Should we take a break from baking bread for a bit? How about just one entry… Trust me, it will be worth it when you try one of my top 3 leftover sourdough starter recipes below. Plus, it’s still considered baking if we’re using a starter in a roundabout way, right? This post presents a few ways to utilize our excess sourdough starter discarded at each feeding (refreshment).
Since I feed my sourdough starter twice daily, I usually have an excess of starter in the morning and evening. Many see this excess as “waste,” but it can be used for many things besides going into your compost bin. After all, this waste can be seen as food for our starter so it can continue living.
The following recipes are tried and true here in my kitchen. I’ve made the waffles and pancakes so many weekends the process has become ritualistic: mix the batter the night before to ferment overnight, wake and finish mixing, and then get cooking.
My previously outlined schedule for creating a sourdough starter and my guide on maintaining a sourdough starter will work well with any of the following recipes, ensuring you have enough starter each day to meet the requirements. Note that you might have to adjust the hydration of the recipes below to suit your sourdough starter. If you maintain a stiffer starter (60-75% hydration), you might have to add more liquid until the consistency of the batter is typical for what you’re making.
My Best Sourdough Waffles
Lengthy fermentation time makes my best sourdough waffles impossibly light, crunchy, and slightly tangy. In addition to the wonderful flavor, because the flour is fermented for several hours, the entire batter becomes aerated, resulting in a waffle that will surprise you on your first bite. They have just the right ratio of sweet to savory, with a slight but noticeable tang at the end.
I made these recently on a snowy day here in Albuquerque, which fits perfectly with warm waffles. Arya, our German shepherd, wanted to go outside to do some hiking and investigating in the snow. It’s funny to watch shepherds outside when it snows: they run around eating the snow, digging here and there, and generally creating a little storm of their own.
As adults (maybe it’s just me?), we’re hesitant to get dirty and make a mess; sometimes, it’s great to see kids or your pets throw all that aside and care only about the moment. Thankfully, a batch of sourdough starter waffle batter was fermented and ready to hit the iron.
If you have sourdough starter discard ready, try these waffles, you’ll love them!
Sourdough Starter Pancakes
Pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast indulgences. I have memories as a child waking up to the upstairs kitchen (yes, strangely, our kitchen was upstairs, and all the bedrooms were downstairs—that’s the 50s for you) smelling like batter and butter. Fresh fruit to the top was always a staple, as was good maple syrup. I’m not a diehard maple syrup, but really, anything less than 100% maple syrup is kind of a letdown for these beautiful sourdough pancakes.
These can be made quickly and easily on a whim; you need very little pre-planning to make these happen (isn’t that usually the case on late Sunday mornings?). I’ve used this core recipe a dozen different ways based on the season: pureed pumpkin mixed in during November, fresh blueberries tossed into the batter during the summer, and ricotta added in at, well, any time of the year. If you’ve made pancakes before, you know just how versatile they can be.
I like to use a smoking hot griddle to cook pancakes; it makes a huge difference in the quality of your pancakes. If you don’t have one, you can pick up a cast iron griddle for relatively cheap, and it’ll last a lifetime.
Baker’s Banana Bread
Banana bread is something I had at least once a month growing up. A family of four always seems to have excess bananas on hand, you know, those in the kitchen that are so black and mushy no one ever touches them. Well, these are the bananas you want to use for this banana bread!
This banana bread could easily become zucchini bread by swapping out the bananas (or you can keep them) with grated and pressed zucchini (after you grate the zucchini into fine little strands, press them between two paper towels to extract some of the moisture out).
What I love most about this banana bread is that the ingredients are flexible and include items I always have on hand—a baker’s banana bread, if you will.
What’s Next?
So there you have it, my top 3 leftover sourdough starter recipes. If you get into a good rhythm, and with little extra planning, you can make a superb breakfast each weekend (or weekday if you go late).
Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day, and with the recipes above, it’s just that much better. While not technically a breakfast food, banana bread is perfect in the morning with a cappuccino or pour-over.
For more, see my roundup of sourdough starter discard recipes.
716 Comments
I didn’t have eggs at hand today, so I made a vegan version for friends: I used an extra 5th banana (as a substitute for the 2 eggs) and vegan butter (I kept the honey, but maple syrup would’ve worked also I guess) and it luckily worked out just fine! The taste and texture were slightly different than normally (I made this recipe 4+ times!!) but it was also delicious! I also subbed 20 grams of the walnuts with pistachios – also nice! Sprinkled the top with cinnamon and brown rock candy 😊 thank you so much for this heavenly recipe, everyone loves it!
