Leftover Sourdough Starter Recipes
If you have a crock of sourdough starter, you likely have leftover sourdough starter as well. When refreshing your sourdough starter, you will be pouring off half or more of the starter in the crock (otherwise you would soon be overwhelmed by the amount of sourdough starter you have on hand), but if you are like me, you hate to see it go to waste. But there is no need to waste it - there are dozens of wonderful recipes you can make with your excess sourdough starter. Here are just a couple of recipes to try:
Sourdough Pancakes
Sourdough and pancakes make the perfect combination. In fact, it is almost worth having a sourdough starter just to make sourdough pancakes! Here is what you will need:
1 cup of sourdough starter
2 cups of water
3 1/2 cups of flour (white or wheat, which ever you prefer)
3 eggs
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/4 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Instructions: The night before combine the starter, water and flour and let sit overnight. In the morning add the remaining ingredients. Pour in half cup measures onto a hot, oiled griddle or fry pan. When little browned on top and bubbles are forming throughout the pancake, flip, and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Sourdough Onion Rings
Whenever I have a craving for onion rings, this recipe hits the spot! You will need:
3 onions, peeled and cut into thick slices
2 cups of sourdough starter
1/2 cup cold sparkling (carbonated) water
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more
1 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying (I use canola)
Put oil into deep pan or deep fryer and heat to 375 degrees. Combine sourdough starter, water and salt. Put flour in separate bowl. Toss the onion rings in flour, then put them one by one into sourdough starter bowl and then the hot oil. Deep fry until golden and enjoy!
For full instructions on how to build a sourdough starter from scratch, see the Sourdough Starter Basics article on this website. For more useful articles and recipes for sourdough, return to the Sourdough Starter homepage.
