12 Uses for Sourdough Starter (Not Just Bread!)

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