100+ Sourdough Recipes ~ Bread, Biscuits, Cakes, Cookies & More!

Sourdough Starter Recipes

Before diving into the sourdough recipes, you’ll need a thriving sourdough starter.  Creating a sourdough starter from scratch can be a bit challenging, and many people opt to buy a sourdough starter culture instead.

Cultures for health has a number of sourdough starter options, including San Francisco Style, Gluten-Free, Whole Wheat, and Rye.  Each of which is optimized for different bakes, and is nurtured on that specific flour exclusively so that there’s no cross-contamination if allergies are a concern.

If you decide to go cultivate a starter without a starter culture, there are a number of techniques to help ensure success.  The sourdough starter recipes below walk you through a number of different techniques to help you get started. Beyond pure sourdough, you can also make a friendship bread starter, which also captures wild yeast.  It’s a bit sweeter and uses potato flakes for softer bread. 

• Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe for Making Sourdough Bread Without Yeast ~ Attainable Sustainable
• Homemade Rye Sourdough Starter ~ Practical Self Reliance 
• Easy Einkorn Sourdough Starter ~ A Modern Homestead
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter ~ Eating Well
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter ~ King Arthur Baking Company
• Amish Friendship Bread Starter (Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free) ~ Friendship Bread Kitchen
• Potato Flake Amish Friendship Bread Starter ~ Jennifer Cooks

Sourdough Bread Recipes

Unlike regular yeasted bread, sourdough relies on a long slow fermentation.  This allows natural enzymes within the flour time to work alongside the little microbes in the starter, converting starches to a more digestible form.

Often, sourdough bread is made using a “no-knead” method, where the dough is turned and stretched instead of kneaded.  This is easy on the hands, and perfect for novice bread bakers without the polished forearms of a lifelong baker.

• Sourdough Rye Hearth Bread ~ Adamant Kitchen
• Simple, Easy Sourdough Bread From Scratch ~ The Farmer’s Lamp
• No-Knead Einkorn Sourdough Bread ~ A Modern Homestead
• Sourdough Bread: A Beginners Guide ~ The Clever Carrot
• Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe ~ A Beautiful Plate
• Pain DE Campagne: French Sourdough Bread ~ Fermenting For Foodies

Sourdough Sweet Loaf Breads

Missing sweet loaf breads?  You can still make your favorite cinnamon raisin bread and more, naturally leavened with a sourdough starter.

Your toaster won’t know the difference, but I bet you’re going to love the extra flavor sourdough gives to the finished loaf.

• Apple Cinnamon Swirrel Sourdough Loaf Bread ~ A Whisk and Two Wands
• Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough ~ The Perfect Loaf
• Sourdough Molasses and Honey Brown Bread ~ Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Rolled Oats and Apple Sourdough Bread ~ My Love of Baking
• Sourdough Maple Bread ~ The Homestead Lady
• Maple Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread ~ Vanilla and Bean
• Sourdough Einkorn Panetone ~ Nourished Kitchen

Sourdough Bread Machine Recipes

Homemade bread not turning out right?  Using a bread machine is a more foolproof way of getting the perfect loaf.

Most bread machine recipes are “set it and forget it” meaning you can have your sourdough bread waiting for you at home even if you’re still commuting into the office.

(Keep in mind though, many sourdough bread machine recipes still use some commercial yeast, so you won’t be able to leaven these without at least some storebought yeast along with the sourdough culture.)

• Bread Machine Sourdough ~ Farmhouse on Boone
• Easy Sourdough Yeast Bread For The Bread Machine ~ King Arthur Flour
• Bread Machine Crusty Sourdough Bread ~ Betty Crocker
• Bread Machine Sourdough Sandwich Bread ~ Sidewalk Shoes
• San Francisco Sourdough Bread ~ Red Star Yeast
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread ~ Bread Experience 
• Multi-Grain Sourdough Bread from the Breadmachine ~ Bob’s Red Mill

Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipes

Once you’ve made sourdough bread, pizza is the next logical step. 

