Are you finding you just don’t have the time to deal with all of your sourdough discard, but you also don’t want to waste it? Learn how to freeze sourdough starter discard for long term storage without a lot of work and how to revive it for future use.
What is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough baking comes with regular feedings and the need to discard some of the starter before feeding each time. If you’re baking frequently, you may find that you have an excess of discard. Most don’t want to waste the discarded sourdough starter. A simple way to use it is to make sourdough crackers.
Its true, sourdough discard cannot be used to replace the leavening agent in most recipes. You will still need an additional agent like baking soda, baking powder, or commercial yeast for their lift. But the great thing about adding discard to a recipe is the ability to long ferment the grains, making them more digestible. All the more reason to have an abundance of discard available.
I recently had a friend ask me, can you freeze sourdough discard? I thought about it and said that I’d do some experimenting and get back to her. It turns out that it freezes quite well.
Freezing sourdough discard has some benefits that are different than freezing sourdough starter. Sometimes you want to have some discard on hand that has a mild flavor to add to your baked goods. Being able to freeze discard a day or two after it’s been fed means that your discard will have a light tang. The longer it goes unfed, the higher the acidity levels go up, resulting in a stronger, more pungent flavor. Others prefer a lighter tangy flavor. Whichever you choose, it’s a great way to have some control over the tanginess of your discard along with the ability to use it whenever you need it.
How to Freeze Sourdough Discard
For best results, use sourdough discard that came from a mature sourdough starter. If you have a new starter, you can use the frozen discard to add flavor to any baked good, but you may not have success if you plan to revive into an active sourdough starter.
I found that freezing sourdough discard in small serving sizes using any kind of silicone mold made for the easiest removal. Other great options would be an ice cube tray, muffin pan, or any small mold you may have on hand.
Fill molds full of sourdough discard. If using individual molds, to make transporting them easier, place molds on a baking sheet. Place molds in the freezer for 4-6 hours, or until the discard is frozen solid. Remove the discard from the molds. (If using a muffin pan, run the bottom of the pan under hot water for 5-10 seconds and use a spoon or butter knife to lift out. This will thaw the discard enough so that it releases for easy removal.)
Label the freezer bag with the date. Place frozen discard in a plastic bag or an airtight container and place back into the freezer. Do your best to remove excess air from the ziplock bag to prevent freezer burn and ice crystals from forming.
You now have sourdough discard ready anytime you want to add to a recipe.
Can I Revive Sourdough Discard into an Active Sourdough Starter?
Yes! The yeast and bacteria slow their activity in cold temperatures but do not die off completely, they’re one of the most resilient life-forms around. Since the discard is still full of natural yeast and lactic acid bacteria, adding fresh flour and water to it allows the fermented sourdough culture the food it needs to wake up and grow. Even a small amount of starter is teeming with life. This is the reason sourdough bakers store starter in refrigerators, they can go for longer periods between feedings.
Place a frozen cube of sourdough discard in a small container. I suggest using a glass jar so that you can see signs of activity.
Add one tablespoon of warm water and one tablespoon of all-purpose flour over the frozen sourdough discard and allow to thaw at room temperature.
(Don’t use a microwave to thaw, it will kill/cook it) Stir once the discard is thawed and place in a warm spot for 8-12 hours, covering it with plastic wrap or a lid to keep the dust out of it. After this time, you should start to see some activity. If the time has passed and you don’t see any activity, feed another round of flour and water. Continue the process until you see it revive and full of activity.
How Long Will Discard Last in the Freezer?
Sourdough discard will last quite a long time kept at such low temperature, up to 12 months.
I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment about freezing your sourdough discard.
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Freezing sourdough discard has some benefits that are different than freezing sourdough starter
sourdough starter
deg som innehåller levande jäst och mjölksyrabakterier. Surdeg är en deg som med levande vildjäst- och mjölksyrabakterier-kultur, och som används som jäsämne i nyberedd deg vid bakning av bröd. Mer subjektiva påståenden är att den ger bröd med bredare smak och bättre struktur.
