Sourdough Gingerbread
A spiced sourdough gingerbread loaf or cake made with starter or discard, molasses and warm spices. A moist, tangy quick bread for the holidays.
By Maya Ellison · Reviewed by Maya Ellison · Updated August 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Sourdough gingerbread is the moist, dark, spiced loaf of molasses and warm ginger, cinnamon and cloves, with a scoop of starter or discard folded in for a gentle tang that balances the sweetness. The discard earns its place here since baking soda does the rising, so you get a holiday quick bread that quietly uses up jar scrapings. It smells like December and slices like a dream.
Why this recipe works
Gingerbread is a quick bread, so the starter is flavor, not leavener. Molasses brings moisture, color and a bittersweet depth, and its acidity meets the baking soda for lift and a tender crumb. The sourdough's tang keeps the molasses from reading one-note sweet.
| Ingredient | Weight |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 250 g |
| Starter/discard | 100 g |
| Molasses | 120 g |
| Milk + butter | 160 g |
The molasses and starter together keep the loaf genuinely moist.
Mixing and baking
Whisk the wet fully so the molasses and starter blend, then fold in the dry just until no streaks remain. Overmixing makes it tough, so stop early.
Bake at 350°F and check at 40 minutes with a skewer. It's done at about 200°F center and a clean pick.
Common mistakes
- Dry, crumbly loaf: overbaked or light on molasses. Bake to temp and weigh the molasses.
- Bitter taste: blackstrap molasses or too much. Use unsulfured and stick to 120 g.
- Sunken middle: cut hot or underbaked. Cool fully and bake through.
- Tough crumb: overmixed. Fold gently and stop at combined.
Before you bake
Got discard to spend? The sourdough discard recipes page collects more like this. Keep a jar ready with the sourdough starter guide, and the sourdough bread recipe is where the whole journey starts.
Ingredients
Weights in grams are the source of truth; cup measures are approximate.
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g sourdough starter or discard, unfed is fine
- 120 g molasses
- 80 g brown sugar, packed
- 100 g whole milk
- 60 g melted butter
- 1 large egg (about 50 g)
- 6 g baking soda
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 6 g ground ginger
- 4 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g ground cloves
Method
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9 x 5 in loaf pan, lining the base with parchment.
Whisk the molasses, brown sugar, starter or discard, milk, melted butter and egg until smooth.
In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Fold the dry into the wet just until combined.
Scrape into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean and the center reads about 200°F.
Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then lift onto a rack and cool fully before slicing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use discard instead of active starter?
Yes, and it's ideal here — the baking soda lifts the loaf while the discard adds a gentle tang that pairs with the molasses. Active starter works too, a touch milder.
Why molasses and not just sugar?
Molasses gives gingerbread its deep color, moisture and bittersweet mineral flavor. It also reacts with the baking soda for a little extra lift, so the loaf stays moist.
Why is my gingerbread dry?
Overbaked or too little molasses/butter. Bake to 200°F center and measure the molasses by weight, not a guess.
Can I make it as a cake instead of a loaf?
Yes. Bake in a greased 8 x 8 in pan for 25-30 minutes, or as a layer cake in two 20 cm rounds for about 20 minutes. The batter is the same.