When you are looking for a crusty loaf of sourdough bread but don't want to wait forever, this Sourdough Discard Bread is for you! It's ready in just a under two hours and so easy to make!
Be sure to check out all these 55 sourdough discard recipes too!
I love making sourdough bread, but it can take a long time! Same day sourdough bread is a good option when you want some homemade bread in a day. I love to make this recipe and my sourdough discard sandwich bread in the morning and then by lunch time I have fresh bread to make grilled cheese or fresh sandwiches.
If you wake up before your kids, you can even make this in the morning and by the time your kids wake you, you'll have freshly baked bread ready to enjoy!
This recipe is a game-changer! I love that I can put my sourdough discard to good use and create a fantastic loaf of bread with minimal effort.
- Alice
This homemade bread is made in just a few hours and perfect for same day baking! The best part is, you don't need a stand mixer or any fancy equipment. It's perfect for the beginner baker!
Making a sourdough discard recipe is one of my favorite things to do! You can make so many sourdough recipes with your starter, active or inactive!
If you are just starting your sourdough journey, there's a few essential tools for sourdough baking that will ensure every bread loaf comes out perfectly!
After you make this delicious loaf of sourdough bread, here's lots of recipes and ideas for what to serve with sourdough bread!
Jump to:
- Can You Make Bread With Sourdough Discard?
- Ingredients to Gather
- What is Sourdough Discard?
- How to Make Sourdough Discard Bread
- Sample Sourdough Discard Bread Baker's Schedule
- How Is Sourdough Discard Bread Different From Sourdough Bread?
- What Should I Bake The Sourdough Discard Bread In?
- Variations
- Tips and Tricks
- Storage Tips
- More Sourdough Recipes
- More From Lynn's Way Of Life
- 📖 Recipe
Can You Make Bread With Sourdough Discard?
Yes! This sourdough boule is the perfect recipe to use your sourdough discard! Instead of waiting all day or all night for your sourdough bread to rise, this bread is ready in under two hours. Even though we aren't waiting a long time for the bread to rise, we are still getting that delicious sourdough tang thanks to our sourdough discard.
You can make so many different recipes with sourdough discard! Make sure to join our Sourdough Facebook group with other Sourdough fanatics sharing their favorite sourdough and sourdough discard recipes as well as tips and tricks!
Ingredients to Gather
- Sourdough starter. It should be inactive, not an active sourdough starter. Active means that it has been recently fed. This starter should be right out of the refrigerator and not bubbly and active. You can make your own sourdough starter, buy one, or get one from a fellow sourdough friend! For this recipe, it should be discard, not active starter. Active starter and yeast would cause the bread to rise too much. The yeast is doing what the active starter would do.
- Dry Active Yeast. Instant Yeast will work too, but we need yeast since the starter is not active. Since we are using sourdough discard, the yeast is doing the hard work of helping the dough rise. The sourdough starter simply adds a little bit of tang, but it doesn't do that hard work of making the dough rise.
- All purpose flour. Bread flour will work if you have it, but since we all usually have all purpose flour on hand, that's what we are using today. When baking bread, there's a big difference when thinking of bread flour vs all purpose flour.
- Warm water. To activate the yeast.
See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
What is Sourdough Discard?
When you first start baking sourdough bread, people often use the term "sourdough discard", but what is sourdough discard? It is the extra sourdough starter that you have left after you feed your sourdough starter.
Sourdough bread is a bread made from natural yeast, flour, water, and salt. There is no commercial yeast, only naturally occurring yeast from the environment. Sourdough bread requires a "starter" to rise the bread.
A sourdough starter is filled with good bacteria and wild yeast that gives the bread that traditional sour taste. You can make so many different recipes with sourdough discard. I've put together a fantastic list of sourdough discard recipes for you!
You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of discard to have on hand! Keep the excess starter in a mason jar right in your refrigerator. If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out this post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Bread
Step 1: Add the room temperature water and the active yeast to a large mixing bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Make sure your water is not too hot or it will kill your yeast. It should be just as warm as room temperature.
Step 2: Add the flour and salt to the bowl.
Step 3: Mix in the sourdough discard starter. You can use a fork here to mix until it gets too stiff to mix.
Step 4: Mix the bread dough until a slightly sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Lynn's Tip!
To make this even easier, fit your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and mix all the ingredients until the dough comes free from the sides of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the bread rise for 2 hours. Then bake as normal.
Step 5: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Step 6: Shape the dough into a dough ball. How to shape a sourdough boule is an important step in ensuring the perfect oven spring during the baking process.
Step 7: Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife in whatever shape you would like.
Step 8: Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and place it in a Dutch oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Lynn's Tip!
Use a very sharp knife or a bread lame to score the top of the dough. Cut into the dough about ¼ of an inch. This helps control the expansion of the dough as it bakes in the oven.
