A slower and more sustainable life
Great to see that you are interested in a plant-based diet. Maybe it is just for yourself or you are thinking about how to start transitioning a family to a plant-based diet. Everyone has to start somewhere so take it easy and I hope this …
The plant-based diet focuses on foods sourced from plants and many people new to this diet will wonder what they can eat. No don’t worry you won’t just have to eat salads all the time, the plant-based diet is much more varied than that. Below …
Personally, I follow the no discard routine. I only feed my sourdough starter before baking a new loaf to ensure I have an active starter. This works well for me but I know there are some people out there you like to keep their sourdough starter fresh and may be looking for the best sourdough discard recipes. I wanted to share here a few of my favourite recipes for sourdough discard.
When you have a sourdough starter some people recommend to feed it regularly. If you don’t regularly bake you will produce discard as you cannot grow your starter continuously.
Now, personally, I don’t follow this as a sourdough starter can be kept ‘dormant’ in the fridge and just fed when you want to bake. For me, that routine suits me much better as I am trying to slow down my life and rid myself of unnecessary routines – like feeding a starter and keeping it in perfect condition to bake when I don’t actually want to bake.
I usually bake sourdough once a week, slice it and freeze it for when I need it. This way it is always fresh. However, I’ve gone stretched of two to four weeks without baking when I was travelling for example and my sourdough starter is just fine. It may develop some liquid on top which is completely normal and absolutely no problem. You may skim it off or just stir your starter. Just feed it before you bake next time and the starter will become active again.
Now as I don’t produce discard myself if I know that I want to make one of the below recipes I just take out some additional starter when I bake bread. This way I ensure I have no waste and it is easy enough to manage. But for everyone who prefers feeding their starter I’ve collected the best sourdough discard recipes below.
Here is a collection of the best recipes I found to use sourdough starter/discard. I will add more when I try more but the below are tried and tested and firm favourites in our household.
Instead of making my pizza dough with yeast I sometimes use my sourdough starter. It is an easy process and you will need about 200 g of your sourdough discard or starter. Pizza is one of our go-to meals if we feel lazy but making your own sourdough base is just so satisfying. Try it and if you have kids let them help. The process is easy and adding your own toppings later is so much fun!
My usual breakfast is granola with oat milk but for the weekends or if I fancy something a little more special I have English breakfast muffins in the freezer. I prepare them at the weekend and freeze them on the day. That way they are fresh when I defrost them and make a great treat. You will need half a cup or 120 g of sourdough discard for this recipe. It is a bit more time-intensive but since I freeze them and only have them on special occasions they last a few weeks.
These crackers are amazing and you can add other flavourings if you like. My favourite ones are simple and just have salt on them.
I like to make them at the weekend and they last well in a glass jar. I have kept them for a month before with no issues. They make a great snack and I love taking them on hiking or cycling trips. They taste amazing with some fresh hummus but usually we just eat them straight from the jar.
You will need a cup of sourdough discard (about 240 g) and they are surprisingly simple to make. I like taking a pizza cutter to cut the crackers.
These are my current go-to recipes to make from sourdough starter besides my sourdough bread. If you have additional recipes that you love share them in the comments. I’d love to try some new recipes and use my starter in even more recipes.
On my list, I have quite a few recipes that I will try in the near future. I want to make cookies with sourdough discard, I can imagine it would be great making pancakes with it as well. I really want to try to use sourdough starter in my waffles. They have become a staple in our household recently for a lovely weekend breakfast. Keep your eyes peeled on this blog post as I plan on expanding the list of best sourdough discard recipes very soon!
Have you tried any of my best sourdough discard recipes? Comment below and let me know how you liked them! If you made variations I’d also love to know and try them soon. 🙂
If you enjoyed the recipe and want to find more head over to my recipe section and join my Facebook Group which focuses on homemade vegan recipes that are affordable and healthy.
Disclaimer: This post contains affilitate links – I will earn a commission if you buy any item. Not only is oat milk very cheap and locally produced but it is also a more eco-conscious choice than say, almond milk. Making your own oat milk is …
The usual breakfast routine for me is granola and oat milk, both homemade. A great option for the busier weekdays. However, for special occasions, we love making this quick vegan palmiers recipe. Traditionally more of a sweet snack for the afternoon, we have discovered it …
At the end of May up until the end of June, you will have seen the elderflower trees flower here in the UK. It is a great opportunity to go foraging and collect some of the scented elderflower sprays. If you ever wondered what you can make with it, I have a wonderful recipe for you: an elderflower cordial recipe which is a wonderfully refreshing drink for the summer months.