. Sometimes you want to have some discard on hand that has a mild flavor to add to your baked goods. Being able to freeze discard a day or two after it's been fed means that your discard will have a light tang.
Can you freeze sourdough discard? Technically, yes. But for the best results, you are better off freezing an active and healthy sourdough starter. Because some of the yeast dies when frozen, you want the starter to have as much healthy yeast as possible prior to freezing.
Store it for future baking: You can store sourdough discard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future baking with sourdough discard recipes. When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake. I will keep sourdough discard in the fridge for about one week.
You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.
To revive, take your jar out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for an hour or two to warm up. The mixture may or may not be bubbly like mine below, but either way, stir it so everything is reincorporated.
How to revive frozen sourdough starter. To reactivate the frozen starter, place a cube into a jar and allow it to thaw. Once fully thawed, feed with 100g water and 100g flour. The next day transfer 25 grams to a new jar and feed with 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour.
The good news: You can freeze sourdough bread! That's the perfect way to keep your bread fresh if you won't be able to get through a loaf in a few days. Generally, a homemade loaf can do three to five days at room temperature, before it may go stale or develop bread mold.
Stored in the freezer, sourdough discard will theoretically keep indefinitely. I've left it in the freezer for as long as six months, untouched (i.e., I don't add or remove discard). Before using it, let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, never in the microwave. The microwave will cook/kill it.
Take your active sourdough starter and spoon into silicone muffin cups or ice cube tray, or even just a muffin pan lined with regular muffin liners or plastic wrap. Freeze until completely frozen for about 3-4 hours. Remove the frozen sourdough starter from the mold and place in a freezer safe ziploc bag.
Just smear some fresh sourdough starter in a thin layer over a piece of parchment paper and let dry. Once dry, the starter will easily separate from the paper and can be ground up into small pieces and placed in a plastic ziplock bag. Store your starter in the freezer for as long as you like.
One of the amazing benefits of sourdough discard is that you can use it to create new starters, which are known as levains. These off-shoots from the mother starter can be used to experiment with different types of flour or given as a gift – there's nothing quite like sharing an entire ecosystem with your loved ones.
If your starter smells like acetone, it usually means that it has consumed all of the available food and it needs to be fed. I left my starter unfed in the refrigerator for 1, 3, 6, 12+ months.
It's pretty easy to tell when sourdough bread has gone bad because it will be covered in visible signs of mold growth and will feel hard both inside and out. It may also smell bad too, but not always. Once it's past the fresh stage (first 24 hours) you will notice some deterioration in crust and crumb.
Keep feeding your starter, and you'll see normal activity (bubbles) return in a few days. If your starter has a bit of dark liquid on top, it's not dead! It simply means it's hungry and that it's time to feed it. Unless your starter has a pink or orange hue or is beginning to mold, you probably haven't killed it yet.
Because it's really just replacing some of the recipe's water and flour, unfed sourdough starter discard (cold from the fridge in your sourdough starter discard cache or at room temperature) works perfectly.
With each sourdough starter feeding, you'll be discarding some to avoid it from becoming overly acidic. Most will compost or trash this discard, but you can save it and use it in other recipes!
You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe. These recipes don't require a sourdough starter for leavening, so you can use your starter directly from the fridge.
Absolutely!You can take a portion of sourdough discard and add a few grams of flour and a few grams of water to create a healthy active sourdough starter. You may need to feed your revived starter a few more times before its ready to make bread.
The most important thing to know is that you should never store sourdough in your fridge. The inside of a fridge is a very harsh environment that's much too cold and dry to store bread in. Your sourdough will get hard and stale much faster in the fridge than if you leave it out.
Try to treat your sourdough discard as a liquid when adding it to recipes. For example when adding it to a muffin recipe, you would combine the starter with the other wet ingredients, before adding it to the dry ingredients and stirring.
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