H is for Holly

The Sourdough
Discard Book

My book for Holly — for inspiration, because I love her cooking. — C

Twenty things to do with the jar of discard in the fridge instead of throwing it away — plus the real sourdough classics at the back. This is an inspiration book: pick one that looks fun, make it your own.

How to read the jar

Fresh discard (0–2 days, mild): pancakes, waffles, muffins, cookies — the gentle stuff.

Fridge discard (3–7 days, tangier): crackers, flatbread, banana bread, biscuits.

Old & sour (1–2 weeks): send it savory — pizza, tortillas, scallion pancakes. Strong tang is a feature there. If it smells off or shows color, toss it.

Weights: 1 cup of discard ≈ 227g. Cards flagged big jar burn 200g or more at once — that's how you empty it. Discard is flat on purpose in these recipes: baking soda, baking powder, or a pinch of yeast does the lifting.

☀️ Breakfast

Where most of the jar wants to go on a weekend morning.

1. Classic Sourdough Pancakesovernight · ~24 cakes

The #1 discard recipe everywhere, for a reason — richer and tangier than the box mix, and the overnight sponge does all the work.

Ingredients

• Sponge: 1 cup (227g) discard, 2 cups buttermilk, 2 cups (240g) flour, 2 tbsp sugar
• Morning: 2 eggs, ¼ cup melted butter or oil, 1 tsp baking soda, ¾ tsp salt

Method

1. Night before: stir sponge ingredients together, cover, leave at room temp 8–12 hours.
2. Morning: beat in eggs and butter, then soda and salt — batter will foam up a little.
3. Cook ¼-cup scoops on a hot greased griddle until bubbles pop, flip, brown the other side.
4. Leftovers freeze and re-toast beautifully.

2. Crisp Sourdough Wafflesovernight · ~4 Belgian

Same idea as the pancakes, crisp edges. The separated egg white is the trick if you want them shattering-crisp.

Ingredients

• Sponge: 1 cup (227g) discard, 1 cup milk or buttermilk, 1 cup (120g) flour, 1 tbsp sugar
• Morning: 1 egg (separated if you're fancy), 3 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt

Method

1. Night before: mix sponge, cover, rest 8–12 hours.
2. Morning: stir in yolk, butter, vanilla, soda, salt. Optional: whip the white to soft peaks and fold in last.
3. Cook in a hot waffle iron 4–5 minutes until deep golden. Hold on a rack, never a plate, so they stay crisp.

3. Blueberry Muffins45 min · 12 muffins

Bakery tops, tender middle, and the tang loves blueberries. Breakfast all week, handled.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) flour, ¾ cup sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (227g) discard, 1 egg, ½ cup melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups blueberries, coarse sugar for the tops

Method

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Whisk dry in one bowl, wet in another, combine just until no dry streaks. Fold in berries.
2. Fill 12 lined cups to the top, sprinkle coarse sugar.
3. Bake 20–25 minutes until golden and a tester comes out clean.

4. English Muffinsbig jar · 8–10 · freezes great

Real nooks and crannies, griddled in cornmeal. Uses a huge chunk of discard and freezes like a dream — batch once, breakfast for weeks.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240g) discard, 1 cup warm milk, 3 cups (360g) flour
• 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp soft butter, cornmeal for dusting

Method

1. Mix everything into a soft dough, knead 5 minutes, rise until doubled (1–2 hours, or overnight in the fridge).
2. Roll ½-inch thick, cut 3-inch rounds, rest on a cornmeal-dusted sheet 30–45 minutes.
3. Griddle low and slow, 5–7 minutes per side, until deep golden and cooked through.
4. Fork-split, never knife-split. That's the law of nooks and crannies.

5. Dutch Baby Pancake30 min · 1 skillet

Maximum drama, minimum effort. It puffs up the sides of a screaming-hot skillet like a popover the size of a dinner plate.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs (room temp), ½ cup milk, ½ cup (113g) discard, ½ cup (60g) flour
• 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 3 tbsp butter
• To serve: powdered sugar, lemon, berries

Method

1. Heat oven to 425°F with a cast iron skillet inside.
2. Blend everything except the butter until smooth.
3. Butter into the hot skillet, swirl, pour in batter, bake 18–20 minutes. No peeking — it deflates the show.
4. Dust, squeeze, eat immediately while it's still puffed.

