22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (2024)

By: Author Julie Menghini

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If you find it difficult to throw away sourdough starter discard, here are some helpful tips on storing it, delicious recipes, and more creative uses.

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (1)

Sourdough Starter Discard doesn’t have to be thrown out. Add that tang to some baked crackers or a soft texture to cake and cookies. You’ll find the recipes for these and more right here!

What is a sourdough bread starter?

Bread starter is a combination of flour and water that with time develops bacteria and wild yeast that gives bread its rise.

Can I make my own bread starter?

You can make your own starter and bake with it in less than 8 days. Our Overnight Sourdough Starter post will show you everything you need to know.

Why would you want to use a sourdough starter discard in recipes?

Reduce Waste – Discarding sourdough bread starter between feedings just feels like a waste doesn’t it?

How long can you store sourdough discard?

Many bakers just add the discard to a tub and keep it in the refrigerator if they use it routinely or planning on using it soon.

Sourdough discard doesn’t need to be fed but it does have a shelf life. If you see any mold or an orange or pink tinge, it’s gone bad and it’s time to throw it away. A foul odor can also indicate that it has gone bad and shouldn’t be used.

My advice is not to keep sourdough discard unless you know you will be using it. Don’t be a bread starter hoarder!

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (2)

After feeding the stater, those little microbes go to town munching on the sugar provided in the new flour. Remember Pac Man? That’s what I envision.

The used sourdough starter loses its vigor once the food is depleted so it will not be sufficient for a beautiful loaf of bread unless it’s fed again but it still has enough energy to act as a leaven in baking goods that use baking powder or baking soda.

Sweet Sourdough Discard Recipes

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies have a moist cake-like middle, slightly crispy outside, and delightful cookie flavor. This cookie recipe is the perfect way to use up your sourdough discard and treat your family.

Check out this recipe

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Sourdough Blondies – Baking Sense

Butterscotch blondies get a boost of flavor from sourdough discard. These blondies are both gooey and light at the same time.

Check out this recipe

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One Bowl Sourdough Banana Bread | BAKED

This one bowl sourdough banana bread is a fantastic way to repurpose your sourdough starter discard! It makes a fluffy, moist snack perfect with coffee.

Check out this recipe

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Cranberry Crumb Sourdough Coffee Cake | Sourdough Discard Recipe

Cranberry Crumb Sourdough Coffee Cake is a moist, buttery cake; with fresh cranberries providing tart contrast to double layers of rich crumb topping.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (6)

Chocolate Chunk Sourdough Cookies | BAKED

These chocolate chunk sourdough cookies are a great way to use up some of your sourdough starter discard. Classic cookie taste with a slight tang!

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (7)

Bread and Homemade Muffin Recipes

Sourdough Blueberry Muffin Recipe with Discard

Serve these tasty sourdough blueberry lemon muffins as a stand-alone fast breakfast on your way out the door or make a batch to have as part of a delicious brunch for guests or family.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (8)

Sourdough Morning Glory Muffins | BAKED

It may seem like these sourdough morning glory muffins have lots of ingredients, but most, if not all, are basic pantry and kitchen staples! Lightly sweetened with honey and molasses, they’re a-ok for a hearty morning snack.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (9)

Sourdough English Muffins

Homemade Sourdough English Muffins are a delicious homemade bread. These muffins are not baked – they are cooked on a griddle!

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (10)

Sourdough Scones – Baking Sense

This classic buttermilk scone is given a little flavor boost with sourdough discard.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (11)

Sourdough pizza dough – Caroline’s Cooking

Make pizza night even more delicious with this homemade sourdough pizza dough. Easy to make, with great flavor, plus don’t waste sourdough discard.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (12)

Sourdough English Muffins

Sourdough English Muffins are a delicious use for sourdough starter removed when feeding and easy enough for novice bread makers.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (13)

Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Scones | Sourdough Baking

These Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Scones smell like heaven, and they taste even better! 😋 Perfectly delicious ANY time of year!

