Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (2024)

If you have a sourdough starter, you understand the need (and desire!) to use it in creative ways.

When we first started making sourdough bread, we tried putting sourdough in all sorts of things without a recipe to use up the excess starter. While it was frugal, it didn’t necessarily always taste good!

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (1)

Since then, we’ve gotten a little better at it. It takes some practice, and trying out different recipes that were made for sourdough is a great way to learn how to incorporate it into your own creations.

While cooking is an art, baking tends to be more science based. By this, I mean that ingredients have to be added in specific proportions, otherwise the recipe doesn’t turn out correctly. Trying your hand at several of these excess sourdough recipes will begin to help you understand the formula for adding sourdough to your eats so you can try it out on your own sometime if you like.

I have put together the ultimate list of leftover sourdough starter recipes, which is full of amazing recipes to use up that starter! It includes everything from sweet to savory, so try out some of your favorite treats with a sourdough twist!

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First and foremost, check out my favorite sourdough bread recipe!

It is the BEST bread – all of our friends beg us to make it for them!The recipe also has a link to how to make a sourdough bread starter!

This recipe tends to make a super crunchy, hard crust.

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (2)

It is cooked in a dutch oven, with the lid on, at a very high temperature. While it tastes amazing, it can tend to be too hard for some to bite through. Plus, we often use an electric knife to cut through it!

But don’t let that stop you. If you try it out and it is too hard, try baking the loaf at a lower temp (such as 375) and in a regular bread pan for a softer crust.

Here is how we make it!

(If you don’t have a sourdough starter, click here for an easy, no yeast, recipe.)

This dutch oven is essential for making an amazing sourdough loaf with this recipe. The crust gets hard – just like a bakery loaf. If you don’t have one, pick one up!

And… how great is this set of bread making accessories?!? It comes with a proofing basket, a bowl scraper, a linen liner, and 10 adorable bread stencils. LOVE it!

If you’re totally set in the bread department, here is my ultimate list of leftover sourdough starter recipes!

There are so many amazing ways to use up that excess sourdough starter!

Adding sourdough starter gives your favorite recipes a rich complexity that you may not find in normal, white flour based recipes.

Morning Recipes

Blueberry Sourdough Muffins– Turnips 2 Tangerines

Morning Glory Sourdough Muffins – A Better Way To Thrive

Whole Wheat Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins – Tasty Kitchen

Quick Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins – Cooking with Carlee

  • This is one of my favorite muffin recipes!!

Sourdough Spice Cake – Traditional Cooking School

Dangerously Addicting Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls – A Chick and Her Garden

Sourdough (raised) Doughnuts – cdkitchen

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (3)

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns – Nourishing Joy

Sourdough Bagels – Full of Days

Sourdough English Muffins – A Chick and Her Garden

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes – Joy To My Heart

Sourdough Banana Pancakes – The Dutch Baker’s Daughter

Whole Grain Sourdough Waffles – Traditional Cooking School

Sourdough Coffee Cake – Turnips 2 Tangerines

Sourdough Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake – Cultures For Health

Blueberry Sourdough Scones – Wild Yeast

Sourdough (cake) Donuts – Baking Sense

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (4)

Sweet Bread Recipes

Stollen (German Sweet Bread) – Pizza Rossa

Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – What’s Cooking America

Sourdough Banana Bread – Pinch My Salt

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Loaf – Korena In The Kitchen

French Chocolate Bread – Chocolate & Zucchini

Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Bread – NY Times Cooking

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread – Butter For All

Sourdough Swedish Cinnamon and Cardamon Buns – Milk and Honey

Dessert Recipes

Sourdough Brownies – Common Sense Home

Sourdough Sugar Cookies – What’s Cooking America

Sourdough Cookies (can add chocolate chips!) – Common Sense Home

Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies – Cultured Food Life

Chocolate Sourdough Cake – The Nourishing Gourmet

Sourdough Crepes – Homesteading on Grace

Sourdough Carrot Cake – Nourishing Joy

Pick up this huge glass flour canister to store your flour in!

Savory and Bread Recipes

Sourdough Crackers– Sourdough and Olives

Spelty Sourdough Crackers – The Bojon Gourmet

Sourdough Focaccia – Flour On My Face

Oatmeal Honey Sourdough Bread – Home Joys

Sourdough Tortillas – Reformation Homestead

Sourdough Cornbread – Tasty Kitchen

Sourdough Pasta – Korena in the Kitchen

Sourdough Pie Crust – Cultures for Health

Sourdough Pizza Crust – Butter For All

Sourdough Irish Soda Bread – Turnips 2 Tangerines

Sourdough Ciabatta Bread – What’s Cooking America

Sourdough Naan Bread – Grow Forage Cook Ferment

Russian Rye Bread – Mother Earth News

Buttery Sourdough Biscuits – Joy To My Heart

Einkorn Sourdough Sandwich Bread – Beets and Bones

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread – Joybilee Farm

Final Thoughts on Excess Sourdough Recipes

One of the reasons that sourdough bread is so great is that it is more nutritious than normal white bread. This nutritional benefit can extend to these recipes too.