Sample Sourdough Discard Bread Baker's Schedule
How Is Sourdough Discard Bread Different From Sourdough Bread?
If you are just starting off your sourdough journey, it might be a little intimidating to make a loaf of bread with just your sourdough starter. This bread is perfect to get your toes wet in the sourdough game! It still uses your sourdough starter, but it's very forgiving.
Sourdough discard bread uses commercial yeast to help the dough rise. We are also using inactive sourdough starter, meaning it does not have the active yeast ready to help the dough rise, so we are getting some help from commercial yeast.
The bread has a little more of a traditional artisan bread taste, as opposed to the classic sourdough taste. It is not as sour as a regular loaf of sourdough bread because we are not having the dough ferment and rise for hours and hours.
What Should I Bake The Sourdough Discard Bread In?
Classic bread made at home is baked in a Dutch oven. A Dutch oven is a heavy bottomed pan that is usually made with cast iron.
If you don't have a Dutch oven, use an oven safe pot with a lid. You can also bake it on a baking sheet and cover it with an oven safe pot. Halfway through the baking process remove the pot from on top of the baking sheet.
Variations
- Change the flour! You can use a mixture of whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, rye flour, spelt flour, and bread flour. If you add whole wheat flour to the dough it will add a nuttier flavor than simply using all purpose flour. Just keep in mind the liquid needed for different types of flour. Don't be nervous to add a little more flour if the bread is too stiff from the different types of flour.
- Add cheddar and jalapenos, just like this cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread.
- Cinnamon raisin is a classic breakfast bread. Just like this sourdough cinnamon raisin bread, add the cinnamon and raisins to the dough as it rises.
- Chop sundried tomatoes and white cheddar in the dough for a perfect bread that is great on a charcuterie board.
- For a dessert bread, add chocolate chips, orange zest, and chopped walnuts.
- Add chopped olives to the dough. You can use kalamata olives or your favorite green olives or a mixture of both.
Tips and Tricks
- The bread is done when the top of the bread is golden brown and has that classic oven spring, meaning it has grown in the oven.
- Let the bread cool on a wire rack before cutting into it.
- Feel free to use a mixture of different flours! You can use bread flour, all purpose flour, or whole wheat flour. A mixture of whole wheat flour and white flour would work too!
- You can make the dough up to 24 hours before you would like to bake it. Mix the dough and then place the dough in a bowl that is coated with olive oil. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. The next day, take the dough out of the refrigerator an hour before you would like to bake it. Then bake it as you would.
- Serve this bread as a side for 5 Ingredient Baked Ziti, Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs or Oven Baked Chicken Cacciatore!
Storage Tips
Store leftover sourdough bread in a plastic bag on the counter. A gallon sized Ziploc bag is great.
This is also a great recipe to freeze! Freeze the bread in a Ziploc bag once it has come to room temperature. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months. When you are ready to serve, take the bread out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature on the counter.
Once the bread goes stale, it's perfect to use in Italian Sausage stuffing too! You can make Blueberry French Toast casserole, or bread pudding! This makes delicious sourdough breadcrumbs too!
More Sourdough Recipes
Did you make this recipe and love it?
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More From Lynn's Way Of Life
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Bread (No Knead)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 350 g Water Lukewarm
- 10 g Active Dry Yeast
- 500 g All Purpose Flour
- 10 g Salt
- 100 g Sourdough Discard
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the water and yeast. Do not mix. Let it sit for 5 minutes until the mixture is slightly frothy.
- After 5 minutes, add the flour, sourdough discard, and salt. Mix until the ingredients are combined and a shaggy dough forms. You can do this with your hands or with a wooden spoon.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- After 2 hours, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape the dough into a dough ball.
- Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and place the parchment paper in a Dutch oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the top on the Dutch oven. Remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool.
Notes
- The bread is done when the top of the bread is golden brown and has that classic oven spring, meaning it has grown in the oven.
- You can make the dough up to 24 hours before you would like to bake it. Mix the dough and then place the dough in a bowl that is coated with olive oil. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. The next day, take the dough out of the refrigerator an hour before you would like to bake it. Then bake it as you would.
- You can preheat the Dutch oven if that is how you usually make bread, but it is not necessary.
- Store leftover bread in a gallon sized Ziploc bag on the counter for up to 5 days,
Morgan says
My dough turned out super sticky. Does this mean it was over proofed?
I also think my discard was maybe a bit more on the active side. Fed it a few days ago. Does that make a difference?
Lynn Polito says
Definitely could be the case. Is your sourdough 100% hydration as well?
Lauren says
Can this be baked right after the two hours of rising or does it need to be put in the fridge while the oven is preheating? Then it needs to sit out for an hour?