Wow, love all those changes, Floura! I’ve been slowly adding more and more banana to my sourdough banana bread—it seems there’s no limit 🙂 Enjoy!
Maurizio, what amount is the most banana-grams 🙂 that you’ve added, and with successful results?
It’s not super precise, I’ve done up to 4 very ripe bananas (I know, the weight can very, but they were large!) with no problem.
The banana bread is soooo good. Moist and tasty. Thank you!
🙌🏼
Hello Maurizio! Thank you for your website, I visit often, I love your recipes. Do you think this discard banana bread recipe would bake up nicely as muffins? thank you!
You’re very welcome, Jessica! I have in fact made this banana bread as muffins–it’s awesome! I even did a simple crumble to top it once with oats, butter, and sugar, it was great!
Have you ever thought about developing a sour dough scallion pancake recipe?
No, but that sounds awesome to me!
Good Morning,
If a recipe calls for sour cream (looking at snacking cake recipes) how do I or can I substitute or work in sourdough starter or discard in the recipe? Looking to use as much of the discard as possible to avoid waster. Thank you and have a great day.
Good question! I usually like to sub out buttermilk in some quantity for starter, but for sour cream it might be a bit different. You’ll have the sourness, for sure, but the fat portion of the cream… I’d say try with 50% replaced with starter and see how that goes!
So delicious!! My banana bread came out great and I substituted ghee for butter as I’m currently on a non-dairy diet! Thank you!
Right on, Janene! Glad to hear you liked the banana bread 🙂
So glad to hear that, Tom! Yes, a weekend ritual over here as well (I flip flop between waffle and pancake).
Hi there – about how many pancakes does this recipe make?
So hard to say (depends on how big you like them!), I usually make around 12 or so that are maybe 5-6″ diameter. Rough numbers there, though! One way to ensure you have enough: double the recipe and freeze the leftovers 🙂
Hi Maurizio, I recently got a sourdough starter and immediately found your site because I’ve been following you on IG for a while because you make incredible sourdough! I’m starting with discard recipes while I gather the rest of my supplies for bread, and I’ve made this banana bread twice this week. I’ve followed it carefully with the grams of everything, and it has puffed up nicely but then it falls while cooling. Even when it tests done to the temperature that you recommend. What can I do to keep it from falling? It falls and seems too moist/gooey. I’m using sprouted hard red wheat that I am grinding in my KoMo and following the rest of your ingredients except for using coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar.
That’s interesting, Sara! My guess is it’s too much liquid. I’d hold back some of the liquid in the recipe and be sure to bake it all the way through (go by the internal temp I list, banana bread is notoriously hard to judge when finished). Sorry for the delay! Let me know how the next try goes, it’s such a great way to use up that discard.
Oh my gosh, I just tried the waffle recipe this morning and poured them as pancakes. I’ll never be happy with “regular” pancakes again – I’m ruined! The flavor was soooooo wonderful and I loved working with the batter and seeing what it turned into overnight. It’s like magic! Fed 2 neighbors too, with that batch which makes me happy. I’m wondering if I can sub Swerve for the sugar, or if sugar is required food for the starter.
So awesome to hear you liked them, Monica! It’s wonderful sharing them with others, too 🙂 Thanks for the feedback! Sugar isn’t mandatory, and in fact, I’ll leave out the sugar when I’m making a savory waffle (or pancake!). Enjoy!
I’ve tried both the immediate mix and overnight fermentation options for waffles and pancakes, and no matter how I cook them -standard method, low and slow, high heat and finish in the oven- and they are ALWAYS undercooked in the middle. Should they be rested like a regular loaf?
Is it possible you are cooking them over too high of a heat? If this is the case, the outside will color too fast before they cook all the way through.
Try increasing the liquid (water and/or oil). That will thin out the pancake so it will more easily cook through. Or add some baking powder to increase the aeration.
Hi @maurizioleo:disqus. Thank you for sharing these recipes! I made the pancakes using the overnight method and they were absolutely delicious. One question is that they came out kind of flat. They were still light and airy and delicious, but I expected them to fluff up a bit more. Do yours fluff up and get a bit of height? If so, any recommendations or thoughts on why mine did not?