Check out this recipe

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Cloverleaf Rolls Recipe (With Discard)

You are going to love this easy buttery soft and tender Old-Fashioned Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe with the discard from your starter.

Check out this recipe

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Breakfast Recipes

Sourdough Pancakes

Use your sourdough discard to make this amazingly delicious, light, fluffy, soft sourdough pancakes recipe.

Check out this recipe

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Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Donuts Recipe – Baked

Enjoy these scrumptious baked sourdough donuts with cinnamon and sugar topping with a big glass of milk any time you want to give your family a special treat.

Check out this recipe

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Sourdough Pancakes {For the Absolutely Fluffiest Pancakes Ever!}

Sourdough pancakes have a delicious flavor & fluffy texture that you’ll fall in love with! These will become your family’s favorite breakfast.

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (18)

Easy and Quick Sourdough Donuts Recipe – The Gingered Whisk

This easy and quick sourdough donut recipe is the perfect way to use sourdough discard. Delicious donuts with a slight sourdough tang, these will become the favorite weekend breakfast for the sourdough lover!

Check out this recipe

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The BEST Overnight Sourdough Waffles – House of Nash Eats

These fluffy-crisp Sourdough Waffles have the most amazing flavor and texture and are made with your sourdough discard so nothing goes to waste! The overnight batter is made in advance so there is hardly any work to do in the morning to enjoy fresh, hot waffles!

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (20)

Sourdough pancakes – Caroline’s Cooking

These sourdough pancakes are not only a great way to use sourdough discard, they taste amazing. Incredibly light and fluffy, plus easy to make.

Check out this recipe

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Savory and Snacks

Sourdough Cheddar Cheese Rosemary Crackers

Delicious tangy, cheesy addictive, sourdough cheddar cheese rosemary crackers made with extra sharp cheddar cheese and fresh rosemary.

Check out this recipe

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Everything But The Bagel Sourdough Discard Crackers

These thin and crispy Everything But The Bagel Sourdough Discard Crackers are the perfect solution to your sourdough discard!

Check out this recipe

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (23)

Sourdough Crackers with Homemade Za’atar | BAKED

A simple rolled cracker recipe using discarded sourdough starter. A sprinkle of homemade za’atar spice takes the sourdough crackers to the next level.

Check out this recipe

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Make your own Starter Discard Recipe

Make your own recipe by replacing an equal weight or volume of flour and liquid for bakery recipes that use baking soda and/or baking powder.

For example, if I use a cup of starter, I reduce the flour and the liquid by 1/2 cup each since my starter is a straight 50/50 flour to water mix.

More useful ideas

  • Sourdough Fried Chicken – Dip chicken in the sourdough starter.
  • Batter for other fried food such as shrimp or zucchini.
  • Frie Bread or Naan – Add starter in drops to fried oil for a donut or naan-like fry bread. Season with herbs or add cinnamon and sugar for a savory or sweet fry-bread.
  • Pie Crust – Starter will tenderize pie crust the way vinegar can. Use it for a savory pot pie.
  • Glue – Yep, my mother mixed flour and water together for our craft projects when I was little.

Recipes that use a starter

  • Overnight Sourdough
  • Sourdough Sandwich Bread
  • Multi-Grain Wheat Bread
  • Spelt Sourdough with Rosemary

I hope you’ll check back because we’re always adding to this list of amazing sourdough discard recipes and other creative ideas.

If you’ve got one we haven’t added, let me know! I’ll share it with our community.

Pin these amazing recipes!

22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (25)

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22 Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How much of your sourdough starter should you discard? ›

Room-temperature starter should be fed every 12 hours (twice a day) using the standard maintenance feeding procedure: discard all but 113g, and feed that 113g starter with 113g each water and flour.

When can I start using discard for recipes? ›

Remember, you can't use the discard from your homemade sourdough starter for the first 7 days. You can use sourdough discard in all kinds of sourdough discard recipes, including these no wait sourdough recipes, overnight sourdough discard recipes and sourdough discard recipes that use up a lot of discard.

