra fancy Nutri grain bars, you could brush a little egg wash on the tops of the bars. Bake at 350 degrees on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn a golden brown.
Let you sourdough Nutri grain bars cool completely on a wire rack before storing them. They will keep in an airtight container for 3-5 days, but I like to place mine in the freezer and pull them out as needed. These make the best school snacks and are the perfect treat to pull out when you’re needing a little pick me up. I love having one of my childhood favorites on hand for my kids!
More Sourdough Recipes
Sourdough Nutri Grain Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour 120 grams
- 3/4 cup Oats 60 grams
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 6 tbsp Cold Butter cubed
- 1/2 cup Sourdough Starter 100 grams, active or discard
- 2 tbsp Greek Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup or Honey
- 1 cup Jam of choice
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the whole wheat flour, oats, salt and cinnamon.
- Add in your cubes of cold butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated in pea sized bits.
- Add in the sourdough starter, Greek yogurt, and maple syrup. Process until the ingredients come together and the dough begins to form a ball around the blade.
- Place the dough in an airtight container or wrap it in plastic wrap and allow to rest for one hour. For fermentation benefits, place the dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- When ready to assemble, place the dough on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle. The dough should be 1/8 inch thick and form an 8×16 inch rectangle.
- Use a knife to cut the dough into 4×4 inch squares.
- Prepare an egg wash: Crack an egg into a small bowl and use a fork to quickly whisk the egg.
- Using a pastry brush, egg wash all four sides of each square of dough. This will keep the seam sealed and prevent the jam from seeping out.
- Place a tablespoon of jam in the center of each square of dough. To create a bar, take one edge of dough and fold it over the jam, pressing the edges to seal them. Repeat with the opposite side, enclosing the jam.
- Place the bars seam side down and a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is just turning golden. Remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Sourdough Nutri grain bars can be stored for 3-5 days in an airtight container. Or freeze and pull out as needed!
