Just about everyone knows what sourdough discard is, but in case it’s new to you: Sourdough discard is what’s left behind after you refresh your starter. Or if you are paranoid like me, it’s what your
great explanation! i was thinking about discard crepes and stuck on whether it would replace flour or liquid, or both. this gives me more confidence :)
Personally I have given up on trying to use discard because by my calculations it is "penny wise and pound foolish."
I went over to Restaurant Depot and bought 50 lbs of bread flour for $16. I use 100 g of flour per refreshment. That costs about 7 cents. Any recipe I might make with discard will undoubtedly require much more than 7 cents of ingredients. So unless I was already going to make a product, I won't make a special product to avoid wasting 7 cents of flour.
Even if one buys flour at a hefty retail prices of $1/pound, that's still only 22 cents per refreshment...just a bit more than the cost of 1 generic egg at Trader Joe's.
Now that I'm only refreshing once a week, my discard amount has decreased dramatically. Can I use it in a discard recipe if it's 6-8 weeks old? Ie., the amount of time probably needed to make it a workable amount for me.
Can I admit that having a good source of discard as an ingredient is just as much a draw for me as the sourdough bread itself...?? I love the tangy, complex taste it imparts so much! So far I've used it to make tastier tortillas, English muffins, and especially good crackers. I will sometimes add some to pizza dough for the flavor, but still use yeast for the actual leavening. (I have yet to have real success with an all-sourdough pizza dough...not sure why, it just tends to be more fussy to handle than making it with yeast Anyone have one they swear by?)
Hi Andrew. If a recipe calls for “sourdough starter” but doesn’t specify if discard is ok, but the recipe isn’t bread and is just a mix and bake (in this case a coffeecake), is there any reason why discard can’t be used? The recipe calls for ½ tsp baking soda and powder each (for a recipe with 1½ cups flour) so it doesn’t appear to be depending on the starter entirely for any rise. I’m just not sure if I should be using freshly fed starter of if using discard (of which I have a copious amount) would be ok. Thank you!
Hi there! How are pie crusts in both category 1 and 4?
I have never been successful with sourdough discard pancakes (fluffy ones vs thin ones) as the batter always seems runny.
Thank you for this explanation. I’m getting a better understanding of how to manage my starter and discard!
great explanation! i was thinking about discard crepes and stuck on whether it would replace flour or liquid, or both. this gives me more confidence :)
Personally I have given up on trying to use discard because by my calculations it is "penny wise and pound foolish."
I went over to Restaurant Depot and bought 50 lbs of bread flour for $16. I use 100 g of flour per refreshment. That costs about 7 cents. Any recipe I might make with discard will undoubtedly require much more than 7 cents of ingredients. So unless I was already going to make a product, I won't make a special product to avoid wasting 7 cents of flour.
Even if one buys flour at a hefty retail prices of $1/pound, that's still only 22 cents per refreshment...just a bit more than the cost of 1 generic egg at Trader Joe's.
Now that I'm only refreshing once a week, my discard amount has decreased dramatically. Can I use it in a discard recipe if it's 6-8 weeks old? Ie., the amount of time probably needed to make it a workable amount for me.
All of the recipe ideas sound great, especially exited for: pasta, crackers, tortillas, any flatbread (naan, lavash, etc), scones, biscuits!
Can I admit that having a good source of discard as an ingredient is just as much a draw for me as the sourdough bread itself...?? I love the tangy, complex taste it imparts so much! So far I've used it to make tastier tortillas, English muffins, and especially good crackers. I will sometimes add some to pizza dough for the flavor, but still use yeast for the actual leavening. (I have yet to have real success with an all-sourdough pizza dough...not sure why, it just tends to be more fussy to handle than making it with yeast Anyone have one they swear by?)
Hi Andrew, I use a lot of sourdough starter. My husband loves the crackers.
I have 3 or 4 recipes that I use all the time. Rosemary & garlic powder,
Everything bagel seed, fennel and garlic powder. I’d be happy to share the recipes.
Does discard “go bad”? I keep mine in a mason jar, and sometimes it gets a gray tinge on the top, and liquid separates from it. What gives?
Hi Andrew. If a recipe calls for “sourdough starter” but doesn’t specify if discard is ok, but the recipe isn’t bread and is just a mix and bake (in this case a coffeecake), is there any reason why discard can’t be used? The recipe calls for ½ tsp baking soda and powder each (for a recipe with 1½ cups flour) so it doesn’t appear to be depending on the starter entirely for any rise. I’m just not sure if I should be using freshly fed starter of if using discard (of which I have a copious amount) would be ok. Thank you!