Sourdough bread is this amazing crusty fermented starter artisan bread that can be made at home. In order to make sourdough bread you need a sourdough starter. And with sourdough starter comes sourdough discard (a good thing). Discover 21 amazing sourdough recipes including bread, waffles, crackers and so much more.
What Is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is the amount of sourdough starter you need to remove or “discard” everyday or weekly depending on the age and storage of your sourdough starter. You discard this amount to add more flour and water to feed your sourdough starter and allow it to grow and ferment. Sourdough discard can be disposed of or it can be used in some pretty delicious recipes.
Unfed Sourdough Recipes
When a sourdough discard recipe asks you to use unfed sourdough. It is referring to the sourdough discard you remove before adding more flour and water to your sourdough bread starter. Most discard recipes will use unfed sourdough. Which is perfect because you can discard your amount (save it), feed your starter and bake with the discard. So there is no waste. Just yummy baked goods.
Sourdough Starter
A sourdough starter is the basis of your sourdough bread or sourdough baking. It is a simple mixture of filtered water and flour that ferments creating yeast and the “sour” flavor that sourdough is named for. You can find more information on sourdough starters in our sourdough bread beginners guide.
What To Make With Sourdough Starter
The amazing thing about sourdough starter is you can use it in more than just baking bread. You can add sourdough starter to cinnamon buns, crackers, bagels, pizza dough and so much more.
Sourdough Bread Recipes
If your main goal with your sourdough starter is to make sourdough bread then you need to checkout our sourdough bread beginners guide which includes 12 easy to make sourdough bread recipes including a gluten free recipe.
Sourdough Discard
In an effort to help you spread the sourdough love and embrace homemade we have compiled a wide collection of sourdough discard recipes that are sure to fit your needs.
We are including some gluten free sourdough discard recipes in our discard recipes collection because honestly this is what we make at home and we feel it should be included for those that are gluten sensitive. Just because you can’t have something doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing alternatives for you to try.
While writing this article I was thinking about all the ways you could make an additional income from homemade sourdough. Which is perfect for bakers, makers and stay at home moms. First off sourdough starters can be sold. And your sourdough discard can be created into its own starter and fed. You can also sell all your yummy sourdough discard baking at your local farmers market or by word of mouth or specialty order. Homemade items sell well and food is better when shared.
Sourdough & Other Recipes:
Sourdough Bread A Beginner’s Guide
7 Amazing Beginner Bread Recipes
7 Beginner Homemade Jam Recipes
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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.
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.
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.
Daily Feeding: If you maintain your starter at room temperature (around 70-75°F or 21-24°C) and want it to be ready for baking within a day or two, daily feedings are recommended. Discard a portion of the starter and feed it with fresh flour and water every 24 hours.
Is it healthy to eat sourdough everyday? You could eat sourdough every day, but it isn't necessarily healthy to do so. A healthy diet is characterized by balance and moderation. Whether or not it is healthy for you to consume sourdough every day depends on the rest of your diet.
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.
fuzzy mold that you might normally see on food. or something else. But it can also look like odd colors, particularly like an orange or a pink. So if you see, like, orange or pink streaking in your sourdough discard, that's bad bacteria, and you don't want to eat that, so it's time to throw that one away.
I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.
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.
You can either split your starter into a new jar for your friend and feed both as normal ( about 100g of starter and 100g each of water and flour) or spilt some off and give them the discard to feed up. Generally, you don't need more than about 50g of starter to pass on to really get a new starter going.
Yes, you can give your friend a portion of sourdough discard to start their own sourdough starter, however it's best if your starter is mature (at least 3 months old) when you do this, so that your friend can start baking straight away.
After day 7, do I keep discarding half of my sourdough starter? Nope! Once the sourdough starter is established on day 8, all you have to do is just give it flour and water. You no longer need to discard half of it.
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.
It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.
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. You can read more about why you shouldn't eat raw flour here.
Can you eat sourdough bread every day? It's good news for sourdough super-fans. 'Sourdough is rich in carbohydrates which should make up around 50% of our energy intake every day, so there's no problem with eating sourdough daily,' says Tilt, who adds; 'it's delicious and I often do! '
Yes, sourdough contains the gut-friendly lactobacillus bacteria, but the high heat of baking destroys these probiotics. So, unless you'd like to eat the raw dough, sourdough is not a probiotic food. However, it does have some digestive benefits.
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.
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