The Problem With Discard (2024)

FAQs

What's the point of sourdough discard? ›

It becomes very acidic when you don't discard your starter and this can affect gluten development and oven spring. Regular discard and feeding help keep the starter healthy, vibrant, and ready to contribute to successful and flavorful sourdough bread.

Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking.

As such, it is best to keep your discard in the fridge, where it will last for up to one week. Of course, you can only rely on it lasting that long if you store it correctly. When readying your discard for the fridge, be sure it is sealed in an airtight container, such as a screw-top glass jar.

The discard should be fine in the fridge, however if it is displaying signs of mold or any pink or orange tinges then it has gone bad and needs to be tossed.

If you don't want to discard sourdough starter daily, scale back your feedings by 1/4 cup amounts. Still feels like you're baking too much? You can further reduce your feedings to a weekly basis if you keep your starter in the fridge rather than on the countertop.

It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.

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.

Not discarding will also help build up that sour flavor. So if you want your bread to be a little more sour, try not discarding a feed or two.

Yes! Using a sourdough starter cache, as I like to call it, is a way to store starter discard through the week or two and use it in recipes when convenient.

Being discarded by a narcissistic personality is traumatic. Your brain's trauma response is activated because you've lost the person defining your identity and your worth.

Can sourdough discard sit on the counter? ›

Countertop: The moment you remove extra sourdough starter from your jar, it becomes sourdough discard. This discarded sourdough starter can be used in delicious, no-wait recipes immediately. Therefore, if sourdough bakers know that they are going to make a discard recipe soon, they like to keep it on the countertop.

Check out a few of my favorite sourdough discard recipes here. Store it for future baking: You can store sourdough discard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future baking with sourdough discard recipes. When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake.

In conclusion, sourdough discard is a versatile, flavourful, and healthy ingredient that can enhance a wide range of recipes. By incorporating it into your cooking, you not only reduce food waste but also elevate the taste and nutritional value of your meals.

That goes for the discard, too. And if you see any pink or orange color, throw it all away. Some mold and bacteria can produce toxins as they grow that aren't destroyed by heat, so even if you bake the bread or pancakes or pretzels thoroughly, those toxins can still make you sick.

It can be at room temperature or come directly from the fridge. The texture is less bubbly (if bubbly at all) when compared to fluffy active starter. Sourdough discard is not active enough to make bread dough rise, and despite its name the “discard” does not have to be thrown away.

If you don't discard your sourdough starter, it will grow too big and be unmanageable. Not to mention you will go through an unmentionable amount of flour.

Active starter and discard both come from the same sourdough starter. However, they are in different phases. Active starter has been fed flour and water within the last 12 hours or so and is growing until it hits its peak. Once it begins to fall it is considered discard.

This question gets asked so often in my Facebook Group of over 190,000 sourdough bakers - in fact, sourdough discard recipes are the most popular recipes shared in the group. The sourdough discard recipes that use the most sourdough discard are sourdough discard waffles, muffins, crackers, pie crust and pizza dough.

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for up to one week. After that point, there is a higher risk of bad bacteria or mold growing. How often should I feed my sourdough starter? I recommend feeding your starter at least once per week.