15 Sourdough Discard Dessert Recipes (2024)

If you have sourdough starter, then you have sourdough discard to use in recipes. Don't throw it away because you can use it sourdough discard dessert recipes. These 15 delicious dessert recipes use sourdough starter or sourdough discard.

If 2020 did anything, it reinforced the fact that we need to be self-sufficient. I hadn't made sourdough starter in several years, but I started a new starter so we would have bread.

Since you discard half of your starter each week when you feed it, you'll have a lot of sourdough discard to use up. Use it to make sourdough starter desserts like cookies, cakes, scones, and more.

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What Can I Do With Too Much Sourdough Starter?

One can only eat so much sourdough bread. I mean homemade bread is amazing, but we don't go through that much bread.

We use the discard to make other recipes. Earlier, I posted how to make sourdough pancakes from discard and severalsourdough starter breakfast recipesand these . These recipes are all sourdough discard desserts.

Don't have a starter made? Learn how to make a sourdough starter without yeast.

Do You Have to Discard Sourdough Starter Each Time You Feed It?

Technically, no, you don't have to discard part of your sourdough starter. However, if you don't remove part of it, you'll end up with an insane amount of starter that will need a lot of flour and water to feed.

Why Do You Discard Half the Sourdough Starter?

It's just to keep your starter at a manageable amount. You could feed all it if you wanted a lot of sourdough starter to make sourdough discard dessert recipes or other recipes.

If you are meal planning or making freezer meals, you may want more starter.

What's the Difference Between Sourdough Discard and Sourdough Starter?

Sourdough discard and sourdough starter are the same thing. Sourdough discard is what you remove from your starter each week before you feed it.

As long as you use your starter before feeding it, you can use sourdough starter in these sourdough starter desserts.

Can I Use Sourdough Starter Straight From the Fridge?

You can use your sourdough discard or starter cold directly from the fridge. It might take longer for your recipes to proof while the discard warms up, so keep an eye on them.

Sourdough Discard Dessert Recipes

Here are 15 delicious sourdough starter desserts.

Sourdough Texas Sheet Cake

Avoid waste and use up that sourdough discard with this decadent and rich Sourdough Texas Sheet Cake recipe. Full of chocolatey flavor, and made easily in a sheet pan, this is the PERFECT sourdough chocolate cake recipe. Topped with a perfect buttery, chocolate frosting, loaded with crunchy pecans.

Sourdough Donuts

These sourdough donuts are light and airy with a complex flavor thanks to the sourdough starter. Eat them plain or drizzle with white or chocolate glaze.

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with crisp edges. They are loaded with coarsely chopped milk chocolate, nutty browned butter, and sourdough discard. You'll love these!

Sourdough Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

These Sourdough Oatmeal Walnut Cookies have a beautiful mix of chewy oats, crunchy walnuts, aromatic nutmeg. So very delicious!

Blueberry Sourdough Scones

These blueberry sourdough scones are light and flaky with crispy crumbly edges, juicy blueberries, and fresh thyme.

Sourdough Shortbread Cookies

Sourdough Shortbread Cookies! Buttery shortbread cookies are enhanced with powdered sourdough discard. These cookies have an absolutely haunting flavor.

Plum Apricot Sourdough Galette

Plum Apricot Sourdough Galette – beautifully rich from the colors of baked plums and apricots, all tango-ing with the best pie crust ever!

Cranberry Crumb Sourdough Coffee Cake

In this moist, buttery Cranberry Crumb Sourdough Coffee Cake, fresh cranberries provide a tart contrast to the sweet vanilla pound cake and double layer of rich, walnut-crumb topping. Perfect for a relaxing weekend morning or afternoon snack.

Sourdough Brownies

Sourdough brownies are a rich, fudgy indulgence and our favorite sourdough discard desserts. This delicious brownie recipe, made with sourdough discard is packed with chocolate flavor and a tender texture that you simply can't beat.

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are a delicious way to use discarded sourdough starter. Also a great way to reduce kitchen waste!

Sourdough Peanut Butter Brownies

The sourdough peanut butter brownies are sublimely moist with a barely perceptible tang. The delicious ribbons of peanut butter running over the fudgy interior made them delectably soft!

Chocolate Sourdough Cake

This decadent and rich chocolate sourdough cake recipe is a show stopping dessert! Made with sourdough starter, this is a fun recipe to use your starter in a way that isn’t bread. Rich, moist, and so chocolatey, and topped with a chocolate buttercream frosting, this cake is a dream come true for chocolate lovers!

Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake

This sourdough discard coffee cake is so easy to make. It is sweet, delicious, and the perfect way to use your discard!

Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies

Sourdough adds a deeper flavor and a bit of tang to these sourdough peanut butter cookies. Add chocolate chips or leave them plain for a delicious treat.

Sourdough Blondies

These sourdough blondies have a crackly crust and a rich butterscotch flavor. Sourdough discard makes them lighter than a regular recipe.

Which one of these sourdough discard dessert recipes will you try?

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15 Sourdough Discard Dessert Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How much sourdough discard to use? ›

Weigh out how much discard you want to add to the recipe (no more than 200g). Divide the weight into 2. Subtract this amount of flour and water (or other liquid) from the recipe. Add the sourdough discard in place of these amounts of flour and water.

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What can I do with all the 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.

Is eating sourdough discard good for you? ›

Are There Health Benefits in Discard? 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.

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Can I bake with cold sourdough discard? ›

You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe. These recipes don't require a sourdough starter for leavening, so you can use your starter directly from the fridge. These recipes offer a fantastic solution for using excess sourdough.

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How long can you keep sourdough discard before it goes bad? ›

You can use old sourdough discard if it's been stored in the fridge, however, you really want to use it up within a week - 2 weeks max. It's better to use "fresh" discard in a sweet sourdough discard recipe. Use older discards in more savory recipes.

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How long is sourdough discard usable? ›

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.

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Can I freeze sourdough discard? ›

Can you freeze sourdough starter discard? While feeding an active starter is a better idea, freezing discard will also work. I would suggest freezing discard that has been more recently fed, it may take longer for the starter to become thriving and active after thawing.

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Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

At room temperature (70 F), sourdough discard should last about 1-2 days. Beyond that, it won't go bad necessarily, it will just become more acidic as time goes on (especially in warm weather). Not ideal for sweet recipes. In the fridge, it will keep for about a week or so, and in the freezer it will last indefinitely.

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Do you refrigerate sourdough discard? ›

Where should I store my jar of sourdough discard? Store your discard in a jar in the refrigerator where it will continue to ferment, albeit very slowly, whereas at room temperature, it will ferment quickly and you will soon have very ripe discard on your hands that won't be useful for much of anything.

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Can you eat raw sourdough discard? ›

No, it's not advisable to eat raw sourdough starter. While some people claim to have healed their gut problems by eating probiotic rich sourdough starter, it's not really advisable. Raw sourdough starter contains uncooked flour which can harbor harmful bacteria among other things.

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Is eating too much sourdough bad for you? ›

Consuming too much sourdough bread, like any food, can have negative effects. It's important to enjoy it as part of a balanced diet. Overconsumption can lead to: Excess Calorie Intake: Bread is calorie-dense, and eating too much can contribute to weight gain.

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Can I use sourdough 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.

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What is the poke test for sourdough bread? ›

To do the poke test, flour your finger and press an indentation into the dough. If it springs back immediately, it is still underproofed and not yet ready for baking. If it slowly springs about halfway back, it is ready for baking.

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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.

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How much sourdough starter do I discard each day? ›

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.

Do you have to discard 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.

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Can you use day 1 sourdough discard? ›

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.

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