These are the best sourdough recipes – they are our tried and true recipes to use with your sourdough starter. This post contains affiliate links – full disclosure here.
This post has been a long time coming! Whenever I share stories on Instagram with my sourdough baking, I get questions asking me for my recipes.
The truth is, I don’t have any sourdough recipes that I’ve created on my own that I can share with you. But I CAN share our favorite tried and true recipes that we’ve tried through the years and loved.
These are our very favorite recipes that we keep going back to and repeating, many weekly! Also included: where I got my starter, where I learned about sourdough baking, and what supplies I use.
How I got my sourdough starter:
I attempted making my own starter from scratch a few times, but I always tried to do it during the cooler months, and wasn’t very successful. Sourdough starter needs heat to get started, and I just didn’t have that advantage in the cooler months.
I bought this starter on Etsy (which claims it’s an ancient European starter). I … don’t believe it’s true haha. BUT it’s a great dehydrated starter! I have killed it THREE times in the last 3 years (all my fault) and I have bought this starter 3 times. It’s worked beautifully every time and I recommend them!
Click here to purchase the dehydrated starter on Etsy
How we store our sourdough starter:
I bought these containers, and LOVE them. We’ve had them for a few years now.
There is a little trick to how I use them for sourdough starter though: I actually removed the metal pieces around the neck of the glass container (it’s easy to do). Then I’m left with a nice large glass container with a heavier glass lid so the starter can expand and contract in the container if necessary,
This container is smaller if you’re not looking for a large one just yet.
How I learned about sourdough:
There are SO many knowledgable people on the internet that can teach you about all things sourdough!
Here are some of my favorites that I’ve learned a lot from! They have comprehensive guides on their sites at these links:
Sourdough baking supplies:
The great thing about sourdough baking is that is truly needs very little. It’s not an expensive “hobby”. I’ve gotten these few supplies over the last few years but you don’t truly need any of them!
I love having my sourdough recipes rise in a simple glass bowl – this is the specific one I have. Since it’s clear, you can see through it and leave it covered, while peeking on it and seeing that things are nice and bubbly and active in the bowl.
I use this little tool for scraping/handling the dough and chopping as well.
This is the lame I use to score the top of my bread.
I bought a simple kitchen scale and it has made life so much easier! It’s much less dishes to wash too.
And here’s the tools I use in one spot (click each picture to go to the product link):
And now that you have the essentials, here are our favorite sourdough recipes:
Best sourdough dinner rolls:
We love these because:
- they’re a “same day” recipe and don’t require an overnight rise (sometimes I forget to do it in the evening!)
- many dinner recipes call for milk or butter – these don’t.
- they taste GREAT. I’ve never had a bad batch.
I like to make a double batch of these so I can freeze the second batch. Working smarter, not harder! I wrap them individually in aluminum foil (after baking + cooling) and then put them in a freezer bag.
Recipe for sourdough dinner rolls here
Best sourdough sandwich bread:
We have officially begun to replace store bought sandwich bread with homemade sourdough sandwich bread! If I make a double batch, then it’s really not too much to keep up with for our family of 5 who goes through a lot of sandwich bread!
Notes on this recipe:
- it doesn’t require butter or milk
- it calls for 1/4 cup of sugar in each loaf, but I’ve done a little less than that and it’s turned out fine.
- I usually use turbinado sugar
- I’ve been doing it with a mix of all purpose and white wheat flour. Usually 200g of white wheat flour + 300g all purpose.
- I wait until it cools, then slice it and put it in a gallon ziplock bag.
Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe here
Best Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Well. These are just the best chocolate chip cookies I have EVER had. They’re so so dang good. Not healthy at all, but totally amazing. A little brown on the bottom, with the soft + chewy center.
I follow the instructions exactly and it turns out perfectly! Make sure not to over bake them. Also, I use large dark chocolate chips for this recipe and it’s fantastic.
Recipe for sourdough chocolate chip cookies
Best Sourdough Pancakes:
There’s a few notes on this recipe, but we make it often and I love it! I kind of hate making pancakes for a family of 5, so we only do “sheet pancakes” which is what this is!
Recipe notes:
- It calls for only discard (which is why I love it when I am looking to use up some of my discarded starter).
- You CAN use only discard, but sometimes if I want a little more bulk, I add in about 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup flour to the recipe and it turns out great.
- We add in almost a cup of frozen wild blueberries and bake it all together instead of topping with fruit.
- I cook these in my cast iron skillet and love it in there!
It’s the perfect winter weekend treat!
Click here for the sourdough pancake recipe
Best Sourdough Bagels:
Mmm these sourdough bagels are next level. There’s just nothing like a freshly baked bagel, and these are excellent. They’re a little more labor intensive than the other recipes I typically make, but they’re a special treat we don’t make as often. When I do make them, I make a double batch so I can freeze them for later.
I follow her recipe closely and don’t deviate from it. We love everything seasoning + sesame seeds on them.
Great All Around Sourdough Bread:
This is an easy and great beginner friendly recipe for a simple sourdough bread. I tend to make rolls more than bread like this lately, but this is how I started! We made these all the time. No need to alter the recipe either.
Click here for the sourdough bread recipe
Best Sourdough Pizza Crust:
We do pizza + a movie on Friday nights, and this is our go-to recipe! I like that it uses a lot of starter, because I usually have some discard to get rif of by the end of the week.
Notes on this recipe:
- We double the recipe to make 2 pizzas
- I like to add a lot of “stuff” in at the end! Instead of pizza flavoring, we add italian seasoning, nutritional yeast, and flax seed. It helps give great flavor to the end product!
- Sometimes I’ll do a mix of all purpose + Einkorn flour. Turns out well regardless!
- Does not require an overnight rise – I usually make it at lunchtime on Friday afternoon and then let it it on the counter for the rest of the afternoon until it’s time to start making dinner.
