How to Use Discarded Sourdough Starter
Sourdough baking produces delicious homemade bread with a tangy flavor and a crunchy crust. However, along your sourdough journey, you may find yourself wondering what to do with the leftover sourdough discard. And in the name of all things zero waste, throwing that discard away isn’t the best option. There is so much you can do with it! This guide will explore various ways to use a discarded sourdough starter with some simple recipes.
What is Sourdough?
Sourdough is a type of bread made through the fermentation process, using wild yeast and bacteria naturally present in flour. Unlike bread made with commercial yeast, sourdough bread has a distinctive sour flavor due to the lactic acid produced during fermentation. The dough rise in sourdough bread is slower but yields a unique texture and taste that many people love.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria from the environment. This active starter ferments over time, becoming a leavening agent that helps bread rise. Sourdough starters need regular feeding with fresh flour and water to keep them healthy and active.
What is a Discarded Sourdough Starter?
During the feeding process of a sourdough starter, a portion of your starter is removed to make room for fresh flour and water. This removed portion is known as sourdough starter discard or unfed sourdough starter. Instead of wasting this excess starter, you can use it in a variety of recipes.
How to Feed a Sourdough Starter
Feeding a sourdough starter is crucial to maintaining its activity and health. Here’s the easiest way to do it:
- Remove a Portion: Discard about half of your starter.
- Add Fresh Flour and Water: Mix in equal parts of flour and water to the remaining starter. For example, if you have 100 grams of starter, add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water.
- Stir and Store: Stir the mixture until well combined. Leave it at room temperature until it bubbles and rises, indicating it’s active.
How to Store Sourdough Discard
Sourdough discard can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This slows down the fermentation process, allowing you to accumulate discard over a few days. You can also freeze the discard for longer storage. When you’re ready to use it, let it come to room temperature.
Easy Sourdough Discard Recipes
Using sourdough discard is a great way to reduce food waste and create delicious treats. These recipes do not require an active sourdough starter. You won’t be able to make a loaf of bread with sourdough discard unless you use another type of leavening agent like baking soda or instant yeast. I don’t use either of those in my baking, so each of the recipes listed here do not include additional leavening.
Here are some of my favorite sourdough discard recipes:
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is a great recipe for the classic cookie. Since it doesn’t use additional leaving agents, you will have to be careful how hot your oven gets. If the cookies get too hot, they won’t stay in the proper shape. I aim for 325°F.
Sourdough Discard Granola
A delicious dessert or breakfast that uses a leftover sourdough starter. We make granola quite often in our house, so this is a great one to use up your discard with an all-star pantry staple.
Sourdough Discard Crackers
Sourdough crackers are a crunchy snack perfect for any occasion. We make these in our house often as well. We love them with hummus dip, cheese, and spinach artichoke dip. You can use whatever type of flour that you like. We prefer all-purpose flour, but whole wheat flour is a fantastic choice as well. Additionally, I like to use olive oil for this recipe, but melted butter works great as well.
Sourdough Discard Brownies
The ultimate treat, these rich and fudgy brownies are going to be your new best friend! They are so good!
Sourdough Discard Pie Crust
I love this pie crust recipe. It can be used for sweet or savory dishes like a pot pie or a dessert pie. Try it with this rhubarb pie recipe! Stay tuned, this crust recipe is going on the blog next week!
A few more goodies (coming soon to the blog):
Sourdough Discard Naan Bread
Soft and squishy sourdough naan bread is SO good! This can be used with so many dishes, but Indian-inspired are my favorite. Here is a recipe to tide you over until I get mine posted!
Sourdough Discard Pasta
Did you know you can make pasta with sourdough discard? It’s not all that different from making regular egg pasta, but with added discard, you get that signature sourdough tang. Here is a recipe to try!
Sourdough Discard Tortillas
Similar to naan, but a bit simpler, tortillas can be used as your go-to sandwich bread (via a wrap) or can be used for a Mexican-inspired dinner night. It’s also a great vessel for homemade hummus, which is one of my favorite ways to eat tortillas! Here is a recipe to try!
More Sourdough Recipes
Using discarded sourdough starter can be a fun and creative way to enhance your baking. Whether you’re making cookies, crackers, or brownies, there are many delicious recipes to explore. So next time you feed your starter, don’t throw away that discard—put it to good use!
