Thought sourdough starter discard was just internet hype until my neighbor in Portland showed me her pancake recipe

I never bothered saving my discard for 6 months, always tossed it out. My neighbor Lisa, who bakes like 40 loaves a week, insisted I try her discard pancakes with a splash of vanilla. One Saturday morning I finally tried it and those pancakes were fluffier than anything from a box mix from the store. Has anyone else found a use for starter discard that actually surprised them?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_ramirez3d ago

You used to convince yourself it was just another food trend to sell fancy jars, but making those pancakes changed my whole outlook on waste in the kitchen. The texture difference was honestly night and day, way better than anything from a carton or mix. Now I keep a bag of discard in the fridge just for weekend breakfast.

alice_kim3d ago

Brian talking about "night and day" difference with discard pancakes is a little much for me. I mean yeah they're good, but I've had perfectly fine pancakes from a box mix my whole life and nobody died. The whole discard thing feels like another way to make sourdough seem more complicated than it needs to be. I just feed my starter less so I don't have extra to worry about. If you like the flavor, fine, but acting like it's some revolutionary upgrade is overkill.

torres.sage2h ago

Box mix pancakes are fine for what they are, nobody needs to add more steps to a Tuesday morning just to feel fancy about breakfast.