Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (2024)

By Author Lori Elliott

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Categories Recipes, Sourdough

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Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (1)

If you’ve ever made your own sourdough starter from wild yeast for making homemade sourdough bread you’ve probably found yourself wondering what else you can use it for besides just bread. And if you’ve been maintaining a sourdough starter for any length of time, then you know that it can multiply pretty quickly when you feed it and you can end up with a lot of extra. But rather than just throwing away the extra sourdough starter, it’s nice to be able to use it to bake with, so I decided to gather up a big list of ideas for sourdough recipes to make with a sourdough starter.

These recipes all use homemade wild yeast for a sourdough flavor and for a rising agent. Some of the recipes use only sourdough yeast with no other types of yeast or rising agents like baking powder and soda and they are slowly fermented overnight. Some of the recipes use a mix of sourdough yeast and regular store bought yeast to give the sourdough flavor and to help give the dough a better rise. And a couple of the recipes use the sourdough starter mostly for the flavor and use primarily other rising agents. I’ve tried to indicate how the sourdough starter is used for each of the recipes listed below.

This list has a little bit of everything, including breakfast items like waffles and donuts, several different bread options, and other baked goods like rolls. There are also a couple of recipes for making different types of sourdough starters like rye and gluten free ones, too.

So if you’re like me and you’ve ever found yourself wondering what to make with your homemade sourdough starter, here’s a list of over 30 different recipes to make with your sourdough starter:

If you love sourdough baking, and you're looking for more recipes to try, here are some great ideas for recipes that you can make with a sourdough starter.

Breakfast Recipes

Here are some great sourdough breakfast recipes to try:

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Overnight Sourdough Spelt Waffles

Photo Credit:www.occasionallyeggs.com

These vegan waffles are made with spelt flour and you can prepare the batter the night before so it's ready to go in the morning when you wake up.

Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (3)

Overnight Sourdough Waffles

Photo Credit:savorthebest.com

These overnight sourdough waffles use similar ingredients to traditional waffles, but they use a sourdough starter as the leavening agent rather than baking powder or soda.

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Red, White and Blueberry Sourdough Waffles

Photo Credit:www.cookingwithcarlee.com

These waffles are made with buttermilk and plenty of blueberries and served with strawberries or other fresh berries.

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Sourdough Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar

Photo Credit:www.baking-sense.com

These sourdough yeast donuts are fermented with sourdough yeast rather than commercial yeast, and they have a delicious cinnamon sugar coating on them.

Bread Recipes

Bread is what we often think of when we think of sourdough baking. Here are some great sourdough bread recipes to try:

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Easy Homemade Sourdough Bread Recipe from 1869

This old-fashioned sourdough bread recipe from 1869 is an easy recipe for beginner bakers because you only have to knead the dough once and you can let the dough rise in the same pan you bake the bread in.

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Honey Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit:www.butterforall.com

This honey whole grain sourdough bread uses heirloom and ancient grains, and it is naturally fermented and leavened.

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Pain de Méteil ~ 45% Rye Sourdough Hearth Bread

Photo Credit:practicalselfreliance.com

This sourdough rye bread uses enough rye flour to give the bread a nice flavor but not so much that it is difficult to bake with. It also uses a blend of sourdough yeast and standard yeast to help the bread rise.

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Kaylen's Bread

Photo Credit:thegoodheartedwoman.com

This simple sourdough bread recipe is easy to make and has just five basic ingredients.

Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (10)

No Knead Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit:www.earthfoodandfire.com

This simple and basic sourdough bread recipe can be made without having to knead the dough.

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Sourdough Rye Bread Bowls

Photo Credit:soupaddict.com

These sourdough rye bread bowls are made with a blend of sourdough and standard yeast, and they are a fun way to serve homemade soups and stews.

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How to Make Sourdough Focaccia: a Step-by-Step Tutorial

Photo Credit:heartbeetkitchen.com

This sourdough focaccia recipe is made with olive oil and includes a drizzle of butter, garlic, and oregano on the top.

Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (13)

Sourdough Pumpernickel Bread Recipe

Photo Credit:www.baking-sense.com

This dark sourdough pumpernickle bread is made with rye flour, whole wheat flour, and other flavorful ingredients like coffee, cocoa, and molasses.