Sort of confused with that party
Lynn Polito says
You do not have to refrigerate this dough. I just gave it as an option if you want to bake the dough later in the day. Once the dough rises for 2 hours, preheat the oven. While the oven preheats, shape the dough. Then place it on a parchment paper in a Dutch oven and bake it. Hope this helps!
Holly D Seibert says
Hi Lynn! I have refrigerated my dough over night and it looks sticky. Do I need to flour it and reshape it before I put it on parchment and put it in my dutch oven?
Thank you-Holly
Paula Wilcox says
Could this be made with rapid rise yeast?
Lynn Polito says
Sure!
Chave says
My scale measure k and oz. How do I make this recipe in American measurements?
Lynn Polito says
If you click "US Customary" in the recipe it will convert the amounts.
Jazzy says
Can I throw chocolate chips in here? If so what stage should I toss them? Excited to try this out!
Lynn Polito says
Sure! You can add them when you let the dough rise or you can add them right before shaping the dough.
Talia says
Very simple to make. I baked only 20 minutes after taking off the lid. Not super tangy like sourdough but a good use of using up discard.
Katrin says
Hi Lynn, I'm going to try this today! My dutch oven is a 4.5qt size. Do you think the loaf will fit, or should I adjust the recipe?
Lynn Polito says
Sure you can do that just make sure the dough is not touching the edges of the Dutch oven. Make sure the dough is only touching the parchment paper so it doesn't get stuck to the sides.
Holly Anderle says
Hi Lynn! I made the bread with inactive sourdough discard, active dry yeast (just purchased), AP flour, and kosher salt (which is all I had in the house). I have a couple of questions: first when you say to shape the boule, should I also be placing it in the banneton basket for a rise? My loaf turned out a little flat. Wondering what I might have done wrong?
Lynn Polito says
Hi! Since we are using yeast instead of just sourdough starter, you don't have to let it rise for a second time in a banneton. Sometimes, if you kitchen is a little colder, it might take longer for the dough to rise fully. Sometimes it can take 2 hours, but sometimes it can take 3 hours. It's most important to check what the dough looks like, it should double in size. Hope this helps!
Raina says
I have failed over & over with traditional sourdough. Every single time my loaves came out flat. This recipe is my only success! I’ve now made it multiple times. In my opinion, it tastes more like sourdough than the traditional way of making it.
I’m so excited to give loaves to my neighbors for Christmas. Thank you! Trying this was my last attempt before giving up on sourdough all together.
Lynn Polito says
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing! I am so glad you enjoyed this bread! It's one of our favorites too!
Katlin sisson says
Why does the bread need to sit out for an hour before baking (if refrigerated)? I bake regular sourdough loads straight out of the fridge so was wondering why we’re waiting
Lynn Polito says
It's an option to bring it to room temperature. If baking right out of the fridge works for you, that's great!
Dawn says
I'm relatively new to the sourdough journey but am anxious to try your recipe...looks delicious and easy! 🙂
If I decide to add inclusions, when would I do that and roughly how?
Thank you so much in advance for the help!
🙂
Lynn Polito says
You can add them right before you shape the dough. Depending on what you add, you can also add it when you might the dough together and then let it rise all at once. If you are adding things like cinnamon and raisins, you can add then when you mix the dough together. If you are adding things like pepperoni or cheese, I would add it right before yo shape it. Hope that helps!
Dawn says
Thank you so much! I’m hoping to try a bacon & cheese version. Your original recipe is baking in the oven as we speak. Fingers crossed it comes out looking as delicious as yours! 🤞🏼
Dana Engle says
Could you add inclusions to this recipe?
Lynn Polito says
Yes! Definitely!
Kim says
Made a loaf of this bread yesterday. Such an easy recipe. Instead of using parchment paper, I used two silicone inserts like I do with other loaves. Thanks so much!
Lynn Polito says
I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for making my recipe!
Lori says
Wonderful bread! What temperature should the bread be when it is don’t baking?
Lynn Polito says
Hi! The internal temp of the bread should be 190 degrees F when it is done baking. Hope this helps!
Kath says
Have my dough ready. Wondering if I can shape & bake it on a pizza stone with tray of water below for steam?
Lynn Polito says
Sure! That would work!
Linda scott Scott says
When I use a scale it doesn’t seem to come out right just can get the scale to work correctly any advice would be greatly appreciated do you have standard measurements would love to make this thank you so much
Lynn Polito says
I would have to see the scale to figure out why it was not working properly. If you click between the metric and the us customary on the recipe card, you'll see the standard measurements, even though when baking bread I always recommend using a scale as it is more accurate.
Kristine Schaffer says
Just took out of oven. Looks beautiful but very hard. Is that usual for this recipe??
Lynn Polito says
Yes, that's ok. It will soften as it cools.
Cheryl Minckler says
So no stretch and folds?
Lynn Polito says
correct!