Sourdough Discard: Don't Throw It Away
Every time you feed your sourdough starter, you discard most of it. And every time, it feels a little wasteful.
But that discard isn't trash. It's an ingredient.
What I Use Discard For
Over the years, discard has worked its way into cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones, bundt cakes, pancake and waffle batter.
The cookies I sell at market have discard in them. My boys know they're sourdough cookies — they just don't realize they're any different from our bread. They pack them in their lunchboxes every week and ask for them for dessert.
That's the thing about discard — it doesn't make everything taste like sourdough. It adds depth. A subtle tang. A richness that makes everything just a little better.
How I Store It
I keep my discard in a separate container in the fridge.
I've used mason jars, anchor jars, different sized containers over the years. Since I bake frequently, I keep a larger container now so I always have some on hand without thinking about it.
When I need it, I pull it straight from the fridge. Cold discard works perfectly in most recipes.
That said — if you don't have interest in storing discard or making extra things with it, throwing it away is perfectly fine. Your starter will keep going regardless. Using discard is a choice, not a requirement.
Waffles Are a Family Favorite
If there's one discard recipe my family loves most, it's waffles.
I use a pancake recipe from Lisa Bass at Farmhouse on Boone — one of my favorite sourdough resources — but I make them as waffles by using less liquid to keep the batter thicker. They come out golden, slightly crispy on the outside, fluffy inside.
My boys light up for waffle mornings. It's one of those simple things that makes the weekend feel special.
I'm sharing Lisa's original pancake recipe below with credit to her. Whether you make them as pancakes or thicken the batter for waffles, they're worth having in your rotation.
Sourdough Discard Pancakes Recipe by Lisa Bass, Farmhouse on Boone Original recipe: farmhouseonboone.com
Ingredients:
| Metric | Volume | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 63g | 1/4 cup | Sourdough discard (active starter also works) |
| 366g | 1 1/2 cups | Milk or water |
| 245g | 1 3/4 cups | Unbleached all-purpose flour |
| 2 large | 2 large | Eggs |
| 57g | 1/4 cup | Butter, melted |
| 42g | 2 tablespoons | Honey or maple syrup |
| 3g | 1/2 teaspoon | Salt |
| - | 1 teaspoon | Baking soda |
Instructions:
- Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly.
- Add flour, salt, and baking soda to a large bowl and combine.
- Add discard, milk, eggs, cooled butter, and honey to dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined — a few lumps are fine.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a small amount of butter.
- Ladle about 1/3 cup batter onto the skillet. Cook until edges set and bubbles appear across the top, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
For waffles: Reduce the milk slightly to thicken the batter. Pour into a preheated waffle iron and cook until golden.
Where to Start
If you want to start using discard, look for recipes that are already written with sourdough in mind — not recipes you're trying to adapt on the fly.
There are so many great sourdough discard recipes out there. Find something you already love making and look for a sourdough version of it. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, cookies — chances are someone has already done the work of balancing the recipe for you.
And that's how your discard goes from something you feel guilty throwing away to something you look forward to using.
That's the beauty of sourdough. Once you have a starter, it gives back in more ways than just bread.
What's your favorite way to use sourdough discard? — Courtenay 💙
