My Top 3 Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes | The Perfect Loaf (2024)

Should we take a break from baking bread for a bit? How about just one entry… Trust me, it will be worth it when you tryone of my top 3 leftover sourdough starter recipes below. Plus, it's still considered baking if we're using a starter in a roundabout way, right? This post presents a few ways to utilize our excess sourdough starter discarded at each feeding (refreshment).

Since I feed my sourdough starter twice daily, I usually have an excess of starter in the morning and evening. Many see this excess as “waste,” but it can be used for many things besides going into your compost bin. After all, this waste can be seen as food for our starter so it can continue living.

The following recipes are tried and true here in my kitchen. I've made the waffles and pancakes so many weekends the process has become ritualistic: mix the batter the night before to ferment overnight, wake and finish mixing, and then get cooking.

I like to use starter discard only once a starter is established, rising and falling predictably each day.

My previously outlined schedule for creating a sourdough starter and my guide on maintaining a sourdough starter will work well with any of the following recipes, ensuring you have enough starter each day to meet the requirements. Note that you might have to adjust the hydration of the recipes below to suit your sourdough starter. If you maintain a stiffer starter (60-75% hydration), you might have to add more liquid until the consistency of the batter is typical for what you're making.

My Best Sourdough Waffles

Lengthy fermentation time makes my best sourdough waffles impossibly light, crunchy, and slightly tangy. In addition to the wonderful flavor, because the flour is fermented for several hours, the entire batter becomes aerated, resulting in a waffle that will surprise you on your first bite. They have just the right ratio of sweet to savory, with a slight but noticeable tang at the end.

I made these recently on a snowy day here in Albuquerque, which fits perfectly with warm waffles. Arya, our German shepherd, wanted to go outside to do some hiking and investigating in the snow. It’s funny to watch shepherds outside when it snows: they run around eating the snow, digging here and there, and generally creating a little storm of their own.

As adults (maybe it's just me?), we're hesitant to get dirty and make a mess; sometimes, it's great to see kids or your pets throw all that aside and careonly about the moment. Thankfully, a batch of sourdough starter waffle batter was fermented and ready to hit the iron.

If you have sourdough starter discard ready, try these waffles, you'll love them!

Make My Best Sourdough Waffles →

Sourdough Starter Pancakes

Pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast indulgences. I have memories as a child waking up to the upstairs kitchen (yes, strangely, our kitchen was upstairs, and all the bedrooms were downstairs—that's the 50s for you) smelling like batter and butter. Fresh fruit to the top was always a staple, as was good maple syrup. I’m not a diehard maple syrup, but really, anything less than 100% maple syrup is kind of a letdown for these beautiful sourdough pancakes.

These can be made quickly and easily on a whim; you need very little pre-planning to make these happen (isn’t that usually the case on late Sunday mornings?). I’ve used this core recipe a dozen different ways based on the season: pureed pumpkin mixed in during November, fresh blueberries tossed into the batter during the summer, and ricotta added in at, well, any time of the year. If you’ve made pancakes before, you know just how versatile they can be.

I like to use a smoking hot griddle to cook pancakes; it makes a huge difference in the quality of your pancakes. If you don't have one, you can pick up a cast irongriddle for relatively cheap, and it'll last a lifetime.

Make My Best Pancakes →

Baker's Banana Bread

Banana bread is something I had at least once a month growing up. A family of four always seems to have excess bananas on hand, you know, those in the kitchen that are so black and mushy no one ever touches them. Well, these are the bananas you want to use for this banana bread!

This banana bread could easily become zucchini bread by swapping out the bananas (or you can keep them) with grated and pressed zucchini1. I like this recipe as the ingredients are flexible and include items I always have on hand—a “bakers” banana bread, if you will.

The olive oil is key to helping this banana bread stay moist.

As seen above, sometimes I like to top it with slivered almonds and a split banana before baking. Enjoy as-is, but my favorite is to spread on a layer of full-fat plain Greek yogurt on the top of each slice — delicious.

Ingredients

  • 240g (2 cups) spelt, whole wheat, einkorn, all-purpose flour, or a mix
  • 3g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 3g (1/2 teaspoon) sea salt
  • 125g (1 cup) chopped walnuts (and/or pecans)
  • 126g(1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, at room temperature
  • 100g (1/2 cup lightly packed) brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 125g (3/4 cup, stirred down) sourdough starter
  • 42g (2 tablespoons) raw honey
  • 4 (about 365g) super ripe and mashed bananas
  • 28g (2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
  • 4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla
  • zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Bake in a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan—my favorite is my Staub cast iron loaf pan as seen above, which gives this bread a crispy crust.

