20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (2024)

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This post contains all the recipes you need for using gluten-free sourdough discard, along with the resources on how to make your own gluten-free sourdough starter and sourdough bread!

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (1)

STOP making these 5 common GF sourdough mistakes!

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  • Discard vs Mature Starter
  • One Secret To Professional Gluten-Free Baking
  • Fried Starter
  • Crumpets
  • Flatbread (Naan)
  • 3-Ingredients Banana Pancakes
  • Banana Muffins With Pecans
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Fluffy Pancakes
  • Pizza Crust
  • English Muffins
  • Banana Bread
  • Cinnamon Rolls
  • Dinner Rolls
  • Soft Pretzels
  • Bagels
  • Challah
  • Hamburger Buns
  • Cornbread
  • Christmas cookies
  • Snickerdoodles
  • Linzer cookies
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 15 Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes
  • 💬 Community

Did you start making your first gluten-free sourdough starter? Good job! As you know, you need to discard sourdough starter regularly. In order to avoid waste, you can incorporate sourdough discard into recipes like the ones below!

Discard vs Mature Starter

One thing I would like to mention is that sourdough discard is different from a mature starter. Discard is an unfed starter that you get rid of right before feeding it. A mature starter is a bubbling and rising starter at its highest peak. A mature starter is used for making gluten-free sourdough bread, while discard is added to recipes that don’t rely on the wild yeast to raise the dough. Sometimes you will see me use discard along with commercial yeast, that is because discard doesn’t have the same rising and fermenting abilities as a mature starter.

If you don't want to have to discard your starter daily, just keep in the refrigerator and feed once a week, or you can also freeze your starter, or dehydrate it for later use.

New to gluten-free sourdough? Watch my 16-minute video tutorial for beginners!

One Secret To Professional Gluten-Free Baking

There are a few things that professional bakers do that set them apart from hobby bakers. One of those things is the consistency of quality results. And as gluten-free flour behaves so differently from regular all-purpose flour, it takes time and effort to learn to bake and cook with it well. However, If I could recommend one thing to speed up the learning process and significantly improve the consistency of great results for you, I would recommend you get a 9$ digital scale.

Most of us are familiar with cups and spoons which require the spoon & level method, yet, when it comes to GF baking, cups & spoons are often the reason why bread and desserts don't turn out the way they should. Plus, using a scale will save you time and decrease the number of dishes to wash. If you are serious about gluten-free baking, I am sure you would want to give a digital scale a chance!

Without further ado, let’s get into the list of the best gluten-free sourdough discard recipes!

STOP making these 5 mistakes!

Get 5 tips on how to improve your gluten-free sourdough quickly.

Fried Starter

To start this round-up off, I first want to introduce you to the fastest and easiest way to use up surdough discard. Just fry it up on the stove!

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Crumpets

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (3)

This is another extremely simple recipe to make with gluten-free starter discard. All you need is 4 ingredients and 20 minutes of time!

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Flatbread (Naan)

This delicious gluten-free sourdough flatbread is incredibly flexible, soft, and moist. You can make it right away using sourdough discard or leave it for a longer fermentation.

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3-Ingredients Banana Pancakes

If you have a laying around banana, then all you will need is an egg and some sourdough discard. Great breakfast idea for when you are in a hurry! These pancakes are naturally sweet from the sweetness of the banana used.

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Banana Muffins With Pecans

These gluten free muffins are easy to make and are ready in less than an hour! They also have a delicious walnut crunch in every bite.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another reason to bake a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies! These cookies are soft and don't fall apart when you bite into them. Great treat!

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Fluffy Pancakes

Probably one of the most popular ways to use up sourdough discard! Make a batch of delicious gluten free pancakes for breakfast to enjoy with your family.

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Pizza Crust

This is the best gluten-free sourdough pizza crust recipe because it is not only easy to handle but it is also full of flavor and easy to customize!

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English Muffins

These gluten-free sourdough English muffins are soft, flavorful, and easy to make! A great make-ahead breakfast recipe. You can freeze these muffins for up to 3 months!

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Banana Bread

This delicious gluten-free sourdough banana bread is soft, fluffy, and full of flavor! This recipe is a great way to use up your starter discard and share a delicious dessert with your family.

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Cinnamon Rolls

These gluten-free sourdough cinnamon rolls are incredibly soft, moist, and flavorful! They stay just as soft and fluffy the next day after baking. An indulgent way to use up your starter discard!

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Dinner Rolls

While these rolls rely on the sourdough starter to give them a rise, if your starter is strong, this recipe will work with unfed discard as well. I have made sourdough bread with unfed discard and still got a good rise and an open crumb! These rolls are fluffy, soft, moist, and freeze well.

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Soft Pretzels

These gluten-free sourdough soft pretzels are soft, chewy, and full of flavor. They go great with some basic cheese sauce and make for a meal on a lazy day!

Bagels

These bagels can be made with gluten-free all-purpose flour. They are crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside! Add flavor by topping with seeds, dried onions, or cheese.

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Challah

Gluten-free sourdough challah is a braided brioche bread that is slightly sweet and sour. I am using both psyllium husk and xanthan gum to create the softest texture, although you can omit one or the other if necessary!

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Hamburger Buns

These hamburger buns are on the denser side because they are made without xanthan gum. They rely on psyllium husk for structure and thus have a more bread-like texture. If you like rather super fluffy and soft buns, check out my sourdough dinner rolls above! They are made with both psyllium husk and xanthan gum to give them that soft and fluffy texture.

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Cornbread

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (18)

This delicious gluten-free sourdough discard cornbread is easy to make, ready within an hour, and goes great with soups and stews! You can also serve it with some butter and honey as a side for your morning coffee.

