Fried Sourdough Starter Recipe — Meadowlark Journal (2024)

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Making sourdough bread at home seems to be reaching an all-time high these days. But the real question is, what do you do with leftover starter once you’ve taken what you need for your next loaf?

There are lots of sourdough discard recipes out there for things you can do with leftover starter. Everything from pancakes to waffles to banana bread.

But with all of these recipes, you end up adding more precious flour to the point where you end up asking yourself “did I really need the sourdough starter in order to make these pancakes or could I have simply just made pancakes?”

The starter lends a nice tangy flour, but shouldn’t there be a way to use that leftover starter without having to make an entire batch of pancakes? Yes, and there is. Introducing: Fried Sourdough Starter.

We have recently discovered that you can turn your leftover sourdough starter into FRIED BREAD!

Honestly, it is one of the best inventions to come out of the kitchen recently. All you need is a hot cast iron skillet, some olive oil (or ghee, or coconut oil), and your sourdough starter discard.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sourdough starter. We simply use all the remaining starter we have after we use what we need for a new loaf of bread.

    Don’t have two weeks to get a sourdough starter going from scratch? It is really easy to buy one online and get going from there. Here is the one I recommend.

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, ghee or coconut oil (don’t skimp on the quantity here - it’s fried bread, not lightly oiled bread)

  • 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (here is the type I use)

  • (Optional) Olives, chopped jalapeños, sesame seeds, caramelized onions or chives (these have been our go-to add-ons, but the possibilities are endless)

Instructions

  • Heat up a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Here is the nonstick skillet I recommend. Pour in the olive oil and sprinkle in some salt. This will create a tasty layer for the fried bread to soak in.

  • Then pour in your leftover starter. Smoosh down a bit to turn it into a round disk.

  • Toss in some olives, chopped jalapeños, or anything else you fancy.

  • Fry in the olive oil for a couple mins to get it nice and golden brown.

  • Then flip over like a pancake, press down on it slightly with a spatula and fry for a couple mins on the second side.

  • And then flip again. Continue this process until you get it nice and golden brown on both sides. This should ensure it gets crispy on the outside and cooked through in the middle.

  • Take out of the skillet, cut into pieces and enjoy. You might want to let it cool first, but that is hard to do, trust me.

Did this recipe work for you? I would love to hear your comments below!

Looking for more recipe inspiration? Check out Salmorreta, The Secret Ingredient in a Great Paella.

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Recipe

Laura Azcarraga

Recipe, Homecooking, Sourdough, Sourdough Starter, Cooking, Fried Sourdough Starter, Fried Bread

32 Comments

Fried Sourdough Starter Recipe — Meadowlark Journal (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat fried sourdough starter? ›

Yes, and there is. Introducing: Fried Sourdough Starter. We have recently discovered that you can turn your leftover sourdough starter into FRIED BREAD! Honestly, it is one of the best inventions to come out of the kitchen recently.

What is the 1 2 2 method for sourdough starter? ›

You can start feeding the sourdough once you see lots of bubbles. To feed your sourdough, I recommend a 1:2:2 ratio. This means that for every 25 grams of sourdough, I'm feeding with 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water.

Who has the oldest sourdough starter in the world? ›

The oldest sourdough starter that is still being used daily belongs to a bakery in Chorzów, Poland, dating back to 1842. The statistic states that the bakery in Chorzów, Poland, has the distinction of possessing the oldest sourdough starter that is still actively used on a daily basis.

How to make 100% sourdough starter? ›

A 100% hydration sourdough starter is a culture which is kept and fed with water and flour at equal weights. Like for instance 5 oz water to 5 oz flour. A 166% hydration starter is fed with equal volume of flour and water, which most typically is one cup of water (8.3 oz) and one cup of flour (5 oz).

How do I know if I killed my sourdough starter? ›

How to tell if your sourdough starter is dead?
  1. Even after 5 refreshing periods the starter isn't bubbling or showing signs of activity.
  2. If the starter smells rotten. ...
  3. If mold is growing.
May 18, 2021

What happens if you cook just sourdough starter? ›

It is a very tasty snack. Depends on when you bake it, hydration level... If you've just fed it, it basically is dough. If you've let it ferment like you normally would when you're about to bake bread then it will likely turn out like over fermented bread.

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

Why discard half of sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

What is the best flour to feed sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose flour works great for feeding starter, but adding a little whole grain flour can help give it a boost if needed.

Does sourdough starter taste better with age? ›

For most bakers, the answer is a clear no. Maurizio Leo, author of the award-winning bread cookbook The Perfect Loaf, still uses the first starter he ever made; it's now 12 years old. And while he's sentimental about that starter, he says its age doesn't really impact his bread.

When did bread stop being sourdough? ›

Sourdough remained the usual form of leavening down into the European Middle Ages until being replaced by barm from the beer brewing process, and after 1871 by purpose-cultured yeast. Bread made from 100% rye flour, popular in the northern half of Europe, is usually leavened with sourdough.

How can a sourdough starter be 20 years old? ›

If the starter isn't dried and has not been fed regularly, then it could become moldy and no longer viable. But in general terms, there's no such thing as a starter that's too old, provided it's been cared for. Does sourdough starter get more sour as it ages? Yes.

What happens if you use too much sourdough starter in a recipe? ›

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

Why is sourdough starter so difficult? ›

Essentially making a sourdough starter is not an overly difficult process, but it does require a commitment of time and patience, as well as some dedicated equipment. Sometimes there are factors which mean making sourdough starter could be difficult. Perhaps you're working long hours or go out of town regularly.

Are levain and starter the same thing? ›

Levain is an off-shoot of the sourdough starter, typically fed a higher ratio of water and flour to increase activity, for the sole purpose of being used to leaven dough. It can also be customized for flavor.

Is it OK to eat sourdough discard? ›

Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking. Sourdough discard is rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion.

Is it safe to eat sourdough discard? ›

In conclusion, sourdough discard is a byproduct of sourdough starter and plays an important role in maintaining a healthy and active starter. It can be used in various recipes, from baked goods to savory dishes, and is a great way to reduce waste in the kitchen.

When should you not eat sourdough bread? ›

I'll share my tips on the best way to store sourdough and a plan on the best way to eat it too. Sourdough bread will keep well for up to 3-5 days at a moderate room temperature of 18-20°C or 64-68°F. The warmer and more humid the conditions become, the more chance the sourdough has of spoiling.

Is undercooked sourdough safe? ›

You can get sick if you eat unbaked dough or batter made with flour containing germs. Germs are killed only when flour is baked or cooked. CDC investigated outbreaks linked to raw flour or cake mix in 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

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