Zero-waste baking

Sourdough Discard Recipes

Sourdough discard recipes turn the unfed starter you’d otherwise throw away into pancakes, crackers, bagels, cookies and more. Every recipe below is tested by one baker in a home kitchen — measured in grams, written for real schedules.

Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls

Soft, pull-apart dinner rolls with discard for tang and butter for tenderness — baked in a pan, same-day, they're the easiest crowd-pleaser in the jar.

Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough

Turn unfed starter into a crisp, tangy pizza crust the same day with a pinch of yeast, or let it cold ferment for a deeper sour flavor.

Sourdough Discard English Muffins

Soft, open-crumbed english muffins with discard for tang and a little yeast for lift — griddled on the stovetop, no rings required.

Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns

Soft, sturdy, lightly tangy hamburger buns with discard for flavor and a little yeast for lift — baked golden, they hold a burger without falling apart.

Sourdough Discard Pie Crust

A flaky sourdough discard pie crust with a subtle tang and tender layers, using unfed starter for single or double crust pies.

Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites

Chewy, golden pretzel bites with discard for a deeper tang, bathed in a baking-soda solution and baked — soft in the middle, salty and snackable.

Sourdough Discard Pasta: The Zero-Waste Fresh Noodle

Fresh silky pasta built on the discard you'd throw out — three ingredients, no waste and a soft, tangy noodle.

Sourdough Discard Bagel Recipe

Chewy bagels with discard for flavor and a little yeast for lift — boiled in malt syrup, baked hot, cold-proof optional.

Sourdough Discard Bread Recipe

The fast loaf: discard, flour, a pinch of yeast and an overnight rise — a crusty Dutch oven bread in about 14 hours.

Sourdough Discard Brownie Recipe

Fudgy, crackly-top brownies where unfed discard replaces some of the flour — denser, tangier and impossible to overbake past fudgy.

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, enriched cinnamon rolls built on 200 g of unfed discard and a little yeast — overnight cold proof for deep flavor, or same-day.

Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipes

Chewy chocolate chip cookies that use 120 g of discard for a faint tang, a long chill for chew and brown sugar for depth.

Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe

Thin, crackly seedy crackers from 150 g of fridge-cold discard: rolled thin, docked and baked low and slow until they snap.

Sourdough Discard Focaccia Recipe

Tall, puffy sheet pan focaccia from 150 g of unfed discard plus a pinch of yeast — high hydration, generous olive oil, flaky salt and rosemary.

Sourdough Discard Muffin Recipe

Tender, domed blueberry muffins from 150 g of unfed fridge discard — mix by hand in 15 minutes, no starter feeding required.

Sourdough Discard Pancakes Recipe

Fluffy, tangy pancakes that use 150 g of unfed starter — no waiting, no feedings, just breakfast.

Sourdough Discard Waffle Recipe

Crisp-outside, tender-inside waffles from a discard batter that rests overnight (or one hour, with baking soda).

New to sourdough?

You don’t need a rising, bubbly starter for these recipes — just 50–200 g of discard. These recipes assume you already have a starter. If not: