Instead of throwing away your sourdough discard have you ever considered using it in your recipes instead? So much sourdough starter gets wasted when it need to be fed. So what can you use it in?
Let me share some of my favourite go-to recipes for sourdough discard. This way of cooking has changed my life and I hope you will have a go at it too.
Pizza bases
I love using my discard to make pizza bases with. A lot of time when I make pizza it tends to be last minute. This means I need a quick recipe that I don’t need to fuss with. Two recipes that I really like are from Lisa from farmhouse on boone and Everyday homemade’s same day pizza crust.
Each recipe is different. Lisa’s uses only discard. For this recipe you pour the sourdough discard straight into a hot skillet. Spreading it around evenly, season with salt and oil, I also like to add a little Italian seasoning to mine. It is then baked for 10 minutes or so, once cooked it is then ready for you to add the toppings to it. This is a very quick easy recipe to make and great for last minute dinners.
The other recipe is a more traditional pizza base. This one will require more time as it will need time to rise. But it can still be made in one day. If you can keep your dough in a warm area it will quicken the process too.
Sourdough discard crackers
Another quick favourite of mine. I love to make making these crackers for lunch and enjoying them with cheese or soup.
Needing only basic ingredients these are fantastic if you living on a tight budget. You can make sourdough crackers with only discard and salt but adding more seasonings, oils and butters can help with their flavour and how they bake.
I do find that depending on your own oven you may need to play around with cook times to get the perfect amount of crispiness.
Quick bread loaves
Want to make some sourdough bread but don’t have the time to let it rise or maybe you haven’t fed your starter and it isn’t lively enough. Then now is the time to pull out the dried yeast.
I do prefer the traditional kind that need activating I find the flavour better but quick rise dried yeast is fine too.
There are times when sourdough just isn’t feasible and that is ok it is nothing to feel bad about if you need to use dried yeast every now and again. In fact Sue Becker who is all about the breads and healthy grains uses dried yeast for her recipes.
Remember though you can still add your discard to is and gain those benefits also.
- The pantry mama has an amazing looking sandwich loaf
- Molly’s home guide has a fluffy Irish Soda bread that is well worth trying
Muffins and cakes
This is something that I have been trying more and more. It doen’t tend to be the go to when it comes to sourdough. We tend to think breads not cakes when we think sourdough but why not use it here too.
I remember it was once said sourdough starter is essentially flour and water. Two ingredients found in lots of recipes.
There is the issue of flavour yes sourdough discard will ad a slight tang. But I haven’t found it to be strong enough to ruin the recipe, honestly I actually prefer it.
- An Oregon Cottage has a lovely glazed lemon loaf recipe
- Made in motherhood’s discard chocolate cake is so decadent
- Also watch for recipes in my sourdough page, I will be sharing all my favourite sourdough recipes
Sourdough discard pastry
This I will admit is very new to me. Pastry isn’t something I make often but homemade pastry cannot be beat. The flavor and texture is so much better than anything bought in the store.
I am talking more short crust flaky and puff pastries here. Filo and sheet pastry are lot harder to master. But for basic pastry then sourdough discard will work easily into any recipe.
- Wild n free farms has a rough discard pastry dough recipe
- Stay at home Sarah has a no fail short crust discard pastry recipe
What ever you decide to use your sourdough discard for know that the options are endless.
It truly is amazing how beneficial and versatile sourdough starter can be, I mean like I said earlier it is just flour and water. That is pretty amazing.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful and will try out some of these recipes for yourself.
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