Sourdough Discard vs. Active Starter: When to Use Each

Sourdough recipes often call for either active starter or discard. They come from the same jar, but they serve different purposes in a recipe.

What is active sourdough starter?

Active starter has been recently fed and is full of fermentation power. It should look bubbly, rise noticeably, and smell pleasantly yeasty or tangy. Use active starter when it is expected to raise bread, rolls, focaccia, bagels, or other naturally leavened doughs.

What is sourdough discard?

Discard is the portion removed before feeding a starter. It may still contain living yeast and bacteria, but it is not always strong enough to reliably lift dough on its own. Discard is ideal for pancakes, muffins, crackers, cookies, brownies, quick breads, and recipes that use baking powder, baking soda, or commercial yeast.

Can they be substituted?

Active starter can usually replace discard in a discard recipe. The flavor may be milder and the batter may ferment a little more. Replacing active starter with unfed discard in a naturally leavened bread recipe is less dependable because the dough may not rise properly.

Think of active starter as the leavening engine and discard as a flavorful ingredient. Knowing which one a recipe needs makes sourdough baking much more predictable.

Start Baking with Myrtle

Myrtle’s Sourdough Pantry Starter Kit includes dehydrated Myrtle starter, sourdough pancake mix, and sourdough pizza crust mix for an easy beginning.

Shop Myrtle’s Sourdough Pantry Starter Kit