I love foraging but so far I stuck to relatively save options like blackberries but every year I see these wonderful heavily scented elderflowers at the end of May and I always wanted to try and make something with them. I also love elderflower juice so it was just a logically step for me to try and make my own elderflower cordial this year.
When you go foraging try to avoid any elderflower trees that are close to busy streets to avoid toxins. I like to collect them in parks or at a path behind my house where there are no cars.
The best time to collect elderflower is the late morning. Make sure to shake the elderflower well after harvesting to get rid of any insects hiding in them. You don’t want to wash them before making the cordial as it will weaken the flavour.
It is surprisingly simple to make the cordial. First, you simmer the elderflower sprays in water and you will slowly see it turning slightly yellow. Then you add some sugar and let it simmer for a bit longer until the sugar is dissolved. And that’s it. Now you can enjoy a glass of refreshing elderflower cordial mixed with water.
If you want and can bottle the cordial into sterilised bottles and keep them in the fridge for a few weeks.
A refreshing cordial which can be mixed with still or sparkling water for a wonderful summery drink.
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Have you tried this elderflower cordial recipe? Leave a comment and tell me how you liked it!
If you enjoyed the recipe and want to find more head over to my recipe section and join my Facebook Group which focuses on homemade vegan recipes that are affordable and healthy.
One of my rituals every week is baking my own bread with sourdough starter. Now personally I follow the no discard rule as I hate wasting anything and the bread still turns out fine. I’m also a bit lazy and don’t want to feed my …
Disclaimer: This post contains affilitate links – I will earn a commission if you buy any item. I love making empanadas and have started recently to make them vegan. My partner is vegan and I just wanted to come up with a few new vegan …
Whenever I tried vegan cheese so far I was not sold. It is expensive and the consistency and taste never seemed quite right. I decided to make my own soft vegan cheese spread to use with my sourdough bread and as an empanadas filling. This vegan cheese recipe can be used as a simple spread, cheese dip or even a filling. I find it to be quite versatile and as it is quick to make and so affordable it has become a staple in our household.
The vegan cheese also goes great with my sourdough crackers and makes a great light snack if I feel peckish. So if you like a bread and cheese combination thise may be the right cheese for you.
Most vegan cheese is based on raw cashew nuts to get the consistency right. Cashew nuts are delicious and packed with nutrients. If this is your first vegan cheese recipe, don’t worry, it is also one of the easiest recipes you can try. Maybe you have to buy nutritional yeast but you will soon notice that is one of the staple items in the vegan kitchen – especially if you like cheesy recipes. There are alternatives of course but nutritional yeast will give your recipe that cheesy kick. Most people just sprinkle it over their dishes if they crave cheese but I also like to have a cheese consistency.
To try this recipe all you need is a food processor and a few simple ingredients. Most likely you will have the majority of the ingredients already. All are regular items in the vegan diet and once you made this cheese at home you will realize how much money you will save by simply making this cheese yourself rather than buying the ready-made vegan cheese in the supermarket.
To make vegan cheese you only need the following ingredients:
When you have all of your ingredients together and are ready to make your first cheese, place all ingredients except the water in the food processor.
First, pulse the mixture 2 – 3 times to break down the cashews. It should form a coarse, wet mixture. In between pulses, scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula.
Once you have pulsed the cashews you can now start blending it. While blending, drizzle in the water until the mixture becomes smooth. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of the machine again. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Add more water if required. The consistency is very similar to hummus. So once you have reached that consistency you know that your vegan cheese is ready.
Taste the vegan cheese and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Now if you want to keep the cheese find a suitable airtight container and spoon mixture in it. It will last in the fridge for about a week.
Easy recipe to make creamy cashew cheese. Great as a spread, dip or as a filling.
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Have you tried this vegan cheese recipe? Share in the comments and let me know how you liked it.
If you know of a good vegan cheese that is suitable to use on pizza please share it in the comments. This is my next experiment and I can’t wait to try the perfect melted vegan cheese on yummy pizza.
If you enjoyed the recipe and want to find more head over to my recipe section and join my Facebook Group which focuses on homemade vegan recipes that are affordable and healthy.
This vegan sundried tomato spread is full of flavour and so quick to make. It will take you less than 10 minutes in total. The ingredients are easy to find and a food processor is all you need. This simple vegan spread recipe will convince …