6 Easy Sourdough Discard Recipes to Try This Week

Slug: easy-sourdough-discard-recipesPillar: Food and Drink > RecipesKeyword: sourdough discard recipesExcerpt: Don't throw out your sourdough discard. These six easy recipes—pancakes, crackers, banana bread and more—turn waste into something genuinely delicious.Tagline: Don't bin the discard—bake with it instead

If you keep a sourdough starter, you already know the drill: every time you feed it, you have to throw some away or the thing grows to the size of a small dog. That discarded starter—unfed, possibly sitting in the fridge for a week—is called sourdough discard, and it's not rubbish. It's a ready-made ingredient with tanginess, depth, and a bit of acidity that makes baked goods taste better. Here are six genuinely good things to do with it.

1. Sourdough Discard Pancakes

These are the easiest, most satisfying thing you can make with discard—and if you've never tried them, they'll change your weekend breakfast routine. The discard replaces some of the flour and liquid in a standard pancake recipe and adds a subtle tang that makes them taste significantly more interesting than regular pancakes.

What you need: 120g (½ cup) of discard, 1 egg, 120ml (½ cup) milk, 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp baking soda, pinch of salt. Mix, rest for 5 minutes, cook in a buttered pan. That's it. The baking soda reacts with the acidity of the discard to give them a good rise without needing yeast or long fermentation.

They also freeze brilliantly—make a double batch on Sunday, freeze them flat, and reheat in the toaster all week.

2. Sourdough Discard Crackers

This is the recipe most often credited with converting discard sceptics. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare, requires no rising time, and produces something genuinely addictive—thin, crispy, and savoury in a way that shop-bought crackers rarely are. Add rosemary, flaky sea salt, and sesame seeds on top.

Basic ratio: 120g (½ cup) discard, 2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil, ½ tsp salt, herbs or seeds of choice. Spread thin on a lined baking tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20–25 minutes. The thinner you spread it, the crispier the result. These work with any discard, even one that's been in the fridge for two weeks without feeding.

3. Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Banana bread is already an excellent vehicle for overripe fruit; sourdough discard makes it better. The acidity tenderises the crumb and adds a complexity that standard banana bread doesn't have—it tastes slightly richer, slightly more grown-up. Use 120g of discard in place of around 60g of flour and 60ml of liquid from your usual recipe. The ratios don't need to be exact; this is a forgiving bake.

4. Sourdough Discard Flatbreads

Quick flatbreads made with discard come together in under 30 minutes with no oven required—just a dry frying pan. Mix 200g (1 cup) discard with enough flour to form a soft dough (usually 100–150g), add a pinch of salt, rest for 10 minutes, roll thin, and cook in a hot dry pan for 2–3 minutes per side. Serve with hummus, soup, curry, or just with butter. They're best eaten fresh and slightly warm.

5. Sourdough Discard Waffles

If you have a waffle iron and aren't using it for discard waffles, you're leaving something good on the table. The discard gives waffles a crunch on the outside and chew on the inside that plain batter doesn't achieve. Make the batter the night before (discard + egg + milk + a little oil, no leavening), refrigerate it, and cook in the morning. The overnight rest deepens the flavour even further.

6. Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough

This one is a slow play—you won't use it for tonight's dinner—but it's worth making ahead. Mix 200g discard with 300g flour, 200ml water, 7g salt, and 1 tsp olive oil. Knead briefly, rest for 4 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge), then shape and top as usual. The result is a thin-crust pizza with genuine tang and better texture than most quick-yeast recipes. King Arthur Baking has a well-tested version of this if you want exact measurements.

A Note on Storing Discard

You can keep discard in a jar in the fridge for 1–2 weeks without feeding it. It becomes more sour over time, which works better for savoury recipes than sweet ones. If it smells strongly alcoholic or develops an orange or pink tinge, discard it—this signals contamination rather than the normal lactic acid activity of a healthy starter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use old discard that hasn't been fed for two weeks?

Yes, for most recipes. Very old discard is more sour and works better in savoury bakes like crackers or flatbreads. For sweet recipes like pancakes or banana bread, fresher discard (within a week) tends to taste better.

Do discard recipes taste like sourdough?

They have a slight tang—more than a standard bake but not the full sourness of a loaf. The tang is most noticeable in crackers and flatbreads, and barely perceptible in banana bread or waffles.

Can I freeze sourdough discard?

Yes. Freeze it in 120g portions (roughly ½ cup) in freezer bags. Defrost in the fridge overnight before using. It works well for most recipes after freezing.