How to Add Sourdough Discard to Any Recipe - Amy Bakes Bread (2024)

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When it comes to discard, there are often two camps. Those who love it and those who don’t know what to do with it! I fall into the camp of loving it. Let me tell you why: sourdough discard can be added to almost any baked good. It’s easy to use and recipes baked with discard taste delicious! This article will teach you how to add sourdough discard to any recipe.

How to Add Sourdough Discard to Any Recipe - Amy Bakes Bread (1)

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is a by-product of maintaining or “feeding” a sourdough starter. When feeding a starter, flour and water are combined with a portion of the starter to restart the fermentation cycle. After a starter goes through the fermentation cycle, anything you don’t re-feed is thrown away or discarded. That’s where discard gets its name. Many people don’t like to waste, so they save this discard in the fridge and add it to recipes. It no longer works as a leavening agent, but it can give some flavor to recipes or just be used up so you have less waste.

What are the Benefits of Sourdough Discard in a Baked Good?

  1. Less Waste: Many people, myself included, don’t like wasting the discard. Depending on your feeding ratio, you might be producing a lot of discard or a little. I like finding creative ways to use my discard.
  2. More Moisture: Adding discard to recipes adds extra moisture to the baked good. This can make for delicious muffins, pancakes, waffles and more!
  3. Flavor: Discard has gone through the fermentation cycle and typically has a more sour flavor from the bacteria. Many people like this flavor in savory bakes: crackers, biscuits, pretzels, etc…
  4. Long Ferment: Discard recipes do not rely on any leavening from the sourdough. However, many people do like to long ferment batters and dough with the discard. This will have a more sour flavor than starter usually has and can produce some of the same health benefits as traditional sourdough.
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How Long Does Sourdough Discard Last?

My personal preference: I don’t like using discard more than 1 week old due to flavor. However, discard can be kept in the refrigerator and used for months, as long as there is no mold on it.

Sweet Recipes: Use a young discard (straight from the starter when it’s re-fed) unless you want a sour flavor coming through.

Savory Recipes: Use discard up to a week old.

Looking for Delicious Sourdough Discard Recipes?

How to Add Discard to Any Recipe:

1. Calculate the weight of how much discard you want to add to a recipe

  • e.g.: I have 100 grams of discard I want to add to a recipe

2. Look at the weight of the flour and the liquids in your recipe

  • e.g.: My recipe calls for 300 grams flour and 200 grams milk

3. Split the weight of the discard in half and apply it to the flour and water

  • e.g.: 100 grams of discard at 100% hydration will compensate for 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water

4. Decrease the amount of flour by 1/2 of the weight of the discard you are adding

  • e.g.: For 300 grams of flour in the original recipe and 100 grams of discard, subtract 50 grams of flour resulting in 250 grams of flour in the discard recipe

5. Decrease the amount of liquid by 1/2 of the weight of the discard

  • e.g.: For 200 grams of milk in the original recipe and using 100 grams of discard, subtract 50 grams of milk resulting in 150 grams of milk in the discard recipe

6. Mix up the recipe with those new quantities of ingredients

  • e.g.: 100 grams discard, 250 grams flour, 150 grams milk. All other ingredients remain the same.
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What if water is not called for in the original recipe?

If there’s no water called for, look for another liquid in the recipe you can use to substitute in the discard. Some recipes (like cookies) don’t usually call for any liquid. I often have to reduce the egg in the recipe to compensate for the discard. You can also try adding less discard to recipes that don’t have liquid in them. Be careful that you’re not taking out key leavening ingredients, though!

Looking for Discard Cookie Recipes?

A Few Other Tips:

1. I usually use anywhere from 100-200 grams of discard in a recipe.
2. Using 100% hydration discard is much easier for making these calculations.
3. With some recipes, you can just add the discard right in without doing the calculations—pancakes and waffles are good bets for this method.
4. Recipes without a lot of liquid can be a little more tricky for making substitutions; you may have to adjust the ingredients a bit more to get the best results.

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  • What is Sourdough?
  • How to Create a Sourdough Starter
  • All About Sourdough Starter
  • How to Make Levain from your Sourdough Starter
  • How Temperature Affects Sourdough
  • Sourdough Starter Ratios
  • Sourdough Discard Explained
  • Sourdough Frequently Asked Questions
  • Essential Tools for Sourdough
  • Long-Term Sourdough Storage: Dehydrating Sourdough Starter
  • How to Add Sourdough Discard to Any Recipe
  • How to Replace Yeast with Sourdough Starter
  • Adjusting Sour Flavor in Sourdough
How to Add Sourdough Discard to Any Recipe - Amy Bakes Bread (2024)

FAQs

Can you use sourdough starter discard for anything? ›

The discard is not active enough to make sourdough bread rise but it does have many other uses and baking powder can be added if required. Savoury options include English breakfast muffins, pretzels, caramelised onion biscuits, and sourdough pizza dough.

When can I start using sourdough 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 I put all my sourdough discard together? ›

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.

Why use sourdough discard in recipes? ›

Tenderizer: The acidity in sourdough discard weakens gluten development and reacts with chemical leaveners which results in soft and fluffy baked goods. Fermentation: Adding sourdough to baked goods also imparts the magic of fermentation.

Do you discard every time you feed sourdough starter? ›

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.

Can I leave sourdough discard on the counter overnight? ›

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. You can also store your discard in the freezer.

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

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.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from the fridge? ›

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. I will keep sourdough discard in the fridge for about one week.

Can you eat straight sourdough discard? ›

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.

Why do you throw away sourdough discard? ›

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 sourdough discard by itself? ›

You can store sourdough discard in a separate container, then bake with it when you want — for instance, maybe you fed your starter on Tuesday, leaving you with discard that you want to use to bake pancakes on Saturday.

Is sourdough discard still healthy? ›

In conclusion, sourdough discard is a versatile, flavourful, and healthy ingredient that can enhance a wide range of recipes. By incorporating it into your cooking, you not only reduce food waste but also elevate the taste and nutritional value of your meals.

Does sourdough discard have any health benefits? ›

Sourdough discard recipes not only reduce waste but also offer health benefits, making them a wonderful addition to a balanced diet. The fermentation process of the sourdough starter increases the availability of certain nutrients and can help improve digestion.

How long is sourdough discard good for? ›

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.

Can I save my sourdough discard? ›

Check out a few of my favorite sourdough discard recipes here. 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.

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