Savory Sourdough Discard Quick Bread

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I make a lot of sourdough bread at my home, and that means I make a lot of sourdough starter to bake with. As much as I love artisan loaves that take several days to make, I don’t have as much time as I use to ferment and shape the dough.

Honestly, I’m tired.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my newborn, but I’m too sleep deprived to do much more than dump ingredients in a bowl, pop them in the oven, and pray I don’t burn my bread.

Fortunately, this savory sourdough discard quick bread recipe has saved me time and time again. Not only does it use up my excessive amounts of discard, but it also takes almost no effort on my part to make. Cleanup is minimal, and the bread comes together fast. Better still, it’s NOT a dessert bread. I don’t have to feel as guilty for toasting a slice of savory bread as I would with a sweet loaf.

Fast and Flavorful

Savory Sourdough Discard Quick Bread has a similar flavor and texture to a biscuit. I purposefully kept the sugar to a minimum on this loaf, only adding enough to give it some color and counteract any bitterness from the baking powder. As a result, it’s savory even though it bakes a lot like my sweet bread recipes.

As with a biscuit, this quick bread tastes amazing with a smidge of butter when it’s warm. But it also pairs nicely with jam. If you’re craving something savory, a slice of cheese and deli ham would top beautifully. My husband loves dunking this bread in soup.

However, keep in mind that this quick bread is not a sandwich loaf. It can be a bit crumbly, so it won’t be the best option if you want to make a turkey sandwich for lunch or an egg sandwich for breakfast. I do have a crusty sourdough cottage bread recipe, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Great for Starters of All Ages

Many more complicated artisan loaves require fully mature starters. You need to carefully time how you feed your starter and then use it at its peak to ensure a loaf that rises properly.

Fortunately, this savory sourdough discard quick bread does not require any specialized timing. It uses baking powder to give it lift in the often, so you don’t have to wait around for your bread to rise. Better still, it only uses starter for flavor, so you can dump in fed, unfed, or discard into your bread and it will fluff up in the oven regardless of your starter’s maturity.

Time

Prep time: 15 Minutes
Rise time: None
Cook time:  60 Minutes
Total time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ingredients

Here at the basic ingredients for Savory Sourdough Discard Quick Bread:

• 240 Grams All-Purpose Flour (2 Cups)
• 12.5 Grams White Granulated Sugar (1 Tablespoon)
• 5 Grams Baking Powder (1 Teaspoon)
• 1.5 Grams Baking Soda (1/4 Teaspoon)
• 9 Grams Salt (1 1/2 Teaspoons)
• 226 Grams Sourdough Starter – Fed, Unfed, or Discard (1 Cup)
• 120 Grams Melted Butter (1/2 Cup)
• 180 Grams Milk (3/4 Cup)
• 1 Large Egg

I have also tried this recipe with whole wheat flour and bread flour – both of these choices were delicious.

Additional Equipment

Savory Sourdough Discard Quick Bread only requires a few kitchen essentials:

• Mixing Bowls, Cups, Spoons
• Kitchen Scale
• 9-Inch by 5-Inch Baking Pan
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Oven Mitts
• Probe Thermometer

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Instructions

Ready to make your savory sourdough discard quick bread? This recipe comes together fast, so go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius). You’ll also want to line your 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it to minimize sticking. Once you’ve got the prep work out of the way, you just mix your batter, transfer the dough to a pan, and get baking!

Mix Your Batter

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a smaller mixing bowl, combine your wet ingredients: sourdough starter, butter, milk, and egg.

Stir your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. You want to thoroughly incorporate the flour, but do not overmix or your loaf might sink in the middle.

Transfer to a Bread Pan

Once you have your batter mixed, spoon the thick dough into the 9-inch by 5-inch bread pan.

Use your spoon to smooth the top and even out your loaf.

Bake Your Bread

Pop your bread in the oven and bake for 1 hour. If you insert a probe thermometer into your bread, it should read between 195 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit (90 and 93 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a thermometer on hand, insert a toothpick. It should come away clean with no signs of wet batter sticking to the toothpick.

Use the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

If kept at room temperature, your savory sourdough discard quick bread should last about 3 to 5 days when sealed in a bag. Do not refrigerate or the bread will go stale faster. If you want your bread to last longer, freeze your bread in slices and then toast when you’re ready to eat.

Just the Basics

Secrets to Success

Savory Sourdough Discard Quick Bread is a great choice for beginning bakers because it doesn’t require a lot of skill to make. Ingredients are common pantry staples, and I did my best to make the instructions as clear and straightforward as possible.

This bread does not use yeast. Better still, the sourdough starter involved is only for flavor rather than function. You don’t need a fed, active, mature starter to make this loaf, nor do you have to worry about timing the rise. In fact, you don’t even have to bother kneading the dough.

However, I do have one tip for better looking bread. Because this is a quick bread, you do need to pay attention to how much you mix your batter before baking it. Overmixing will result in a sunken loaf. You’ll need to stir just enough to fully incorporate the flour, but not so much that the batter becomes a runny mess.

If you don’t over mix and you still find yourself with a sunken loaf, your bread might just need a little more support. Skip the parchment paper and bake with just a lightly greased pan. You may need a knife to loosen the bread from the pan later, but letting the bread stick a little can help give your loaf structure as it rises in the oven.

Nutritional Information

Savory Sourdough Discard Quick Bread has a lot of melted butter and milk. These dairy fats not only give the bread it’s flavor but they help give the bread a softer texture. Unfortunately, these key ingredients also contribute to more calories per serving.

Keep in mind that this nutritional information reflects the fact that I cut my loaf into about 12 slices. You might manage more (or fewer) slices per loaf, so your calories per serving might be different than what is shown here.

Did You Try It?

My savory sourdough discard quick bread is one of my favorite ways to use up excess starter. I love how tangy and flavorful this loaf is, and it’s always fun to pair this bread with soup.

But what did you think of this bread? Is the texture too crumbly for your liking? Is the sourdough tang flavor too strong? What would you do differently to make this recipe better? Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions in the section below. And don’t forget to give this recipe a star rating if you enjoyed it.