Excellent, Montana! Glad you liked the flavor. It might have been they were a bit over hydrated, if you reduce the liquid in the recipe, or add more flour in the morning, you might be able to eke out more rise. Also, be sure to add the baking soda in the morning, and not at night 🙂One other thing, if you use white flour you’ll also get more rise. Let me know if that doesn’t help!
It’s hard to buy stuff like buttermilk where I’m from, what can I substitute it with for the waffle mix? Love the pancake recipe by the way!
Glad to hear that, Chloe! You can sub out the buttermilk for something like half the quantity yogurt, half milk. I do this from time-to-time and it works really well!
I never have buttermilk on hand, but you can just make it yourself. Just use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar) and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let it rest for a while (milk will curdle), and you have a great buttermilk substitute!
I LOVED the pancakes, and liked the waffles… But the waffles were a little too sour for my liking. Is there any reason I couldn’t use the pancake recipe in my electric waffle maker? Or do you recommend an adjustment to the recipe to ensure they cook properly in the waffle maker?
Right on, Matt! You can absolutely do that. When I make waffles I usually like the batter to be a little more firm, you could hold back some of the liquid in the pancake recipe to firm them up just a bit to give them more structure when cooking in the waffle maker. They’ll be awesome.
Awesome! Thanks for the great recipes. I like this pancake recipe much better than the old one I was using.
My first try using discard for the banana bread looked amazing until I took it out of the oven and then it all caved in. Taste is very good, but wondering what I did wrong. I am a long-time baker, but a novice sourdough baker. Was my discard not strong enough….I added one extra banana to the mix…..but I’m sure that was not the problem. Also used all einkorn flour….maybe a mix of that and whole wheat would have given the loaf more oomph….?
I’d appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
Saw your reply to a post 3 mo. ago. I did not take internal temp, so will do that next time. But the loaf was in the oven forever to the point of being too brown. Somehow I think there is more to the failure than taking the loaf out too early…..thanks for any input.
My feeling is you likely had too many ingredients that wouldn’t contribute enough strength. Adding one more banana might have been just fine if you were using traditional whole wheat, but einkorn is pretty soft flour and has a hard time building the same gluten network (strength) as modern wheat. I would either omit the extra banana or do a mix of einkorn and whole wheat like you said!
Makes sense, thanks so much!
I substituted 1 whole (peel and all) organic naval orange, puréed in a food processor and 1 c chopped cranberries for the bananas in the banana bread recipe. Omitted the vanilla as well. It was perfect. Tis the season!
Sounds phenomenal!
This banana bread is AMAZING! I’m not usually one to post comments on recipe websites, but I had to, for those interested. I’ve been looking for a looooong time for a banana bread recipe that isn’t so sweet. This recipe is perfect. I used half AP and half whole wheat. The texture and flavor is absolutely perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Super happy to hear that! I’m like you, not one for overly sweet baked goods. Thanks for the feedback and enjoy!
I could’nt wait to bake this recipe, after I’ve tried sourdough pizza. This morning, I’ve enjoyed sourdough waffle with rasperries, blueberries, maple syrup and cottage cheese.
Maurizio, you give very good instructions and what about the results we get. Today, I will finish sourdough baguettes. Yes, I love cooking.
Thank you so much to share your knowledge.
🤩
You’re very welcome, Joanne! Happy baking 🙂
These are the best waffles I’ve ever had. I always have extra buttermilk and I hate wasting starter so this is the perfect recipe for me. They’re so light and crispy with a pronounced sour tang. I made them in a belgian waffle maker and they came out beautiful – delicate, lacy and golden brown. Topped them with some raw honey and wild bluberries for a very country breakfast. Thanks!
Glad to hear you like them, KC! Yes, they’re super handy to use up excess starter discard and the texture is what get’s me every time. Enjoy!
Oh my goodness! The pancake recipe is amazing!
Thank you—I make them so often here!
Hi!! I’ve been following your recipes and blog for some time now and it has definitely made me a better bread baker. I am wondering if there is a way to alter this recipe into a sourdough pumpkin bread (the cake kind of version)? Most of the pumpkin bread recipes are all pretty similar and curious to know what an addition of sourdough starter would make to the texture/flavor of that kind of bread. Would love your thoughts on this!
Hey there! I’ve thought about doing this as well and I think it would work really well. Sub out the banana for pumpkin puree. Also, have you seen my pumpkin cinnamon sourdough bread? It’s not cake-like, but darn tasty! Happy baking 🙂
I did! I made this the other week and absolutely loved it! The color and structure was really amazing. Going to try this recipe and sub for pumpkin puree. Thanks!
