In the process of learning how to make sourdough bread and feeding the starter necessary for it, I was discarding a lot of starter. That’s just part and parcel of sourdough. It has to be fed regularly, and if you aren’t ready to make bread at feeding time, then you have to discard some of that starter. (Or you have to feed the starter a lot more flour and water and then you have a whole lot of starter taking up space in the fridge or on the counter, and it just keeps growing.)
The very initial discards I just threw down the sink. I was a little too stressed about the starter itself to worry about anything else.
After I knew I had a strong start going and had made several very good loaves of bread, I dried the discard (and rehydrated and tested it) so that if I ever accidentally killed my starter, I would have some dried starter in reserve. I never want to be without this starter again.
And now that I’ve got a lot of dried starter packed away with my regular food storage, I need a way to use the discard. It seems too wasteful to just throw it away.
I reasoned that it’s just flour and water, and of course some minor amounts of bacteria and yeast. I thought I could just add it to all kinds of baked goods without issue. After all, there are all kinds of sourdough discard recipes out there. However, I wasn’t sure I wanted to start accumulating even more recipes. I thought there ought to be a simple formula for using the discard in recipes I already have and love.
Turns out, I was right. “They” say you can use discard in the following ways:
- As a thickener for soups, gravies, sauces, etc.
- As a binder for breading chicken or making granola
- In baking quick breads as well as muffins, biscuits, and pizza dough
- In pancakes, waffles, and scones
You’ve probably noticed that serious bakers weigh their ingredients rather than measuring by volume. I find that bothersome—takes more time and creates more dishes. And my only scale right now is what the girls used to weigh their angora rabbits when they were in 4-H. It’s perfectly clean, but a little on the large side, especially in the kitchen. However, it is highly recommended, at least until you get accustomed to using the discard in recipes.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Weigh the discard you want to add to your recipe. So as not to throw the flavor off-balance, don’t add more than 200 g of discard. (Just to give you an idea, that 200 g is going to be about 1 cup.)
- Divide the weight by 2.
- Subtract this amount of flour and water or other liquid from the recipe.
- Substitute the sourdough discard in place of the removed flour and water.
- Then proceed to follow your recipe.
Most of our recipes use volume measurements. Here’s a link to a quick reference chart for converting volume measurements to ounces.
Keep in mind that if the discard is replacing milk in a recipe, you’ll lose out on the milk fat and solids that contribute to flavor and texture. You may wish to add some powdered milk to compensate. Do not use sourdough discard to substitute for oil. It won’t work.
Links to related posts:
Three Perfect Ingredients Sourdough Bread
References:
https://www.thekitchn.com/using-sourdough-starter-discard-23025996
https://www.pantrymama.com/how-to-add-sourdough-discard-to-any-recipe/
https://food52.com/blog/26178-sourdough-discard-recipes
I’ve been using sourdough starter and discard for several years. I’m very haphazard about my measurements. My Weck jar sits in a corner on my counter and I add just 1/4 cup flour and a little water to the starter. I bake with it often so add to it daily. It bubbles and rises and hasn’t failed me yet. Once the jar gets half full, the discard goes into another jar in the refrigerator. I make wonderful waffles, coffee cake, cookies, flat breads, and pizza dough with discard. There are so many recipes out there and I print off the ones we like.
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