🧂 Savory & Snacks

Where older, sourer discard shines. Tang is the whole point here.

6. Easiest Discard Crackersbig jar · ~5 dozen

The King Arthur classic. No rolling pin, no dough — stir, spread, bake. Everything-bagel seasoning is the house favorite variation.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (227g) discard, 4 tbsp melted butter, ½ tsp salt
• ½–3 tsp your seasoning: everything bagel, rosemary + parmesan, smoked paprika, ranch…

Method

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Stir everything together, spread thin on a parchment-lined sheet pan (about 11"×15").
2. Bake 15 minutes, score into squares with a pizza wheel (don't separate).
3. Bake 35–45 minutes more until the middle crackers are golden and firm.
4. Cool completely — they crisp as they cool. Keeps for weeks in a jar, if they last.

7. Pizza Crustbig jar · 2 thin crusts

Friday night, sorted. The discard brings the chew and the faint tang that delivery crust never has.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (227g) discard, ½ cup warm water, 2½ cups (300g) flour
• 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp instant yeast, olive oil

Method

1. Mix, knead 7 minutes until smooth. Rise in an oiled bowl until nearly doubled, 2–4 hours.
2. Divide in half for two 12-inch thin crusts (or keep whole for one thick sheet-pan pizza). Rest 15 minutes in oiled pans, press to the edges.
3. Top how you like. Bake at 450°F, 12–18 minutes, until the edges blister and the cheese spots.

8. Flour Tortillas / Flatbread45 min · 8 tortillas

Warm, soft, puffy spots on the skillet. Taco night will never go back to the bag.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) flour, ½ cup (113g) discard, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp lard, shortening, or oil, about ½ cup warm water

Method

1. Mix to a soft dough, knead 2 minutes, rest 30 minutes covered.
2. Divide into 8 balls, roll thin as you can.
3. Dry cast iron, medium-high: 30–60 seconds per side until it puffs and freckles.
4. Stack in a towel to stay soft. Same dough, rolled thicker, is flatbread.

9. Flaky Biscuits35 min · 8 biscuits

Discard does the buttermilk's job — tender, tangy, tall. Sausage gravy not included, but strongly implied.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed · 1 cup (227g) cold discard, splash of milk only if needed

Method

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Cut butter into dry ingredients until pea-sized.
2. Stir in discard just until it holds. Pat out, fold over itself 3–4 times for layers, pat to 1 inch.
3. Cut 8 biscuits straight down — no twisting, it seals the layers. Bake 15–18 minutes until tall and golden.

10. Garlic Knots~2 hrs · 12 knots

Pizzeria knots at home: chewy, buttery, aggressively garlicky. Serve next to the pizza from card #7 and take the night off from cooking Italian ever again.

Ingredients

• Dough: 2½ cups (300g) flour, 1 cup (227g) discard, ½ cup warm water, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp olive oil
• Finish: 4 tbsp melted butter, 3 cloves garlic grated, parsley, parmesan, pinch of salt

Method

1. Mix and knead dough 7 minutes, rise 1 hour until puffy.
2. Divide into 12, roll each into a rope, tie in a loose knot, rest 30 minutes.
3. Bake at 400°F for 13–15 minutes until golden.
4. Toss hot knots in the garlic butter, shower with parmesan. Eat over the pan like everyone does.

11. Pretzel Bites~1½ hrs · ~48 bites

Game-day food. The baking-soda bath is the whole magic — it's what makes it taste like a pretzel instead of a roll.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups (300g) flour, 1 cup (227g) discard, ½ cup warm water, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• Bath: pot of water + ¼ cup baking soda · egg wash, coarse salt

Method

1. Knead dough, rise 1 hour. Roll into ropes, snip into 1-inch bites.
2. Boil bites 30 seconds in the soda bath, scoop to a parchment sheet.
3. Egg wash, coarse salt, bake at 425°F for 12–15 minutes until mahogany.
4. Cheese sauce or mustard. No third option is recognized.