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Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf

Photo Credit:thisoldgal.com

This hokkaido milk sandwich loaf is made with a slow fermentation from sourdough yeast and the texture is very soft and pillowy.

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Sourdough Rye Bread

Photo Credit:www.carolinescooking.com

This sourdough rye bread recipe is made with a blend of rye and wheat flours and is traditionally fermented using a rye sourdough starter.

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Country Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit:thisoldgal.com

This country sourdough bread recipe uses a blend of whole wheat and all purpose flour and it has a long fermentation with a traditional sourdough starter.

Einkorn Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit:savorthebest.com

This rustic sourdough bread recipe uses ancient einkorn flour for a nice depth of flavor and a soft texture in the crumb.

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How to Make Sourdough Focaccia

Photo Credit:flouronmyface.com

This step by step recipe for sourdough focaccia gives detailed instructions with photos and a video to show the process of preparing and kneading the dough.

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Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit:www.lanascooking.com

This recipe uses a blend of whole wheat and white bread flour, and it uses both wild sourdough yeast and packaged yeast. There are also instructions for making your own wild yeast starter

Other Sourdough Baked Goods

These non-bread baked goods are made with sourdough yeast.

Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (20)

Sourdough Crescent Rolls

Photo Credit:www.cookingwithcarlee.com

These crescent rolls have a slightly sweet flavor with a bit of a sourdough taste and they are leavened with a blend of sourdough yeast and standard yeast.

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Sourdough English Muffins

Photo Credit:www.beyondthechickencoop.com

These English muffins have a nice flavor from the sourdough starter but they rise quickly because of the addition of standard yeast. They are perfect for spreading with homemade jam or jellies.

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Old Hartford Election Cake

This old-fashioned 19th century recipe was once very popular to serve at elections. It is a spice cake with raisins and currents that is leavened with traditional sourdough yeast.

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Sweet And Buttery Sourdough Pie Crust - Traditionally Fermented For A Nourished Diet

Photo Credit:www.butterforall.com

This sweet and buttery sourdough pie crust recipe is made with a traditional slow fermentation with sourdough yeast and it is perfect for making pies and other recipes that call for pastry dough.

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Japanese Hokkaido Milk Hotdog Buns

Photo Credit:thisoldgal.com

These Japanese Hokkaido milk hot dog buns are soft and fluffy and made with a traditional slow fermentation with sourdough yeast.

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Vegan Sourdough Banana Bread

Photo Credit:www.theroastedroot.net

This vegan sourdough banana bread recipe has a nice flavor from the addition of the sourdough starter but it also has baking soda for additional leavening to allow it to still be a quickly made bread.

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Vegan Fried Chicken and Sourdough Biscuits – Vegan Yack Attack

Photo Credit:veganyackattack.com

These vegan sourdough biscuits are made with a mix of all-purpose four and whole wheat pastry flour and they use both sourdough yeast and baking powder for leavening so they are quickly made.

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Winter Root Vegetable Pizza with Spelt Sourdough Crust

Photo Credit:www.occasionallyeggs.com

This winter root vegetable pizza recipe has a spelt crust traditionally fermented with a sourdough starter and you can top it with root vegetables or with any toppings of your choice.

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Sourdough Cheese Crackers - Taste Love and Nourish

Photo Credit:www.tasteloveandnourish.com

These sourdough cheese crackers are made with whole wheat flour, olive oil, and nutritional yeast to give them a cheese flavor, and they are made with only sourdough yeast.

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Rye Sourdough Spaetzle with Caramelized Cipollini & Sautéed Mushrooms

Photo Credit:thegoodheartedwoman.com

This rye sourdough spaetzle recipe uses a rye sourdough starter, and it can be made quickly in just 30 minutes.

Other Sourdough Recipes

These other sourdough recipes include a drink made with a sourdough culture and recipes for how to make your own sourdough starters.

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How to Make Kvass

Photo Credit:practicalselfreliance.com

This traditional probiotic drink recipe is made with a sourdough starter and leftover bread to create a refreshing beverage.

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How to Make Homemade Yeast

This recipe gives detailed instructions for how to make your own homemade sourdough yeast using just flour and water.

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Homemade Rye Sourdough Starter

Photo Credit:practicalselfreliance.com

This recipe explains how to make a sourdough starter using rye flour rather than using wheat flour and show the step by step process.

