About Home Dining

If you are maintaining a sourdough starter, you probably have plenty leftover from when you refresh it. You may be discarding the leftover starter down the drain, but there is no reason to throw it away. Leftover sourdough starter can be used in plenty of other recipes, providing a delightful tangy flavor to many home cooked foods.

Here are some great ways in which to use your leftover sourdough starter:

1. Sourdough Pancakes. Mix one cup of starter with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add one beaten egg and a couple of teaspoons of maple syrup, and stir well. Add one cup of flour plus one teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Stir well again. The mixture should start to foam up. Let stand while you heat a skillet or griddle. Fry on a lightly oiled skillet until lightly browned on one side, flip, and cook until lightly browned on the other side.
2. Sourdough Onion Rings. Cut up a couple of large onions into rings. Place vegetable oil into a deep pan or fryer and heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Take the onion slices and separate into rings and toss in a bowl with one cup of flour until they are well coated. In a separate bowl, mix two cups of starter with half a cup of sparkling water and a pinch of salt. One by one, take an onion ring, dip it into the sourdough starter bowl and cover well, and then put into the hot oil. Fry until golden.
3. Sourdough Waffles. Use the sourdough pancake recipe above, but instead cook the batter in a waffle iron until golden. Serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, if desired.

These recipes are just a start. Once you start thinking creatively about ways to use your leftover sourdough starter, you will easily be able to find ways to incorporate it into many different recipes for muffins, quick breads and more.

Michelle Day is an avid baker and gardener living in the pacific Northwest. You can visit her Sourdough Starter blog for more ideas about how to creatively use sourdough stater and instructions on how to build a simple sourdough starter at home.

How to Cook Pancakes

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