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!

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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!

20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (22)

📖 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

What is the best gluten free flour to use for sourdough starter? ›

Through testing this recipe, I found sweet white rice flour or AP 1-1 gluten free baking flour to be an essential component in developing a strong and consistent gluten free sourdough starter. Mixed with another whole grain flour such as buckwheat or brown rice flour yields consistent results.

Can someone with celiac disease eat sourdough bread? ›

No, regular sourdough bread is not gluten-free.

Beyond Celiac does not recommend that those with celiac disease eat sourdough bread unless it is clearly labeled gluten-free or has been made safely at-home with gluten-free starters/ingredients.

Can I feed sourdough starter with rice flour? ›

Now you will feed your starter every 12 hours. Discard all but 25 grams of your starter and add 25 grams of brown rice flour and 25 grams of water. Stir, cover and let it sit on your counter. After 12 hours, repeat these instructions.

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.

What is the healthiest flour for sourdough starter? ›

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread 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.

Who should avoid sourdough bread? ›

People with a gluten intolerance may find that sourdough is easier to digest, but people with celiac disease will likely still experience symptoms if they eat sourdough bread.

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.

Is sourdough bread good or bad for IBS? ›

Sourdough bread and gluten-free bread are the best types of bread for people with IBS. The lengthy fermentation process used to make traditional sourdough bread reduces the amount of fructans, which are the kind of carbohydrates in bread that cause IBS symptoms.

Can you stir sourdough starter with a metal spoon? ›

Never allow any form of metal such as a spoon or lid to come into direct contact with the stored, un-used sourdough starter as it will cause a chemical reaction that will contaminate and blacken the implement and eventually in time will kill (loose all activity) the starter and a blackish blue or pink liquid will ...

How often should I feed my gluten free sourdough starter? ›

If you plan on baking gluten free sourdough often, just keep your starter on the counter and feed it at least once a day. If you don't plan on baking as often, you can store your starter in the refrigerator and feed it once a week.

What is the best flour mix 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.

How to tell if sourdough discard is bad? ›

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from the fridge? ›

Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this? If you are using it straight from the fridge it may be a little stiff or thick, so you'll need to ensure you mix it really well.

Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.

What flour should I use to feed my sourdough starter? ›

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour, which is a blend of hard and soft wheat, is a popular choice for feeding sourdough starter. It provides a good balance of protein and starch, which promotes a healthy fermentation process. Bread Flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content compared to all-purpose flour.

What flour makes the most sour sourdough starter? ›

For more tang: Incorporate some rye flour and/or whole wheat flour early in the bread-making process, such as when feeding the mother culture and the preferment. Rye flour in particular will help your culture produce some acetic acid.

Is Ezekiel bread gluten-free? ›

Then, we take the freshly sprouted live grains and slowly mash them, mix them into dough in small batches and slowly bake into bread. Q: Are Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9®, Genesis 1:29® and 7-Sprouted Grains products "gluten free"? A: No. These products contain naturally occurring gluten.

What is the best flour to use for sourdough bread? ›

It will be easy to fold and shape and give you the best oven rise because of this. If you had a choice of all purpose and bread flour, or even whole wheat, I will always recommend going with bread flour. Particularly if you're just starting out with baking sourdough bread, it's the easiest choice.

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