10 Delicious Sourdough Discard Recipes for Winter Baking

Every time you feed your sourdough starter, that leftover discard has serious potential. Winter’s the perfect season to transform it into cozy baked goods that fill your kitchen with warmth. These sourdough discard recipes for winter baking include everything from fluffy pancakes and soft cinnamon rolls to crispy crackers and rich chocolate cake. None of them require complicated timing or an active starter—just that jar of discard sitting in your fridge. Whether you’re craving something sweet for breakfast or savory for dinner, you’ll find ten tried-and-tested recipes that deliver amazing flavor and put every drop of your starter to delicious use.

Table of Contents

• Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
• Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Discard Crackers
• Sourdough Discard Pancakes
• Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cake
• Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
• Sourdough Discard Biscuits
• Sourdough Discard Muffins
• Sourdough Discard Pretzels
• Sourdough Discard Waffles
• Don't Waste Your Sourdough Discard This Winter

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Ingredients for Your Perfect Loaf

• 3 overripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
• ½ cup sourdough discard
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Optional: ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts

How to Make It Happen

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan—don’t skip this step or you’ll be chiseling bread out later.
2. Mash those spotty bananas in a large bowl until they’re mostly smooth (a few lumps are totally fine and add character).
3. Whisk in your sourdough starter, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until everything’s playing nice together.
4. In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, and salt—this ensures even distribution so you don’t get pockets of salty or soda-y surprise.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until you just barely don’t see flour anymore. Seriously, stop mixing. Over-mixing creates tough, dense bread.
6. Stir in your chocolate chips or nuts if you’re using them.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Let it cool for 10 minutes before turning it out—patience pays off here.

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

What You’ll Need

• 200g sourdough discard
• 450g all-purpose flour
• 240ml whole milk, warmed
• 60g butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 75g sugar
• 7g instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• For filling: 100g brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 60g softened butter

Making These Sweet Rolls

1. Mix your warmed milk with instant yeast in a large bowl and let it get foamy—that’s how you know the yeast is awake and ready to work.
2. Add sourdough discard, melted butter, eggs, and sugar to the yeast mixture, whisking everything together until it’s smooth and combined.
3. In goes the flour and salt—mix until you’ve got a shaggy dough, then knead for about 8 minutes with a dough hook (or by hand if you’re feeling old-school) until it’s smooth and elastic.
4. Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour until it’s doubled—this is where that yeast really earns its keep.
5. Roll your dough into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick, spread that softened butter all over, then sprinkle your cinnamon-sugar mixture generously across the surface.
6. Roll it up tightly from the long side, slice into 12 rolls, and nestle them into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
7. Let them rise again for 30-45 minutes while you preheat your oven to 375°F—they should look puffy and be touching each other.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, and frost while they’re still warm so it melts into every crevice.

Sourdough Discard Crackers

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 200g sourdough discard
• 60g all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Optional: 2 tablespoons dried herbs (rosemary, thyme), everything bagel seasoning, or sesame seeds

Simple Steps to Crunchy Crackers

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper—this keeps cleanup ridiculously easy.
2. Mix your sourdough discard with melted butter, flour, and salt in a bowl until you’ve got a smooth, spreadable consistency.
3. Pour the mixture onto your parchment and use an offset spatula to spread it paper-thin across the entire sheet—the thinner you go, the crispier they’ll be.
4. Sprinkle your chosen toppings (I’m partial to everything bagel seasoning myself) evenly across the surface.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then pull them out and score the crackers into squares with a pizza cutter—this makes breaking them apart later way easier.
6. Slide them back into the oven for another 40-50 minutes until they’re golden and crispy all the way through.
7. Let them cool completely in the pan before breaking along your score lines—they’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, though honestly, they never last that long in my house.

Sourdough Discard Pancakes

What Goes Into Them

• 200g sourdough discard
• 190g all-purpose flour
• 300ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

How to Make Them Fluffy

1. Whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl—don’t skip this step, or you’ll get uneven rising.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the sourdough discard, milk, eggs, melted butter, and sugar until everything’s combined and there aren’t any obvious streaks of starter.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold them together until you barely see flour—some lumps are totally fine and actually keep your pancakes tender.
4. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt a little pat of butter on the surface.
5. Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto the hot surface and wait patiently until bubbles form on top and the edges look set—usually about 2-3 minutes.
6. Flip carefully and cook for another minute or two until golden brown on both sides.
7. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup, or keep them warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cake

What You’ll Need

• 200g sourdough discard
• 240g all-purpose flour
• 300g sugar
• 75g cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
• 2 eggs
• 120ml vegetable oil
• 240ml hot coffee (or hot water)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt

Baking This Decadent Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch pan—line the bottom with parchment if you want foolproof release.
2. Whisk that hot coffee with the cocoa powder in a large bowl and let it sit for a couple of minutes—this “blooms” the cocoa and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
3. Stir in the sugar and oil until everything’s combined and glossy.
4. Beat in your eggs one at a time, then add the sourdough discard, mixing until there aren’t any obvious streaks of starter running through.
5. Sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt right over the wet ingredients—this keeps lumps at bay.
6. Gently fold everything together until you’ve got a smooth, pourable batter that’s thinner than you’d expect (don’t panic, that’s exactly right).
7. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
8. Let it cool completely before frosting—warm cake and buttercream don’t play nice together.

Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 200g sourdough discard
• 450g bread flour
• 300ml warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Making Pizza Dough That Actually Works

1. Combine your bread flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl—toss them together so the yeast gets evenly distributed.
2. Add the sourdough discard, warm water, and olive oil, then mix until you’ve got a shaggy dough that’s starting to come together.
3. Knead for 8-10 minutes (or let your stand mixer do the work with a dough hook) until the dough becomes smooth and elastic—it should pass the windowpane test.
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about an hour until doubled in size.
5. Punch down the dough and divide it into two equal portions for a thin crust or keep it as one for a thick crust.
6. Roll out your dough on a floured surface to your desired thickness—thinner for crispy, thicker for chewy.
7. Top with your favorite pizza toppings (pro tip: don’t add cheese until halfway through baking for the crispiest crust).
8. Bake at 450°F for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Related: How to Make Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough

Sourdough Discard Biscuits

Ingredients List

• 200g sourdough discard
• 240g all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 85g cold butter, cubed
• 120ml cold buttermilk

Steps for Flaky Biscuits

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with pea-sized butter chunks still visible—these create the flaky layers.
4. Stir in the sourdough discard and buttermilk until just combined—the dough should be shaggy and a bit sticky.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
6. Fold the dough in half, pat it out again, and repeat this process 3-4 times—this creates those beautiful layers.
7. Cut out biscuits using a sharp-edged cutter (don’t twist it or you’ll seal the edges and prevent rising).
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on top, then brush with melted butter while they’re still warm.

Sourdough Discard Muffins

What You’ll Need

• 200g sourdough discard
• 240g all-purpose flour
• 150g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 120ml milk
• 80ml melted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Optional: 150g fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, apples, cranberries)

How to Make Them

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat together the sourdough discard, eggs, milk, melted butter, and sugar until smooth.
4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just barely combined—you should still see a few streaks of flour.
5. Fold in your fruit if using, being careful not to overmix, or you’ll end up with tough, dense muffins.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.
7. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
8. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack—this prevents soggy bottoms.

Sourdough Discard Pretzels

Ingredients

• 200g sourdough discard
• 360g all-purpose flour
• 180ml warm water
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• For boiling: 60g baking soda, 8 cups water
• For topping: coarse salt or cinnamon sugar

Making Soft Pretzels

1. Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
2. Add the sourdough discard, melted butter, flour, and salt, then knead for about 8 minutes until you’ve got smooth, elastic dough.
3. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes until puffy (it won’t quite double because we’re using discard).
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a long rope about 20 inches long.
5. Shape into pretzel twists by forming a U, crossing the ends over each other, then pressing them down onto the bottom of the U.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda—it’ll foam up, so use a big pot.
7. Boil each pretzel for 30 seconds per side, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Sprinkle with coarse salt (or brush with melted butter and coat in cinnamon sugar for sweet pretzels) and bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes until deep golden brown.

Sourdough Discard Waffles

What Goes In

• 200g sourdough discard
• 240g all-purpose flour
• 360ml milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 60g melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps to Crispy Waffles

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the sourdough discard, milk, egg yolks, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold together until just combined—lumps are fine here.
4. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter—this is the secret to ultra-light, crispy waffles.
5. Preheat your waffle iron and grease it lightly with cooking spray or butter.
6. Pour the batter into the center of the hot waffle iron (amount depends on your iron size) and cook according to your machine’s instructions until golden and crispy.
7. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup, or keep them warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.
8. Leftover waffles freeze beautifully—just pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast later.

Don’t Waste Your Sourdough Discard This Winter

Your sourdough discard doesn’t need to go in the trash. You’ve now got ten recipes that use leftover starter for winter baking, from banana bread and cinnamon rolls to crackers and pancakes. Most of these recipes take less than an hour of hands-on time and don’t require complicated planning. Whether you want something sweet like chocolate cake or savory like pizza dough, these recipes give you the tangy flavor and benefits of fermented grains without the fuss. Next time you’re feeding your starter, save that discard and try one of these recipes instead. Your family will definitely ask you to make them again.