If you’re a fan of traditional Sicilian thin crust, then sourdough is an excellent way to get that paper-thin (without breaking the dough during shaping). 

Don’t like thin crust?  Don’t worry, thick crust Chicago style works wonderfully too!

• Sourdough Pizza Crust ~ Baked the Blog
• Naturally Leavened (Sourdough) Pizza Dough ~ Chic Eats
• New York Style Pizza Recipe ~ Sourdough Made Simple
• Cheesy Sourdough Pizza Bread ~ Butter For All
• Cast Iron Whole Wheat & Herb Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe  ~ Homestead and Chill
• Overnight Sourdough Herb Pizza Crust ~Rocky Hedge Farm

Sourdough Bagel Recipes

Traditional New York Style bagels are actually an overnight recipe, starting with very little yeast and then relying on a long slow ferment to develop flavor within the dough. 

The dough is made in the afternoon, and then bakers come in early the next morning to boil and bake them in time for your morning commute.

With that long overnight ferment, regular bagel recipes easily convert to sourdough for even more flavor!

• Homemade Sourdough Bagels ~ Scotch and Scone
• New York Style Sourdough Bagels ~ Little Spoon Farm
• Homemade Sourdough Everything Bagels ~ Pie & Tacos
• Cinnamon-Raisin Sourdough Bagels ~ Wild Yeast
• Multigrain Sourdough Bagels ~ Cultures For Health
• Soft and Chewy Sourdough Bagels ~ Butter for All

Sourdough Pretzel Recipes

Similar to bagels, pretzels are first boiled and then baked to give them a chewy interior and crisp exterior.

Those same characteristics are exactly what sourdough fermentation is meant to produce.  Want even better homemade pretzels?  Sourdough’s your best bet!

• Sourdough Pretzel Recipe (No Yeast)~ Rebooted Mom
• Sourdough Pretzels (Vegan) ~ One Green Planet
• Sourdough Hard Pretzel Twist & Honey Mustard Onion Dip (Vegan) ~ Sincerely Tori
• Soft Sourdough Pretzel Bites ~ That Recipe
• Soft Sourdough Pretzels ~ Little Spoon Farm

Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipes

We’re all already making sourdough bread as a comfort food, why not take it up a notch? 

Cinnamon rolls are the coziest thing you can make this winter, and they’re even better with sourdough.

• The Caramel Pecan Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe ~ Chowhound
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls ~ Taste of Artisan 
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Vanilla Glaze (Vegan) ~ Rainbow Nourishments 
• Fluffy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls ~ Ashley Marie Farm & Bakery
• Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Twister Bread ~ Ahead of Thyme 
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Topping ~ Farmhouse on Boone
• Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls ~ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Sourdough Cookie Recipes

Cookies are a quick way to satisfy your sweet tooth, and they’re perfect for beginning bakers.

Adding sourdough improves their nutrition slightly, but let’s face it here, you’re making a buttery sugar bomb, and there’s no need to apologize for it. 

They’re just one more way to use up a sourdough discard.  What can I say, some days I just gotta bake cookies…waste not, want not.

• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ I Am Baker
• Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies ~ Homemade Food Junkie
• Sourdough Chocolate Chunk Shortbread ~ Du’s Doughs
• Soft Sourdough Cookies (Snickerdoodles) ~ Cultures for Health
• Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ~ Trimazing
• Sourdough Nut Butter Cookies ~ Traditional Cooking School
• Sourdough Key Lime Ricotta Cookies ~ Epicurious
• Vegan Sourdough Jam Sandwich Cookies (Linzers) ~ Winkyfarm

Sourdough Pastries

Thinking beyond cake for your sourdough dessert?  There are so many more options.

Sweet flatbreads, danish, croissants, sourdough pie, and more!

• Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Flatbread ~ King Arthur Baking Company
• Sourdough Pie Crust ~ Butter for All
• Sourdough Toaster Pastries ~ Butter for All

Sourdough Crackers

Crackers are often unleavened breads, so the sourdough culture is included mostly to improve the nutritional content. 