12. Scallion Pancakes (Pour Method)15 min · 2 pancakes

The zero-effort legend: straight discard, straight into a hot oiled pan. Crispy edges, chewy middle, scallions everywhere.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (227g) discard, 3–4 scallions sliced, ½ tsp salt, sesame oil + neutral oil for the pan
• Dip: soy sauce, rice vinegar, pinch of sugar, sesame seeds

Method

1. Stir scallions and salt into the discard.
2. Pour half into a hot, well-oiled skillet, spread thin, drizzle sesame oil around the edge.
3. Fry 3–4 minutes per side until deeply crisp and lacy. Repeat.
4. Cut in wedges, dip, repeat next weekend.

13. Pie Crust (→ Chicken Pot Pie)1 crust · double for pot pie

Flaky, faintly tangy pastry. Double it, put a chicken pot pie under it, and discard just made dinner.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (180g) flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
• ½ cup (113g) cold discard, ice water by the spoonful as needed

Method

1. Cut butter into flour until pea-sized. Stir in discard, add ice water only until it holds together.
2. Pat into a disk, chill at least 1 hour (overnight makes it flakier and tangier).
3. Roll, fill, bake per your pie. For pot pie: double the crust, fill with creamy chicken + veg, top crust, vent, bake at 400°F ~35–40 minutes until bubbling and bronze.

🍪 Sweet

Discard's tang is a secret weapon in sweets — it makes chocolate taste more chocolate.

14. Banana Bread~1½ hrs · 1 loaf

The double-rescue recipe: dying bananas and the discard jar, saved in the same loaf. Stays moist for days.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, ¾ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda, ¾ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups), ¼ cup honey, 2 eggs, 1 cup (227g) discard
• 2 cups (240g) flour, ¾ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Method

1. Heat oven to 325°F, grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
2. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, spices, soda, powder, and salt smooth. Beat in bananas, honey, eggs, discard.
3. Stir in flour and nuts just until combined. Rest batter 10 minutes in the pan.
4. Bake 45 minutes, tent with foil, bake 20–25 minutes more until a tester shows only moist crumbs.

15. Chocolate Chip Cookiesbig jar · ~24 cookies

Thick, chewy, bakery-style — the most-reviewed discard cookie on the internet, and it earns it. Brown butter if you want to show off.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted (or browned), 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg + 1 yolk, 1 cup (227g) discard, 2 tsp vanilla
• 2¾ cups (330g) flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2 cups chocolate chips, flaky salt

Method

1. Whisk butter and sugars, then egg, yolk, discard, vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and chips.
2. Chill at least 1 hour — overnight makes them thicker and deeper.
3. Scoop big (3 tbsp), bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, edges set and centers still soft.
4. Flaky salt on top while warm. Non-negotiable.

16. Fudgy Brownies45 min · 8×8 pan

The tang cuts the richness exactly right. Crackly top, fudge middle, no mixer.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted · 1 cup sugar · ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 eggs, ½ cup (113g) discard, 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup (60g) flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ cup chocolate chips

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F, line an 8×8 pan.
2. Whisk butter, sugar, cocoa while warm. Whisk in eggs, discard, vanilla. Fold in flour, salt, chips.
3. Bake 25–30 minutes — tester should come out with fudgy crumbs, not clean. Underbake slightly, always.

17. Cinnamon Rollsweekend project · 12 rolls

The flagship. Soft, gooey, cream-cheese glazed. This is the one the whole book exists to inspire.

Ingredients

• Dough: 3½ cups (420g) flour, 1 cup (227g) discard, ¾ cup warm milk, ¼ cup sugar, 1 egg, 4 tbsp soft butter, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp salt
• Filling: ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 4 tbsp soft butter
• Glaze: 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, splash of milk, ½ tsp vanilla

Method

1. Knead dough 8 minutes, rise 1–2 hours until doubled.
2. Roll to a 12×18 rectangle. Butter it edge to edge, cover with cinnamon sugar.
3. Roll up tight from the long side, slice 12 with dental floss or a serrated knife. Proof in a greased 9×13 for 30–45 minutes.
4. Bake at 350°F for 22–25 minutes until just golden — soft centers are the goal.
5. Glaze while warm. Serve to applause.

18. Scones (Blueberry or Chocolate Chip)40 min · 8 scones

Tender, not dry — the discard keeps them soft. Pick your fighter: blueberry + lemon zest, or chocolate chip.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) flour, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed · 1 cup (227g) discard, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup blueberries or chocolate chips, cream + coarse sugar for the tops

Method

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Cut butter into dry mix. Stir in wet, then mix-ins, just until it holds.
2. Pat into an 8-inch circle, cut 8 wedges, brush with cream, sprinkle sugar.
3. Bake 18–20 minutes until golden. Eat warm, obviously.

