Creative uses for sourdough starter

Are you looking for creative uses for your sourdough starter? Then I invite you to step out of the bread box.

This past summer, I participated in a contactless farmer’s market in my local community. All of the orders were submitted online, and sometimes, I didn’t know until the last minute how many breads I would be making that week.

I had decided to make bread using natural yeast (aka sourdough) so that meant I fed my sourdough starter(s) quite a bit.  Because I had to feed them before I even knew how much I would need, I ended up with a good bit of leftover sourdough.

I didn’t worry about it because there are lots of ways, besides making pancakes, to use up sourdough discard.

 

Step out of the sourdough bread box

Don’t get me wrong, sourdough bread is my favorite way to use a sourdough starter, but if you’re like me, and you find yourself with extra starter and don’t want to discard it (or make more bread), it’s time to get out of your sourdough comfort zone and try something new.

To that end, several years ago, I participated in the Sourdough Surprises baking group.  We made all kinds of baked goods with sourdough.  I didn’t participate in every challenge, but I made enough of the surprises to learn how versatile sourdough can be.

To get your creative juices flowing, here are 25 of my favorite sourdough recipes including breads, other baked goods, and a few different methods for creating a sourdough starter.

 

Creating a sourdough starter

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, here are a few options for creating one:

Whole wheat sourdough starter – Creating a sourdough starter is surprisingly simple. You just need organic, stoneground wholegrain flour and water. That’s it.  (this post is sponsored by the Sourdough School)

Apple starter – A fun way to create a sourdough starter is to use hazy apples.  This starter is really easy to make!  It takes a few days, but it’s worth the wait. It smells great while it’s fermenting and it’s easy to maintain.

 

Einkorn starter – this sourdough starter is made with einkorn flour, water, time, and loving care.

Creating a starter using dried grapes – This post outlines the process for developing a sourdough grape starter using natural grapes from a local vineyard (or farmer’s market), and then using the starter to make sourdough bread in your bread machine.

Drying & restarting your sourdough starter

Drying your sourdough starter – There are numerous reasons why you might want to dry or dehydrate your sourdough starter. For one thing, it makes for easy storage. It can also serve as a backup in case you forget to save some when you use your starter to make bread. If your starter goes bad for any reason, you can restart the dried starter without having to begin the process of creating a new one all over again.  Or, perhaps you just want to take a break from making sourdough for a while, but you don’t want lose it. Just dry it!

Restarting a dried sourdough starter – After you dry your starter, you can freeze it or keep it in the refrigerator and bring it back to life when you’re ready to use it.

 

Alternative Uses for Sourdough (Discard or Refreshed) Starter

Crackers

Making crackers is by far my favorite way to use up sourdough discard.  You can make crackers with discarded or refreshed starter.

Sourdough Einkorn Crackers with Chili – These are not your average crackers. They are healthy crackers that don’t contain any preservatives. The sourdough ferments the dough for several hours which makes them more easily digestible than crackers made without sourdough.

Sourdough Spelt & Millet Crackers – These uniquely crunchy crackers utilize an overnight levain instead of sourdough discard.

Sourdough Bagels

You can make bagels with refreshed starter or sourdough discard.

Sourdough Bagels with Sprouted Wheat – These versatile and chewy sourdough bagels are made with all-purpose flour, a portion of sprouted wheat flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter. You can substitute whole wheat flour for the sprouted wheat flour if desired.

Quick breads

Sourdough Banana bread – Banana Bread has always been one of my favorite treats. It’s simple to prepare, makes a great snack, and freezes well.  Making it with sourdough takes it to a whole new level.  There are so many possibilities.

 

Sourdough Rye Pancakes with Orange Butter – These Sourdough Rye Pancakes are topped with whipped orange butter made with real butter, orange zest, and orange juice.

 

Rolls

Sourdough Orange Dinner Rolls – These fluffy sourdough dinner rolls include a hint of orange zest for an added zing. They are delightfully easy to make and can be scheduled a day (or so) ahead of time to be ready for a Holiday meal.

 

Sourdough Pretzel croissants – These Sourdough Pretzel croissants are buttery, flaky, crispy, light, and just right.

 

Sourdough Breads

My list would not be complete without adding some bread.  Here are a few unique breads that have been converted from yeast to sourdough.

Sourdough KAMUT Potato Thyme and Cheese Pavé – has a delicious and pronounced cheesy flavor and a soft and spongy texture.

 

Sourdough Savory Danish Crown – Filled with onions and cheese, this butter-rich ring of bread reminds me of a big croissant filled with onions.  Although not quite as flaky as a croissant, it does have some lovely buttery layers and a delicious flavor.

 

Sourdough Sunshine Loaf – Let the sunshine in with this centerpiece-worthy Sourdough Sunshine Loaf, shaped like the sun and made with a blend of rye and white flours.

 

Other creative and tasty uses for Sourdough

Here’s where the fun begins!  It’s time to take your favorite baked good and convert it to sourdough.

Sourdough KAMUT Chelsea Buns – These sweet, lightly spiced, and sticky Sourdough KAMUT Chelsea Buns, flavored with lemon zest and filled with raisins, are a hefty proposition indeed.

 

Sourdough Hungarian Kürtőskalács Chimney Cakes – These Sourdough Hungarian Kürtőskalács are hollow Chimney Cakes or Funnel Cakes which are made from a slightly sweet enriched elastic yeasted dough, rolled into long ropes and wrapped tightly around a mold.

Sourdough Cinnamon rolls – These cinnamon rolls are slightly tangy and taste good warm, especially with a powdered-sugar glaze drizzled over them.

Sourdough Brownies – These brownies have a very pronounced dark chocolate flavor. They are a little bit tangy from the sourdough, and because this recipe uses less sugar, the bitter chocolate flavor shines through.  If you prefer a more delicate chocolate flavor, a blend of milk chocolate and dark chocolate works well.

 

Sourdough Biscuits – These soft and fluffy biscuits include a little baking soda to neutralize the sourdough tang.

Sourdough KAMUT Biscotti  – These biscotti, made with sourdough, toasted slivered almonds, lemon zest, and crushed anise, are a delightful treat to serve with coffee or tea.

Sourdough Scones – These delightful scones are made with sourdough, whole grain einkorn pastry flour, and dried blueberries.

Sourdough Granola Bars – These chewy granola bars, with dates and almonds, have been one of my most popular recipes over the years.  Seems I’m not the only one who loves granola bars.

Sourdough Irish Soda Bread – this is not your average soda bread. Traditional soda bread is made with flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. This one is leavened with sourdough instead of baking soda, although you can use a bit of soda to mute the sourdough tang if desired.

 

Thank you for joining me on this sourdough journey beyond bread.  I hope you enjoyed the roundup and that it provided lots of ideas on how to use your sourdough starter for more than just bread.

 

Happy Sourdough Baking!

Cathy