They’re a great way to quickly put a sourdough discard to use, just mix and bake. 

• Sourdough Discard Crackers with Rosemary and Olive Oil ~ Butter for All
• Sourdough Whole Wheat Crackers Recipe ~ An Oregon Cottage
• Einkorn Sourdough Crackers ~ A Modern Homestead
• Sourdough Crackers With Olive Oil & Herbs ~ Love & Olive Oil
• Sourdough Caraway Crackers ~ Yummly
• Sourdough Crackers with Cranberry and Flaxseed ~ Indulge with Mimi
• Sourdough Parmesan Cheese Crackers ~ More Than Meat and Potatoes

Sourdough Muffin, Scone, Biscuit & Quick Bread Recipes

Sourdough culture does more than just leaven bread.  It pre-digests the starches, making them more gut-friendly.  The little beasties also convert some of the sugars in the grains into protein, further improving the nutrition of the finished baked goods.

These “quick loaf breads” are classics that we all know and love, like banana bread.  Baking powder and/or soda are used for leavening, and the sourdough is simply incorporated to improve the digestibility and nutritional content of an otherwise sweet treat.

Often these are actually formulated as sourdough discard recipes, and they just use up that tiny bit of sourdough that’s removed when you feed your starter.  No need to actually “discard” it when you can use it to make nutritious sourdough muffins in minutes!

Sourdough Muffins

• Zucchini and Walnut Sourdough Discard Muffins ~ Heartbeat Kitchen
• Sourdough Spelt Muffins ~ Cultures For Health
• Sourdough Cinnamon Muffins ~ The Southern Lady Cooks
• Blueberry Sourdough Muffin Recipe ~ The Gingered Whisk
• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins ~ Baked the Blog

Sourdough Quick Breads

Using sourdough improves the digestibility in quick tea bread, even though they’re not leavened with sourdough.

Sourdough banana bread, anyone?

• Classic Sourdough Banana Bread ~Heart’s Content Farmhouse
• Sourdough Zucchini Bread ~ The Clever Carrot
• Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread Recipe: Easy Pumpkin Quick Bread ~ Savoring Italy 
• Sourdough Maple Walnut Bread ~ King Arthur Flour

Sourdough Biscuits

Similarly, biscuits get just a tiny bit of extra lift from the sourdough starter, but mostly it’s just added for nutrition.

It’s a great way to use up your sourdough discard!

• Long Fermented Sourdough Biscuits ~ Farmhouse on Boone
• Buttery Sourdough Sandwich Biscuits ~ King Arthur Baking Company 
• Flakey Sourdough Biscuits ~ Heartbeet Kitchen

Sourdough Scones

If you like biscuits, you’ll absolutely love scones!

They’re just as flaky, but with a bit of sweet too.

• Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones ~ Little Spoon Farm
• Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Scones ~ Feasting at Home
• Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Scones ~ Good-Hearted Woman
• Sourdough Garlic Cheese Scones ~ Lavender and Lovage
• Sourdough Cheese Scones ~ Supergolden Bakes

Sourdough English Muffins and Crumpets

So English muffins aren’t exactly “muffins” in the true sense of the word.  They’re yeast-leavened, so sourdough makes an excellent substitution.  A long slow ferment really brings out their flavor and results in a truly spectacular treat.

Once leavened, they’re cooked on a pan on the stovetop, meaning they’re a great sourdough recipe for when it’s too hot to turn on the oven.

Crumpets are made in a similar way, with a leavened batter cooked on the stovetop.