For example, while chocolate chip muffins taste great, adding oatmeal and sourdough starter to the recipe gives it a little nutritional boost (and that makes me feel better about eating them for breakfast!).

Some of sourdough’s amazing health benefits are:

  1. Sourdough is full of vitamins and minerals that regular bread doesn’t have (unless it is enriched). Sourdough contains iron, selenium, zinc, magnesium, folic acid and B vitamins!
  2. Sourdough has prebiotics and probiotics – meaning it increases your gut health. There is a big push in dietetics for foods that are good for your gut, such as yogurts, keifer and sauerkraut. This is because they increase the good bacteria in your digestive system. Check out how to make your own yogurt, how to make greek yogurt, and how to make sauerkraut for more gut healthy recipes!
  3. Sourdough has protein in it.

So, if you haven’t started making sourdough yet, get started! And if you are well versed in making sourdough bread, give some of these recipes a try!

What recipes did I miss in my ultimate list of leftover sourdough starter recipes? Share your favorites in the comments below!

Remember to pin this post for later!

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (5)

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List

Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes: The Ultimate List (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with my extra sourdough starter? ›

10 ways to use up sourdough starter
  1. Sourdough crumpets. Add your sourdough starter to crumpet batter for a super light and airy texture. ...
  2. Sourdough crackers. ...
  3. Sourdough pancakes. ...
  4. Sourdough pizza.
  5. Sourdough scones. ...
  6. Sourdough focaccia. ...
  7. Sourdough toad-in-the-hole. ...
  8. Sourdough hot cross buns.

When can I use sourdough starter discard in 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 use Day 3 sourdough starter discard? ›

When Can You Use Sourdough Discard? You can use the discard from your starter to bake, but it's better if you wait at least 7 days before you actually use it. In the first 5-7 days, it's better if you bin or compost your discard because the bacteria will be fighting it out and it will generally smell pretty gross.

What can I do with day 2 sourdough starter? ›

Feed the remaining 10-20% that's left in the jar. I usually feed it a maintenance feeding of 50 grams flour and 40 grams water. The starter will spring back by the next day. You may need to feed it 2 or 3 times to get it active enough for a bread bake but it will come back to life like nothing ever happened.

What is extra sourdough starter called? ›

Sourdough discard comprises any portion of your starter removed during feeding or not used for bread-making.

Is sourdough discard healthy? ›

Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking. Sourdough discard is rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion.

Does sourdough discard have to be active to use? ›

It can be at room temperature or come directly from the fridge. The texture is less bubbly (if bubbly at all) when compared to fluffy active starter. Sourdough discard is not active enough to make bread dough rise, and despite its name the “discard” does not have to be thrown away.

What happens if you bake sourdough starter discard? ›

Similar to case #2, above, discarded sourdough is used in recipes with no additional flour called for, so it can be baked immediately. The discarded starter's flour is already fermented and it adds sourdough flavor to the recipe.

Should sourdough discard be at room temperature before using? ›

Store it for future baking: You can store sourdough discard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future baking with sourdough discard recipes. When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake.

Why throw away 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 use immature sourdough discard? ›

However, “discard” doesn't necessarily mean “throw out.” A two-to-three day old starter can be used to add amazing flavor and texture to a number of baked goods, even if it is not quite ready to make your dream loaf of sourdough bread.

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

If you didn't discard a portion of your starter each time you feed it, two things would happen: Your starter would grow to an enormous, unmanageable size. Your starter would likely become more and more inhospitable to the bacteria and yeast we want as the mixture would become ever more acidic.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from fridge? ›

If you're an experienced baker and are familiar with working with a cold sourdough starter that has been kept in the refrigerator for a long time and you've had success, then it's totally OK to use your starter straight from the refrigerator. You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe.

Why is my sourdough starter bubbling but not rising? ›

If your starter gets completely covered on top with bubbles but does not rise, it is healthy but may just be a wet mix. Try reducing the water in your next feeding and see if you have different results. Also, the type of flour you are using can impede the rise of your starter.

How many grams is 1 cup sourdough discard? ›

Hate discarding so much starter? See "tips," below. Remove however much starter you need for your recipe — typically no more than 227 grams, about 1 cup.

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.

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every 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.

Should I discard some 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.

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