These Easy Sourdough Discard Recipe ideas are both easy to throw together and delicious. Put your sourdough discard to good use with these simple recipes.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my sourdough journey has been finding new and exciting recipes I can use my starter for. I love building my starter up and being able to use my sourdough discard for a variety of different recipes. Below are the recipes that my family asks for time and time again. These are not just great ways to use up your extra starter, they are nutrient dense recipes that are nourishing for your family.
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 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 these recipes 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.
1. Sourdough Discard Granola Bars
As a sourdough fanatic, I’m always on the lookout for creative ways to add fermented grains to the foods we eat on a regular basis. When I stumbled upon the idea of incorporating it into granola bars, I was skeptical at first. But let me tell you, the results were mind-blowing!
I’ve been making these granola bars without starter for years, and we love them. But they are always a bit crumbly. Adding starter as a binder really helped hold them together, making them easier to eat. These granola bars are not only a delicious snack, but they’re also a genius way to reduce food waste and add a unique flavor twist to a classic treat.
2. Blackberry Cobbler with Sourdough Discard
Baking is my living, and I love spending hours working on a recipe, testing intricate pastries, manipulating and perfecting every detail in a dessert. But sometimes I need to be able to lean on an easy and reliable staple, a delicious recipe that relies on throwing a few simple ingredients in a bowl and knowing they’re going to turn into a tried and true family favorite. This easy blackberry cobbler recipe always does the trick! The ingredients are so simple, you can use fresh blackberries or frozen (Read about using frozen fruit in our Berry Pie with Frozen Berries post). I reach for it time and time again partly because it comes together so quickly, and partly because it receives more praise than many more involved recipes. Dump a big spoonful of still warm, golden brown cobbler on top of vanilla ice cream and I think you’ll agree that it’s just about perfect!
3. Sourdough Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread with Discard
This is a sourdough discard cornbread, meaning you do not even need to prep your starter ahead of time. To begin assembling this easy recipe, you will melt a pat of butter in your hot skillet by sticking it in the preheated oven for a few minutes. Your going to mix your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. To your sourdough starter in a medium bowl, add your egg and the pumpkin puree. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and blend well with a fork. My favorite part of this recipe is carefully taking the preheated skillet and pouring melted butter into the pumpkin cornbread batter, gently stirring until it’s evenly distributed, then pour your batter back into the skillet. The hot cast iron skillet retains a perfect coating of butter allowing the cornbread to develop a crisp, golden crust as it bakes!
4. Best Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
These sourdough chocolate cupcakes may very well be the best chocolate cupcake you ever make. Made with 100% sourdough starter and no added flour, this discard recipe can be baked immediately and still have all the goodness of fermentation. Incredibly easy to throw together, they are perfect for birthday parties or special occasions, or because it’s Tuesday.
No additional flour is added to our sourdough chocolate cupcake batter. This means that all of the grains are fermented without any waiting around. I love having these kinds of recipes on hand! With sourdough recipes, it’s so unusual to find something that you can make and bake right away.
5. Homemade Sourdough Nutri Grain Bars Recipe
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!
6. Simple and Soft Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
With all the goodness of whole grain flour, this delicious bread has a soft crust making it the best homemade bread for everything from grilled cheese to French toast. For my family, a well-stocked kitchen contains both an artisan sourdough boule and a loaf of whole wheat sourdough discard sandwich bread. We can’t have one without the other. Each plays it’s own ever important role at our table. Once you start making this recipe, you’ll never go back! It’s the kind of recipe that quickly becomes part of your weekly routine! We love this bread and think you will, too!
7. Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones
If you asked me what my perfect breakfast is, I would say that it’s something so simple. I love to sit down in the morning under a blanket with a cup of black coffee and a tender scone. I never really knew what a scone was until I happened upon them in the Bouchon Bakery cookbook and was curious. After making them for the first time, I remember wondering why they weren’t a MUCH bigger part of our lives and since then I have worked hard to make them so!
Sourdough On!
We hope you love these recipes as much as we do. If you are new to sourdough, here are our favorite tools for sourdough baking and here is our basic Sourdough Bread Recipe straight from our bakery! What are your favorite sourdough discard recipes? Let us know in the comments below. We are always eager for new ideas to try:)
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