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Christmas cookies

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (19)

These gluten-free butter cut-out cookies are made with some starter discard which doesn't impact either their texture or flavor! A great way to use up the starter and make a festive dessert.

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Snickerdoodles

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (20)

These Snickerdoodles are great both for Christmas and simply to go with a cup of afternoon tea!

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Linzer cookies

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (21)

Linzer cookies are easier thank you think! You don't even need to have special cookie cutters to make these delicious little finger desserts.

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Get my Gluten-Free Sourdough E-Book today!

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📖 Recipe

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (23)

15 Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes

Natasha Levai

Here you will find everything from crumpets to elaborate bakes. You can make pretty much anything with a gluten-free starter discard!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Bread

Cuisine American, European

Servings 15 recipes

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  • Gluten-free starter discard
  • In case you are making bread or rolls, use instant yeast as well
  • The rest of the ingredients specific to the recipe you choose

Instructions

  • You can start gathering starter discard ahead of time as some recipes need quite a bit of it!

  • If you are super short on time, I recommend goign with crumpets, pancakes, or muffins.

  • If you want to be creative and you have some time, try cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, and pizza!

  • Try as many recipes as you can to find a favorite!

Notes

Make sure your starer is not moldy. If it is, don't try to save any of it, just toss it!

Nutrition

Serving: 1recipeCalories: 300kcal

Keyword Gluten-free sourdough discard recipes

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20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (2024)

FAQs

Does sourdough discard still have health benefits? ›

Technically, sourdough discard has the same benefits as sourdough starter, since they are both wild yeast ferments. In terms of beneficial lactic acid bacteria, natural yeasts acetic acid and colonies of microbes, they are both full of them.

How long does sourdough need to ferment to be gluten-free? ›

Put in the fridge for a couple of days. Long-Fermentation Rise in Fridge: For the longer fermentation process to eliminate 97% of gluten, keep your floured bowl or proofing basket in the fridge for 48-72 hours.

Can I feed my sourdough starter with gluten free flour? ›

Maintaining And Feeding Your Starter:

If you are planning to bake a lot with your starter, you can leave it on the counter and feed it every 12 hours equal parts GF flour and water. Or else, place it in the fridge with a lid and feed every 7 days.

Why does sourdough upset my stomach? ›

The most common reaction to fermented foods is a temporary increase in gas and bloating. This is the result of excess gas being produced after probiotics kill harmful gut bacteria and fungi. Probiotics secrete antiomicrobial peptides that kill harmful pathogenic organisms like Salmonella and E. Coli.

Is sourdough good or bad for the gut? ›

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.

Is sourdough bread inflammatory? ›

The best bread to reduce gut inflammation is bread made from whole grains. Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet.

Why is my gluten-free sourdough bread gummy? ›

The simple reason is that gluten free bread takes much longer than a regular loaf to bake and therefore a sticky crumb is generally the result of under baking (there could be other reasons but this is the first place to start troubleshooting).

Can you overproof gluten-free sourdough? ›

Proofing tends to be much faster with gluten-free bread. While it can take up to 6-8 hours in cooler weather, bread is often ready for baking in 1-2 hours. Overproofing is common, but will not harm the final bread.

How do you know when your gluten free sourdough starter is ready? ›

Sometime between days 5 and 10, you'll notice that within several hours after feeding the starter will have grown in size to between 2 1/4 and 2 3/4 cups. At this point it's ready to use in your recipe.

How do you strengthen a gluten-free sourdough starter? ›

Feed starter with GF flour and water every 4 hours by using one of the following methods: If using a scale to measure ingredients, combine equal amounts by weight of starter, water, and GF flour. For instance, 50 grams of starter, 50 grams of water, 50 grams of GF flour.

Why is my gluten-free sourdough starter not rising? ›

Most commonly, the issue here has to do with temperature (which is very important). If your sourdough starter is kept at a low temp, even 70°F (21°C), it will slow fermentation activity and appear to be sluggish, taking longer to rise and progress through the typical signs of fermentation. The solution: keep it warm.

What consistency should my gluten-free sourdough starter be? ›

A note on hydration

Gluten free flours are often incredibly thirsty, meaning they'll need a lot more water than regular flour. Your starter needs to be the consistency of a thick paste in order to ferment. It can be wetter, but it can't be drier. So please take the 100% hydration as a guide.

When should you not eat sourdough bread? ›

How Do You Know When Sourdough Has Gone Bad? It's pretty easy to tell when sourdough bread has gone bad because it will be covered in visible signs of mold growth and will feel hard both inside and out. It may also smell bad too, but not always.

Is sourdough bread a laxative? ›

Sourdough bread itself does not have a direct impact on constipation. However, sourdough bread is typically made from whole grain flour, and whole grains are a good source of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is essential for maintaining healthy digestion and preventing constipation.

Is sourdough bad for IBS? ›

Sourdough bread is often better tolerated with IBS. The fermenting process that makes it rise helps break down some gluten and FODMAPS. If you are prone to constipation, ingredients like oats or ground flax may help. Bread choices for IBS may be complicated, but there are better options now than ever before.

Can you do anything with sourdough starter discard? ›

You can always use this discard by directly mixing it into a dough for baking. Your discard, as long as it's in good shape, will leaven any bread dough just as well. The discard is just like a levain you would make for a recipe. The only difference is it's the same makeup as your starter.

Does sourdough starter have health benefits? ›

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.

When has sourdough discard gone bad? ›

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for about one week, but I do know others who keep it for much longer. After one week, there is a higher risk of mold or bad bacteria growing on the discard.

Can you bring sourdough discard back to life? ›

Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.

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