• How To Make Sourdough Crumpets ~ Top With Cinnamon
• Sweet Potato Sourdough Soft Sandwich Loaf or English Muffins ~ Butter for All
• Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins ~ An Oregon Cottage
• Sourdough English Muffins ~ Baking Sense

• Lemon Sourdough Cake ~ FRAICHE
• Sourdough Chocolate Cake ~ A Modern Homestead
• Sourdough Crumb Cake ~ King Arthur Baking Company
• Sourdough Cherry Cardamom Cake ~ Nik Sharma
• Irish Cream Sourdough Cake ~ Yummly
• Sourdough Bundt Cake With Buttermilk Glaze ~ Baking Sense
• Sourdough Blueberry Crumb Cake ~ Super Golden Bakes

Sourdough Pancake, Waffle & Crepe Recipes

Pancakes are the perfect way to use up a bit of a sourdough starter without turning on the oven.  Traditionally, sourdough pancakes are fermented overnight, allowing plenty of starches to convert a protein-rich breakfast.  When made this way, the sourdough acts as the leavening and no baking powder is added.

You can also just make quick, same-day sourdough discard pancakes that are cooked within minutes of mixing.  It’s a good way to use up a sourdough discard, but much of the dough remains uncultured. 

It’s quicker, but you’ll still need baking powder for leavening. 

Sourdough Pancakes

• Sourdough Pancakes ~ Tastes of Lizzy T
• Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes ~ Emeril Lagasse
• Alaska Sourdough Pancakes ~ Recipe Land
• Sourdough Vegan Pancakes ~ Zero-Waste Chef
• Savory Corn and Scallion Sourdough Pancakes ~ King Arthur Baking Company
• Overnight Sourdough Pancakes ~ Good Things Baking Co.

Sourdough Crepes

Pancakes aren’t the only place you can use sourdough!

Generally, crepes aren’t levened, but adding sourdough improves digestibility and helps the crepes hold together better when flipped.

• Rye Sourdough Crepes ~ Cultures For Health 
• Sourdough Crepes ~ Little Spoon Farm

Sourdough Waffles

Who doesn’t love homemade waffles!!?!?!

They’re still leavened with baking powder, but it’s a good way to use a sourdough discard none the less.

• Sourdough Waffles ~ Baked The Blog

Sourdough Dinner Recipes

Want to turn sourdough into a whole dinner? 

You can turn any homemade pasta recipe into a sourdough recipe, or batter your fish in sourdough batter. 

Really, anytime you’re working with grains during dinner time there’s probably a way to incorporate sourdough recipes into the meal.

• Sourdough Fish Batter Recipe ~ True Sourdough
• Sourdough Pasta ~ Snacking in Sneakers

Gluten-Free Sourdough Recipes

Sourdough doesn’t have to be a gluten fest, and you can, in fact, make wonderfully flavorful sourdough recipes using gluten-free flours.

Keep in mind, if you’re baking for someone with a gluten allergy, you’ll also need to use a gluten-free sourdough starter.

• 4-Ingredient Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread ~ What The Fork Food Blog
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Teff Injera ~ Cultures For Health
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Boule ~ Holy Cow Vegan
• Seeded Multigrain Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread ~ Vanilla and Bean
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Raisin Bread ~ All Recipes
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Chili Cheese Muffins ~ Cultures For Health
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ What the Fork
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Cornbread ~ What The Fork

Non-Bread Foods Cultured with Sourdough Starter

Sourdough culture doesn’t necessarily mean baking, believe it or not.  Sourdough is just a culture, and it can be used as a starter to culture all manner of foods.  Traditionally, it was used as a starter for a number of fermented foods, especially from Eastern Europe.

Traditional Bread Kvass is a fizzy drink that uses a sourdough starter for carbonation, and Russian brined apples are a unique way to preserve apples for months (or years) without refrigeration.

• Traditional Bread Kvass ~ Practical Self Reliance
• Russian Brined Apples ~ Beets and Bones
• Russian Brined Plums ~ Beets and Bones
• Zurek (Polish Rye Soup) ~ Polish House Wife

Sourdough Discard Recipes

Still, need more sourdough love?  Check out these quick ways to use a sourdough discard…

• 16 Inventive Ways To Use Up Sourdough Discard ~ True Sourdough
• Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes ~ The Perfect Loaf