When I say to “discard” starter, I don’t actually mean that you need to throw it away. You just need to remove it from the batch that will be fed moving forward. There are plenty of ways to use that saved sourdough starter. I usually store it in a tightly covered container in the fridge, adding more each day until I have enough to make a batch o’ something. Be aware that keeping it stored (rather than using it fresh) results in a much more sour batter. I personally love this, because it works for sweet or savory, but if you want something a bit more balanced, make smaller batches of the recipes below and don’t store it in the fridge for as long. Also, let it come back to room temp before you use it. It won’t be particularly active when it’s cold.
My 4 favorite ways to use extra sourdough starter
- Pancakes – Thin 2 cups of starter with 1 cup milk. Add a lightly beaten egg and a tablespoon or so of sugar and stir to fully combine. Melt a bit of butter or heat a bit of oil in a skillet and ladle a 1/4 cup of the batter in. Flip ’em and put ’em on the plate. You know the rest.
- Crêpes – As above, except use 3 eggs and 2 cups of milk.
- Waffles – These sourdough cardamom waffles are one of the first posts I ever put up once Phickle became a purely fermented blog 3 years ago. They are pretty much the best! Also consider trying a savory variation with no sugar or spices, but lots of shredded cheese and chopped veggies. We used to have these epic brunch parties that would last from noon to 2am. I always made a massive batch of this and split it in two; one for the am (sweet) and one for the evening (savory). I just set the additions out and let people mix them in.
- Sourdough Pizza Crust – I like this one from King Arthur Flour, but I don’t add yeast (unnecessary), I use lukewarm water rather than hot (to ensure the health of the microbes), and I skip the seasoning powder they recommend (the sourdough has loads of flavor all on its own).
If all else fails, throw it in the compost pile. It’s just flour, water and microbes, so your compost pile will thank you. Do not throw it down the drain (glue!), and don’t feel overwhelmed by it. You do not bear lifetime responsibility for every ounce of starter.
Now, guess what time it is? Time to feed your starter! If you’ll started at Step 1 of Sourdough Starter School, you’ll need to keep feeding, approximately every 24 hours, for 2 to 4 more days at this point before you’re ready to bake a loaf. As you’re feeding, Chad Robertson (in Tartine Bread) recommends taking stock of your starter. Smell it. Notice the mellow, perhaps milky fragrance in the first few hours after feeding. Pay attention to how that fragrance changes as your starter ferments. After 24 hours, you’ll smell stronger acidic notes (Robertson calls them “vinegar” notes, but I disagree with that characterization), and you’ll see that your starter has more evenly distributed bubbles that are less uniform in size.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about established starters, equipment needed for great loaves and the final details prep before baking!
In the meantime, tell me what your favorite use for saved starter is in the comments. I know you’ve got one!
Want to start from the first Sourdough Starter School lesson?
- Step 1 (Days 1-3) – Let’s Get This Starter Started
- What your starter will look like after 24 hours of fermentation
- Step 2 (Days 3-7) – Stabilizing Your Starter
- Why You Should Do a “Low-proportion” Sourdough Feeding
- 4 Things to Make with Excess Starter (You Are Here)
- Getting Ready to Actually Bake a Loaf! Equipment and Starter Health Check
- Preparing the Leaven
- Mixing the Dough and Bulk Fermentation
- Dividing, Shaping, Final Rise
- Baking and Cooling
- Tartine Bread Giveaway!
Francoise Murat says
Great way to re-use the old girl – I actually only learnt to re-use for pancakes this week when I realised I had run out of baking powder, and decided that it would make perfect flat breads (without sugar) so there is loads in the freezer now, thanks for sharing as always!
Amanda says
Oooh, lucky you! Loads of tasty treats to come for you and your workshop participants, I’m sure!
Heather says
Pancakes. I.love to make pancakes with the discarded sour dough, lots and lots of packages!! Maybe next time I’ll try waffles. Thanks for all your posts, I love them! We discovered High Street on Main thanks to one of your posts.
Heather says
Hahaa packages=pancakes
Tasha says
Brownies! So tasty and not too sweet!
Victoria says
how? recipe please for the brownies.
Katie says
If you want to make it less sour (which you might not always want to do) try adding 1/2 tsp baking soda to the pancake batter. The sourness goes away and they puff up like they were made with buttermilk! We love them.
Chris says
The pancakes definitely need 1 tsp of baking soda dissolved in little water just before cooking them or they are very dense. Baking soda makes them light
Amanda says
Strong disagree on that!
Marisa says
In addition to the delicious uses you’ve mentioned, I love these crumpets: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-crumpets-recipe
Charzie says
I’m a whole food vegan, so I always have all kinds of precooked beans and grains hanging out in the fridge waiting for inspiration, a garden full of veggies with something ready to be picked, and a slap-dash cooking approach. I hate to toss excess starter, or waste anything in general, so I began creating these crazy hybrid loaves that are somewhere between a dense bread and a meatless loaf. I just toss together some grains, legumes, sprouts, grind or just toss in some nuts or seeds, herbs and spices, a mix of oat flour, chickpea flour, spelt flour, whatever I have on hand, a scoop of starter, and for the liquid…beer, plant mylk, broth, whatever! You can add grated veggies, cooked veggies, whatever you want to utilize! I’ve even ground up sprouted grains in the food processor to stand in for the majority of the flour. Anything goes as long as I end up with something that resembles a textured dough-like lump, and let it rise in a warm place for 8 hours or so, or overnight. It obviously won’t rise like bread, but the starter lightens the loaf and enhances the flavors. I put it in a loaf pan, ring mold, whatever, and let it rise again for 3-4 hours and bake at around 400 F for maybe 30-45 minutes. It makes a kick-ass dense “toast” with hummus or whatever spread on top, or use it like a meatloaf with mushroom gravy or sauce on top. Cube it, toast it, and add it to soups or salads…it’s always a fun experiment and I haven’t had an inedible one yet! If all else fails, turn it into crumbs for coating stuff! There is no right or wrong, just wing it and throw in whatever is on hand! A great way to clean out the fridge and minimize waste. The grandkids love this baked in little fluted tins so when they pour their gravy or sauce on top it runs down the channels and looks cool! Sneaky gramma goes heavy on the pureed veggies and they actually enjoy it! We call them “magical mystery mounds”! LOL! Another favorite is to grate up potatoes or sweet potatoes and onion, add a small amount of starter, let it sit for a couple hours, and either pour it into a waffle maker or else a frying pan, kind of like potato pancakes. I’ve even dropped these by spoonfuls onto soup or stew for novel dumplings. Who said we can’t play with our food?! Love this website!
Amanda says
That sounds awesome! Great idea, Charzie! Thanks so much for sharing.
Dina says
This is all AMAZING. I will be trying your potato, onion, starter idea. Thank you.
Melissa says
I feed it to my chickens.
Chantal says
Just finish making English muffins.
Amanda says
Yum!
Ellie says
I tried the pancakes and they DEFINITELY needed baking soda, flour, and more sugar. I don’t know how you did it but they did not turn out well with the given recipe.
JUDY says
Good heavens! A whole new life opens up – and just because our local market has closed down because of covid and I was missing my sourdough loaf!