Can you do anything with sourdough starter discard? ›

You can always use this discard by directly mixing it into a dough for baking. Your discard, as long as it's in good shape, will leaven any bread dough just as well. The discard is just like a levain you would make for a recipe. The only difference is it's the same makeup as your starter.

What to do with a lot of sourdough discard? ›

What to do with sourdough discard? Don't throw it away! Instead, use it to make delicious and nutritious treats like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and bread. Sourdough discard is a great source of natural yeast and flavor, and can add a unique tangy taste to your baked goods.

What is the minimum amount of sourdough starter to keep? ›

All you need to do is take 20g of the starter you already have and then feed it with 20g of flour and 20g of water (so 1:1:1). Then you'll have a 60g starter, which is considered a smaller amount. You can of course reduce these amounts even further if you wish, but this is a reasonable size to keep waste to a minimum.

Can I feed my starter without discarding? ›

Do I have to discard my sourdough starter? It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.

Can I use a 7 day old sourdough discard? ›

I don't like to use discard that is more than one week old in discard recipes . After about a week, the discard can become very sour and impact the flavor of the discard recipe. If you like a strong fermented flavor, you might be okay with letting the discard sit longer in the refrigerator.

What happens if you forgot to discard starter before feeding? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

When should I start saving sourdough discard? ›

When in the process of making a new sourdough starter you should not save the sourdough discard. During the beginning stages of making a starter it is more susceptible to mold and other bad bacteria. You will want to wait until the starter is doubling in size and bubbling with each feeding.

How to tell if sourdough discard is bad? ›

fuzzy mold that you might normally see on food. or something else. But it can also look like odd colors, particularly like an orange or a pink. So if you see, like, orange or pink streaking in your sourdough discard, that's bad bacteria, and you don't want to eat that, so it's time to throw that one away.

Can I keep adding to my sourdough discard? ›

Can you add sourdough discards together in the same jar? Yes you can add sourdough discards from different days together in the same jar. You just need to make sure you stir it well and you don't leave it sitting in the fridge for too long. Sourdough discard should be used within two weeks.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from the fridge? ›

Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this? If you are using it straight from the fridge it may be a little stiff or thick, so you'll need to ensure you mix it really well.

Should I stir my sourdough starter before feeding? ›

No you do not have to stir sourdough starter before you use it. You measure the sourdough starter by weight, not volume, so stirring it or not makes absolutely no difference. What does "fed" sourdough starter mean? Fed sourdough starter refers to a starter that has been fed flour and water (preferably by weight).

What else can I use sourdough starter for? ›

10 ways to use up sourdough starter
  • Sourdough crumpets. Add your sourdough starter to crumpet batter for a super light and airy texture. ...
  • Sourdough crackers. ...
  • Sourdough pancakes. ...
  • Sourdough pizza.
  • Sourdough scones. ...
  • Sourdough focaccia. ...
  • Sourdough toad-in-the-hole. ...
  • Sourdough hot cross buns.

Is eating sourdough discard good for you? ›

Sourdough discard recipes not only reduce waste but also offer health benefits, making them a wonderful addition to a balanced diet. The fermentation process of the sourdough starter increases the availability of certain nutrients and can help improve digestion.

Why discard half of sourdough starter? ›

If you don't discard your sourdough starter, it will grow too big and be unmanageable. Not to mention you will go through an unmentionable amount of flour.

How do you know if you need to throw out sourdough starter? ›

As you can see (or smell!), a sourdough starter should have a sour, tangy, and yeasty aroma, with subtle undertones depending on the type of flour used. However, offensive or foul odours such as rancid, putrid, or mouldy smells are signs that something has gone wrong with the starter.

Should I discard liquid on top of sourdough starter? ›

If your sourdough starter forms hooch, mix the hooch back into the starter before you discard and feed. The only time I would consider pouring the hooch off your sourdough starter is if it has been stored in the fridge for a long time and the hooch is very dark.

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