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Gluten-free Sourdough Starter--{Grain-free too!}

Photo Credit:wholenewmom.com

This recipe describes how you can make a gluten-free sourdough starter to use in gluten-free baking, and there are options for making it grain-free too.

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How To Make Sourdough Starter From Wild, Natural Yeast

Photo Credit:craftinvaders.co.uk

This recipe shows the step by step process for how you can make your own sourdough starter from wild natural yeast.

Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (35)
Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (36)
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The information in this post is not to be taken as medical advice and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

Over 30 Sourdough Recipes to Make with a Sourdough Starter (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good sourdough starter? ›

Over the years, I've found keeping the mixture warm at around 80°F (26°C), and high hydration (100% water to flour in baker's percentages) helps get things started. In addition, while not mandatory, using certain flour also helps increase the chances a starter will take hold quickly (see below).

How much sourdough starter is enough? ›

I keep 1 ounce of starter and feed it with 1 ounce of flour and 1 ounce of water because I rarely need a massive amount of starter on hand, but various other sourdough luminaries advise different amounts. If you don't have a scale, go for 1/4 cup starter to 1/2 cup of flour to 1/4 cup water.

How to use your sourdough starter to make bread? ›

Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the dough, ensuring it is active and bubbly. Add warm water, active starter, salt, and flour to a large mixing bowl. A kitchen scale will give the most accurate results. Mix together with wooden spoon or even just your hands.

When should you not use sourdough starter? ›

After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what you want to bake with it.

Can you use sourdough starter to ferment other things? ›

Sourdough Starter

This is obviously well-suited to grain dishes and baked goods, but can also be used to culture beans, fruits, and even vegetables. You can also use sourdough bread to make kvass, which has a bread-yeast beer flavor.

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. Why do you need to use these two types of flour?

What is the healthiest flour for sourdough bread? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

What is the best flour to feed sourdough starter? ›

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour, which is a blend of hard and soft wheat, is a popular choice for feeding sourdough starter. It provides a good balance of protein and starch, which promotes a healthy fermentation process.

Should I stir my sourdough starter between feedings? ›

stir your starter in between feedings - try stirring it twice in between feedings and really give it a chance to get oxygen into the mix. This will help to activate your starter without too much effort.

Why discard half sourdough starter? ›

Discarding half is wayyyy LESS wasteful than keeping it around or “sharing” the other half with a friend because… The sourdough starter is not a viable starter until 3 to 5 days old and sometimes longer. It takes that long for the organism balance to get established.

How often should you change your sourdough starter jar? ›

How often do you change or clean your sourdough starter container? Use the same jar daily and keep it as clean as possible. During a feeding, discard part of your starter per usual and then scrape down as much residual starter as possible, reincorporating it back into the mixture.

Can you bake straight sourdough starter? ›

If you're an experienced baker and are familiar with working with a cold sourdough starter that has been kept in the refrigerator for a long time and you've had success, then it's totally OK to use your starter straight from the refrigerator. You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe.

How to know if sourdough starter is bad? ›

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

How long does it take for sourdough starter to be ready to bake with? ›

*Do not try baking with your starter right after feeding it. Allow time for it to grow and feast on the flour before using it. Starters are usually ready to bake with around 4-12 hours after a feeding depending on the amount you feed your starter. The larger the feeding, the more time it needs to ferment.

How long does sourdough starter last? ›

Dried sourdough starter lasts indefinitely, and can be brought back to life with water and flour when you're finally ready to bake again.

Can you freeze sourdough starter? ›

Fortunately, you can chill or even freeze your sourdough starter to slow down the yeast's activity and preserve it until you're ready to bake.

Is sourdough the only bread that uses a starter? ›

Sourdough starter and yeast are both leavening agents and both require a fermentation process. They are used to leaven breads, pizza, rolls, bagels etc. Other leavening agents can include baking soda, baking powder, eggs etc. These are more popular for quick breads like banana bread or pancakes.

Is cooking with sourdough starter healthy? ›

Although the beneficial microbes in the starter tend to be lost during the baking process, the fibre and plant compounds, called polyphenols, become more bio-available. These act as an important fuel source for our gut microbes, which explains why sourdough is a gut-friendly choice.

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