Here are 12 (actually 13, I added a bonus!) of my favourite sourdough recipes using sourdough starter, that is not just bread.
Using sourdough starter to ferment the flour first makes it healthier too as it breaks down the phytates in the flour. This helps with digestion and mineral absorption. The tangy taste of sourdough make the baked goods delicious and brings a lot more flavour.
Jump to:
- Sourdough Croissants
- Sourdough Pizza Bases
- Sourdough Puff Pastry
- Sourdough Baguettes
- Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
- New-York Style Sourdough Bagels
- Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Sourdough Brioche
- Sourdough Danish Pastries
- Sourdough Focaccia
- Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
- Sourdough English Muffins
Sourdough Croissants
Sourdough croissants are deliciously buttery, flaky and once you make them you can’t help but feel darn proud. Making croissants with sourdough starter is a pretty drawn-out process, but it is not actually difficult.

Sourdough Pizza Bases
Sourdough pizza dough has great texture and flavour, so a simple topping is best. The sourdough pizza dough itself is the star.
Sourdough Puff Pastry
Homemade flaky sourdough puff pastry is delicious and decadent. Real butter in between the layers is so much more flavourful than store-bought puff pastry, which often doesn’t use butter. This pastry uses discard sourdough starter.
Sourdough Baguettes
These step by step sourdough baguettes have a classic, crunchy sourdough crust and a light and airy, chewy interior.
Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
These delicious, light and fluffy sourdough pancakes are so easy to make. The main batter is made the night before and uses up your sourdough starter discard.
New-York Style Sourdough Bagels
These sourdough bagels are delicious and thick with that iconic chewy crust. They are easy to make and naturally leavened with sourdough starter.
Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Deliciously soft, scented with cinnamon and studded with raisins. This sourdough cinnamon raisin bread is great to eat fresh, or toasted and slathered with butter.
Sourdough Brioche
Soft and tender, this sourdough brioche bread is so good. Brioche dough is extra enriched, with lots of butter and eggs so the crumb is wonderfully rich and tender.
Sourdough Danish Pastries
Delicious and flaky sourdough danish pastries leavened with butter and sourdough starter. The dough is similar to sourdough croissants but it’s more enriched, with milk, egg and a touch of fragrant cardamom.
Sourdough Focaccia
This sourdough focaccia has a chewy and soft interior and a deliciously crispy exterior.
This combination of texture in this focaccia comes from an airy sourdough leavened dough that’s coated in a generous amount of olive oil. While it bakes, this olive oil crisps up the outside of the dough.
Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls
They’re tender and soft. Serve them as sourdough dinner rolls, or roll them a little bigger and use them as sourdough burger buns. They can be made by hand or in a mixer.
Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Spiced, a little bit sweet and a lot fluffy. These sourdough hot cross buns have the signature sourdough tang.
Sourdough English Muffins
Sourdough English muffins are little bread rounds, leavened with sourdough starter and cooked in a pan. They're toasted on both sides to create a crisp outer, but they have a lovely soft texture inside.
Have you made and of these sourdough recipes? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz
Sandi MacMillan says
It's a joy to make your delicious sourdough recipes! I'm a home baker, have been making sourdough for around 9 years now and follow a few bakers but your methodology and no fail results would have to be the best. Love, love, love your work! Any chance of an e book sometime?? I would be happy to contribute to your ongoing journey. Thank you so much 😋😊 Sandi
Elien says
Thanks so much Sandi! It’s not on the cards at the moment but definitely something I’ll consider in the future 😁
Lynn Addis says
I have non-celiac gluten-intolerance and have learned I can tolerate Sourdough if it is long fermented. (Typically, minimum of 24, but 36 hours is best) Do you think your recipes (eg. puff pastry) can be long fermented without affecting the results? TIA
Angela says
Lynn, I'm not the author of this site, but wanted to comment in case you are actually still waiting after a year. The issue with long-fermentation is the dough would have less 'lifting power'/yeast. Since sourdough starter is basically just flour and water, then let your starter ferment for as long as you need between feedings and use your discard for quick-breads or breads to which you add yeast. I made some muffins last night that were 100% sourdough starter/discard with no additional flour added. (they are good). Then you can use a gluten-free flour if you need to add additional flour.
Kathy says
Yes, I was wondering if you can use sour dough starter to make chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t know if you could only use the sour dough starter in bread only? Also, I am extremely busy , and don’t really have time to make a sour dough starter, can I buy it all ready to go? Thank you