38 Sourdough Discard Recipes That Are Truly Delicious (Savory + Sweet) (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to use sourdough 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.

Do I have to discard my sourdough starter? It would be best to discard 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 sustained your starter during the last fermentation period.

Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of your sourdough starter that you remove before you add fresh flour and water. Because of it's unfed state, it's not used to bake the delicious bread you know as sourdough, but more often than not, used in sourdough discard recipes.

Stored in the freezer, sourdough discard will theoretically keep indefinitely. I've left it in the freezer for as long as six months, untouched (i.e., I don't add or remove discard). Before using it, let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, never in the microwave. The microwave will cook/kill it.

Ideally, you should use a medium sized, clear glass jar with a lid that can be loosely rested or screwed on tight. At a glance, the best sourdough starter jar should be: Medium sized. Clear or transparent.

You may see a murky liquid form on the top of your sourdough discard, especially if it has been sitting a while. This is the hooch (completely normal and harmless) and means that your discard is hungry (completely normal, because you're not feeding it!). Before using your discard, pour off this liquid.

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.

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. Why do you need to use these two types of flour?

You would then remove it from the fridge for feeding ahead of preparing the dough. Can I leave my starter out overnight after feeding it? Yes, if you have just fed it. Since the night is rather long, feed it in a 1:4:4 ratio so that's not over fermented by the morning.

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use.

Can you eat straight sourdough discard? ›

You shouldn't eat sourdough discard raw but you absolutely can eat it cooked! This sourdough fried bread uses pure sourdough discard for the dough. Can You Freeze Sourdough Discard? Yes, you can freeze sourdough discard fried or raw.

You can of course use active sourdough starter in place of discard if you wish. Often active sourdough starter gives a better profile for sweet baked good because it's more milder tasting. Try to treat your sourdough discard as a liquid when adding it to recipes.

Sourdough Discard is Best Stored in the Fridge

The cold temperature of the fridge also slows yeast activity so that the discard doesn't produce quite as much gas. But you'll still want a lid that lets air escape so those gasses don't build up over time!

Therefore, you can store discard indefinitely, but I suggest using discard within 1-2 weeks. Over time, the discard will become more sour-tasting as it continues to ferment and develop lactic acid. That's why I like to use fresh discard for more sweet recipes, and older discard for more savory recipes.

You can combine many days' worth of discard in a single jar, adding to it every time you feed your starter until you're ready to bake with your discard. If you're planning to use that day, discard starter can be kept out at room temperature. Otherwise, store it in the fridge until you're ready to use.

One note: Don't start using your discard until your starter is really up and running. In other words, if you've just started your starter and it's not yet established, then you shouldn't save that discard.

What happens if you let sourdough discard sit too long on the counter? As discard sits at room temperature, it will continue to ferment which increases its acidity levels. If it sits past 36hrs, it will most likely run out of flour to feed on. You will then run the risk of exposing your discard to harmful bacteria.

You can put your sourdough discard either in the trash. or the compost, or you can use it in recipes. Don't put it down the drain. If you have ever, like, tried to clean out a crusty sourdough starter jar, you know, that stuff turns to, like, basically cement.