I prepared your sourdough waffles in my NordicWare Belgian waffler, and they’re delicious! I made only a half-batch for the two of us and won’t make that silly mistake again. :)) Thanks for your wonderful website.
Super glad to hear that, Pat! Isn’t that waffler awesome? Enjoy 🙂
Hi Maurizio, may I accumulate 2 or 3 of the sourdough discard and combined them so that I have enough starter to use for the recipe?
Yes you can. I typically keep this “sourdough starter cache” in the fridge and use it within a week or so.
Hi Maurizio – Thank you for introducing me to the world of sourdough discard pancakes. I started making these in the spring, and they very quickly overtook sourdough bread as my preferred sourdough recipe! I’ve made this recipe upwards of 20 times now, freezing a giant batch each time. In fact, these days, I make starter just for these golden, fluffy, fragrant pancakes 🙂
My issue is that I suffer from seasonal eczema that’s exacerbated with a diet rich in dairy. I read in another comment where you suggested subbing milk with a nut milk. Do you have a suggestion for a butter and yogurt substitute that isn’t heavily processed? I’d like to avoid the likes of Earth Balance butter if possible. Any other oils/fats you’d recommend?
You’re very welcome, and so great to hear that, Julie! Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of experience in subbing out butter and yogurt, but they do make dairy alternatives for those as well. I know they can be processed, that’s the only downside. I know in many baked goods butter is subbed out with apple sauce, maybe that would work, but I haven’t tried 🙂
I’d seen waffle and pancake recipes that call for coconut oil and wanted to try it in here. I used melted coconut oil that had cooled but not to the point of re-solidifying. Results were comparable to the tasty waffles I got using Earth Balance in this recipe. I’ve got melted coconut oil out anyway for brushing on my NordicWare waffler’s cooking surfaces, and it’s now my fat of choice for waffle and pancake batter.
Could I use pumpkin puree instead of banana in the bread recipe to make it pumpkin bread instead? Or would that change the moisture content too much?
You could give it a try! It will likely be more loose, as you suggested. But, I think it will be just fine, there’s plenty of dry ingredients in this banana bread to balance it out: I’ve made banana breads where they’re so loose they are almost liquid! If you give it a try let me know how it works out. I’ve been wanting to try this myself.
I just made the loaf with some mashed kobacha squash I had left over and it is SUPERB. I added a little cinnamon with the lemon zest. I’m sure pumpkin would be comparable in flavor and water content. Thanks!
Oh that sounds divine! Thanks for reporting back, Audrey! Now I have something to try 🙂
Hello, Magster! I have modified a recipe (Pumpkin Yeast Bread) from King Arthur Baking for a less sweet loaf of pumpkin bread – perfect for toasting or enjoying with butter and a slice of cheese. I substitute 223 grams of my starter for 113 grams of the liquid and 113 grams of flour called for in the recipe, and I use 2/3 of the yeast. I have made three loaves in the last 24 hours!
I should also mention I now have a recipe for a pumpkin cinnamon sourdough bread posted!
Thank you so much for this website. I came here completely new to sourdough and now I feel very confident with it, all because of your recipes, instructions, and information. I now make your very high-hydration loaves based on your recipes every week. Also, I love all 3 of these discard recipes. Are there any more savory ways to use up discard? I don’t want it all to go to waste, but I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Thanks so much!
You’re very welcome, Bryn! Really happy to hear you’re tackling all those recipes, that’s just awesome. You can turn the waffles in this post into savory waffles by omitting the sugar. Then, top with just about anything: scallions and sweet potatoes, fried chicken, etc.!
I’m working on some more savory discard recipes that’ll be up soon. In the meantime, check out my collection of discard recipes—you can also use the galette dough in that post with savory fillings by omitting the sugar.
Have fun!
thanks a lot – certainly as a sour dough newby, I want to re-use all the starter “discard” – can you upload some suggestions for vegan waffles & pancakes please?
I tried savoury pancakes, which tasted delicious but the air bubbles didn’t remain when I flipped them over (sour dough starter, lightly steamed veg such as carrots, cabbage, brocoli, cauliflower, ½ teaspoon bouillon, ½ teaspoon yeast extract (“Marmite”), 10 each cashews & almonds, soaked overnight – all whizzed up in a spice grinder to a thick paste and pan-fried) – I shall continue to experiment – (Mark)
You bet, Mark. To make these vegan, just sub out eggs for “flax eggs” and any milk for any plant-based milk. Should work well!