19. Pumpkin Breadfall · 1 loaf

It's October in Florida, which means we do fall by oven. Spiced, moist, and the discard keeps it that way for days.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups (210g) flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin purée, 1 cup (227g) discard, 2 eggs, ½ cup oil, 1¼ cups sugar (half brown if you like), 1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F, grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Whisk dry in one bowl, wet in another.
2. Combine just until mixed. Into the pan.
3. Bake 55–65 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool before slicing — it's better the next day, if it survives.

20. Pumpkin Dog Treats (for the Greeters)for Cletus & Maybelle

Yes, the dogs get a card. They hold the front page of this site; they can hold a recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin purée (plain — NOT pie filling), 1 cup (227g) discard
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter — must be xylitol-free (check the label; xylitol/birch sugar is dangerous for dogs)
• 1 egg, 2½–3 cups whole wheat or oat flour

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Mix everything into a stiff dough, adding flour until it's rollable.
2. Roll ¼-inch thick, cut small shapes (chihuahua-sized, so small).
3. Bake 25–30 minutes until hard and dry. Turn the oven off and let them cool inside for extra crunch.
4. Treats, not dinner — a couple a day. Store airtight; freeze the extras.

🍞 The Real Thing — Active Starter

Not discard — these use fed, bubbly, active starter. Yes, actual sourdough is absolutely a thing, and the Dutch-oven loaf is where this whole site started.

R1. Classic Dutch-Oven Loafthe weekly loaf

Crusty, open-crumb, bakery-window bread from four ingredients and patience.

Ingredients

• 500g bread flour, 350g water, 100g active starter (fed and peaked), 10g salt

Method

1. Mix flour and water, rest 30 minutes. Add starter and salt, mix until shaggy.
2. Over the next 2 hours, give it 4 sets of stretch-and-folds. Then bulk ferment until ~50% risen and jiggly (4–6 hours at room temp).
3. Shape into a tight ball, into a floured basket, fridge overnight.
4. Bake in a Dutch oven at 450°F: 20 minutes lid on, 20–25 lid off, until deep bronze.
5. Wait at least an hour before cutting. The crumb is still setting. (Hardest step in the book.)

R2. Soft Sandwich Bread1 loaf pan

The everyday loaf — soft crust, fine crumb, makes the best toast and grilled cheese of your life.

Ingredients

• 3½ cups (420g) flour, 1 cup (227g) active starter, 1 cup warm milk
• 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soft butter, 1½ tsp salt (1 tsp instant yeast optional, for insurance)

Method

1. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Rise until doubled, 2–4 hours.
2. Shape into a loaf pan, rise until it domes an inch over the rim.
3. Bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes. Brush the top with butter while hot.

R3. Focacciasheet pan · crowd food

Olive oil, dimples, flaky salt. The gateway sourdough — forgiving, impressive, gone in an hour.

Ingredients

• 500g bread flour, 400g water, 100g active starter, 10g salt, lots of good olive oil
• Topping: rosemary, flaky salt — or cherry tomatoes, olives, onion

Method

1. Mix, rest, a few folds. Rise in an oiled bowl overnight in the fridge (or 4–6 hours room temp).
2. Into a well-oiled sheet pan, gently stretch to the corners, proof 1–2 hours until bubbly.
3. Dimple all over with oiled fingers, drizzle more oil, scatter toppings.
4. Bake at 425°F for 22–25 minutes until golden at the edges.

R4. Bagels8 bagels · weekend

Chewy, shiny, proper bagels. The boil is what makes them bagels — don't skip it.

Ingredients

• 500g bread flour, 250g water, 100g active starter, 20g honey, 10g salt
• Boil: water + 1 tbsp honey · toppings: everything seasoning, sesame, coarse salt

Method

1. Knead the stiff dough 10 minutes. Rest 1 hour, divide into 8, roll into balls.
2. Poke a hole in each and stretch into a ring. Fridge overnight on a lined sheet.
3. Boil 1 minute per side in honey water. Top while wet.
4. Bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes until deep golden.