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large mixing bowl combineflour, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl mix a handful of chopped walnuts and a few pinches of sugar. Set aside to be used as the topping later.

In another bowl (or a stand mixer), creambutter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. While mixing, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in sourdough starter, honey, mashed bananas, vanilla, and olive oil. Then, add in the flour mixture slowly, pausing to scrape down the sides if necessary. By hand, fold in the remainingwalnuts and lemon zest. Pour the batter into the 9” x 5” baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle on the reserved chopped walnuts and sugar.

Bake for 55-65 minutes until the internal temp right in the middle is 200-205°F (93-96°C). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then gently remove onto a wire rack to thoroughly cool.

This banana bread will stay moist for days afterbaking, but be sure to wrap it in aluminum foil or something else to prevent too much moisture loss.

What's next?

So there you have it, my top 3 leftover sourdough starter recipes. If you get into a good rhythm, and with little extra planning, you can make a superb breakfast each weekend (or weekday if you go late). Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day, and with the recipes above, it's just that much better. While not technically a breakfast food, banana bread is perfect in the morning with a cappuccino or pour-over.

For more, see my roundup of sourdough starter discard recipes.

  1. After you grate the zucchini into fine little strands, press them between two paper towels to extract some of the moisture out.

My Top 3 Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes | The Perfect Loaf (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with my extra sourdough starter? ›

Instead of throwing away (or composting) your excess sourdough starter during the feeding process, bake with it! Unlock the power of sourdough discard to both enhance your bakes with a subtle tang and make the most of those leftovers.

What can I do with day 3 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.

How much of my starter should I use for a sourdough loaf? ›

As a general guideline, a common rule of thumb is to use around 20-30% of the total flour weight in the recipe as the amount of starter. For example, if your recipe calls for 500 grams of flour, you would use 100-150 grams of active starter. How much sour dough starter do you need for one loaf of sour dough bread?

What is the leftover sourdough starter called? ›

What is sourdough discard? As the name implies, sourdough discard refers to a portion of the sourdough starter that is set aside. This step is undertaken prior to feeding – adding fresh flour and water – to regulate its growth and rejuvenate the acidity levels.

Do you discard sourdough starter each time you feed it? ›

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.

Is sourdough discard healthy? ›

Technically, sourdough discard has the same benefits as sourdough starter, since they are both wild yeast ferments. In terms of beneficial lactic acid bacteria, natural yeasts acetic acid and colonies of microbes, they are both full of them.

Why discard half of sourdough starter? ›

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.

Can I bake with Day 3 sourdough discard? ›

BUT! You can also use that discard for baking. Some people will use it right away, in which case it'll still be pretty active. Other people prefer to store their sourdough discard until they have enough to bake with.

Can I use starter that has fallen? ›

If your starter is well past peak (a few hours) and visibly falling, you can give it a “refresh” feeding to reactivate it.

What flour is best for sourdough? ›

Bread flour (or baker's flour) is a high protein, white flour that is milled specifically for baking bread and sourdough. You'll get the best results for your sourdough bread from using bread flour. The most popular bread flour in the US is King Arthur Bread Flour.

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

Can you mix sourdough starter discards? ›

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.

Which part of sourdough starter to discard? ›

Starter that's kept at room temperature is more active than refrigerated starter, and thus needs to be fed more often. 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.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from 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.

Can you keep leftover sourdough starter? ›

I've kept mine in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks without feeding and used it in sourdough discard recipes and it was just fine. As long as it's not growing mold or bad bacteria, it's safe to use. It won't give you any rise, but it will add flavor! Remember: Sourdough starter and sourdough discard are pretty resilient!

Can you save leftover sourdough starter? ›

Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.

Can you freeze sourdough starter? ›

Sourdough starter stored in the fridge will stay in good shape for the occasional baker who might be making a loaf or two every couple of weeks. But if you need to store it longer—for instance, if you won't be baking much in the summer—the freezer is your best option.

Can you add too much starter to sourdough recipe? ›

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

References

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