Hi Maurizio,
Your discard waffles have become my new go-to automatic and everyone in the house loves them…thank you so much. I throw blueberries in them, like 4 or 5 per, and its the absolute best. Hey…question for you: have you tried Cairn Springs flour? I am almost out of my Central Milling ABC and was curious if you’d tried it yet. Thanks for any info. Best, Nancy
That’s super awesome to hear, Nancy! I’ve done blueberries as well, they’re so good. Yes, I’ve used Cairnsprings and they have recently opened their online shop with larger flour options—can’t wait to order some. I really like their flour!
Quick question: why do you slightly cook the yolks? What does it add to the batter? Do you know of a tutorial that shows the level of doneness?
A few quick questions I suppose.
There’s no cooking of the yolks aside from when they’re in the batter!
Gah, I misread. Thanks!
Hi Maurizio
Thanks for recipe 😀
Do you proof the banana bread before you bake?
You’re welcome, Francine! No proofing: the added starter is for flavoring (and a bit of healthy, fermented flour, of course). Enjoy!
Hello! I’ve been making your banana bread for a couple of years now–so delicious! I love the intense banana flavor and mild sweetness. I would love to use this recipe as a base for pumpkin bread, but I am not very good at messing around with an already great recipe and getting good results. Have you tried this? I am wondering if I can swap out the volume of banana in this recipe for an equal volume of pureed pumpkin…would it be that easy? Thanks!
Hey, Heather! That’s so awesome to hear. It’s one of my favorites as well, such an easy and delicious quick bread. Yes, I’d swap out the weight of the bananas with pumkin puree (I’d use Libby’s canned or another brand). You could even play with adding “pumpkin pie” spices if you’d like to go that route as well. I’m working on a pumpkin bread to be posted soon as well! Stay tuned and happy baking 🙂
Yay! I’m looking forward to your pumpkin bread recipe 🙂 Thank you!
Dear Maurizio, thank you so much for the lovely banana bread recipe!i used AP, WW and semolina flours. Also used half goat butter since I had some to use up, together with cashews and pecans. I made them in financier shapes and mini loaf shapes, with and without topping (ran low on nuts). Both were extremely delicious… so fluffy and tender, but not too cake-like! Especially enjoy the sweetness level which suits my Asian palette. I’ve also made your Beginner sourdough bread and I really enjoyed it too! I made tiny little rolls (can you tell my preference for minis!?). Am so thankful for your expertise and generosity!
Fantastic to hear all around Sharon! I’ve made the banana bread as little muffins but haven’t yet tried to make mini loaves—love that idea! Thanks so much for the feedback and have fun!
Normally I put the discard In the fridge. I have been doing that for about a week. Can I just remove what is needed for the pancakes Just not sure about if it needs to be used before refrigerating or if my unfed discard can be used from the fridge? Thanks!
Sounds right on, Robin. Just remove what you need and leave the rest. You can use the starter for these recipes right from the fridge because it’s not the only leavener in the recipe. Happy baking!
I’ve been making banana bread with my starter leftovers, but no honey or olive oil. Gotta try that.
You asked for other uses. I’ve been making Alton Brown’s cheese crackers: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sourdough-cheese-crackers-7480783. These are amazing; my family complains if I skip a week. 🙂 I use more cheese powder than he does, and make some spicy by dribbling hot sauce on them between the butter & cutting. Use your fingers to make sure you have complete, even, coverage. These are also nice because it gives you an excuse to get a new toy for your stand mixer if you don’t already have a pasta roller.
Oh those sound delicious. I’ve been working on a cracker recipe for a while 🙂
I’ve tried the banana bread three times now (as zucchini bread) and each time its ended up very under done in the middle. My most recent attempt I baked it for an extra 15 minutes but its still soft and mushy in the middle. Could the zucchini’s be adding too much moisture to the batter?
It can be hard to judge when banana bread is baked thoroughly, use the internal temperature guide at the end of the recipe to dial that in—after baking this bread for years I still take the temperature every time I bake to ensure it’s completely done! Yes, if the zucchini is not drained thoroughly there will be excess water in the dough. Be sure to shred them and let them drain inside a colander for at least 30m before folding into the dough.