My Sourdough Starter Cache: How I Keep Discard for Weeks | The Perfect Loaf (2024)

One sleepy morning many years ago I sauntered into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and after a blast of wake-the-heck-up cold air, I saw a jar of sourdough starter I put in the day before. Due to life circumstances, I couldn’t bake with it, and in an attempt to always avoid waste, I put it in the fridge. Well, at that moment, it dawned on me that keeping a jar of discard in the fridge at all times might actually be a good idea—a sourdough starter cache to draw from when I needed it.

Mind you, I’m not a fan of using sourdough starter straight from the fridge. It’s far too cold, making it a hostile environment for the bacteria and yeasts inhabiting a culture. Over the years, I’ve tried keeping my starter in the fridge and using it for baking an easy, standard sourdough loaf that day, but the resulting bread didn’t compare to a well-fed and maintained starter with all its room temperature-vigor.

But for those days when you’re not baking long-fermented bread or pastry, sourdough starter discard from the fridge cache is perfect. You get all the flavor created through long fermentation, the convenience of having it ready in the fridge, and you avoid wasting sourdough starter to boot. Such a starter-stockpile will stay the most fresh for about two weeks, and it’s the perfect place to draw from for sourdough starter discard cookies, scones, a tart lemon loaf, or pie crust.

Real quick, why is a sourdough starter discard cache useful?

  1. It’s a quick place to turn for starter discard, always at the ready
  2. It helps avoid waste by saving starter that would normally be thrown away
  3. Discard has lots of flavor, might as well put it to good use
  4. It’s easy!

What is a Sourdough Starter Discard Cache?

I call this a “sourdough starter cache” as a tongue-in-cheek reference to my software engineering days. In computer science, a cache stores data that can later be quickly accessed from the fast cache instead of slower hardware memory. I see a sourdough starter cache as exactly that: Keep a jar of accumulated discard in the fridge and pull from it when you need quick access to a flavor boost in whatever you’re baking.

But also, the cache serves as a means for reducing waste. Sourdough starter discard that might have otherwise gone into the compost or trash goes into the cache, instead.

How Soon After Creating My Starter Can I Make a Discard Cache?

If you’ve just created your sourdough starter, wait until it’s reliably rising and falling each day with signs of fermentation—some rise, bubbles, a progressive sour aroma—before storing discard in your cache. Consistent signs of fermentation each day signal that your starter has a stable mix of good bacteria and yeasts.

How to Keep Sourdough Starter Discard in the Fridge

Starting with a clean jar, put a piece of tape on the side and write the date two weeks into the future (officially the “expiration date”; see explanation below). Then, every day you feed your starter, instead of putting the discard in the compost, add it to the jar, place the lid on top, and put it back into the fridge. Weigh out some discard from this jar whenever you need to use some in a sourdough starter discard recipe and put the covered jar back into the fridge.

How Long Can I Keep Sourdough Starter Discard?

Generally, I keep my sourdough discard cache for up to 2 weeks. Theoretically, you could keep it for far longer, even up to a month, but I’ve found that after this time, the mixture starts to separate, get overly acidic, and the jar sometimes gets a little funky overall.

After 2 weeks, try to use all the discard in the jar. If any is left, scrape it into your compost bin, clean the jar, and prepare it again for a new cycle.

Can I Use Sourdough Starter Discard to Make Bread?

I don’t recommend using starter discard from the fridge to make sourdough bread. Why? The discard could be sitting in the fridge for several days, up to 2 weeks, which is far too long without feeding in an environment that’s too cold. The mixture is likely overly acidic and won’t be properly balanced—in terms of bacteria and yeast populations—for leavening dough.

My Sourdough Starter Cache: How I Keep Discard for Weeks | The Perfect Loaf (3)

My Favorite Container to Hold Sourdough Starter Discard

Just like with my sourdough starter, my favorite container to keep starter discard in the fridge is a 3/4 liter glass Weck jar. I like that these jars are glass (acidic stuff in plastic is a turn-off for me) and very strong. Plus, I use them for just about anything in my kitchen anyway.

See more about why I love Weck jars and why they’re perfect for your starter and discard →

See How I Feed My Sourdough Starter

In the video below, you’ll see how I feed my sourdough starter and how the discard can be collected and saved in your starter cache.

Use Your Starter Cache: Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes

The following recipes are the perfect place to pull from your sourdough starter discard cache and use it straightaway.

Flaky Sourdough Starter Discard Pie Crust (Sweet or Savory)

Sourdough Starter Discard Cake: Ciambella

Sourdough Tortillas

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

My Best Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Starter Discard Cache FAQs

Can I keep sourdough starter discard in the fridge?

Yes! Using a sourdough starter cache, as I like to call it, is a way to store starter discard through the week or two and use it in recipes when convenient.

Can I keep my sourdough starter discard at room temperature?

The longer the sourdough starter discard sits at room temperature, the more acidic it becomes until the mixture becomes inhospitable for microbes to function. At warm room temperature, this happens quickly compared to the cooler temperatures inside the refrigerator. I would say after 3 to 4 days, it would become overly acidic, begin to separate, and have a pungent nail polish-like aroma. Too much of a good thing.

What if I think I see mold on my starter discard cache?

If you see white fuzzy, pink, or green in your starter discard cache, you’ve kept it too long (be sure to write an expiration date on the jar!). I would throw out the entire cache and create a new one. Thankfully, this isn’t your main sourdough starter and simply just a collection of discard—no harm done.

What’s Next?

See our guide to sourdough starters to learn everything you need to know about creating, maintaining, and using your sourdough starter in your baking.

My Sourdough Starter Cache: How I Keep Discard for Weeks | The Perfect Loaf (2024)

FAQs

How to keep sourdough starter discard? ›

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.

How long can I keep sourdough discard? ›

You can use old sourdough discard if it's been stored in the fridge, however, you really want to use it up within a week - 2 weeks max. It's better to use "fresh" discard in a sweet sourdough discard recipe. Use older discards in more savory recipes.

How do you keep sourdough starter for 2 weeks? ›

Storing: Crumble Into Dry Flour

This is by far my preferred method for long-term sourdough starter storage. Place a large dollop of your ripe sourdough starter in the bottom of a large bowl. Cover the starter with lots of flour—you can use the same flour used for feedings or 100% white flour.

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it? ›

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!

What to do with a lot of sourdough discard? ›

What to do with sourdough discard? Don't throw it away! Instead, use it to make delicious and nutritious treats like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and bread. Sourdough discard is a great source of natural yeast and flavor, and can add a unique tangy taste to your baked goods.

How do I know if my sourdough discard is bad? ›

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.

Where should I store my sourdough discard? ›

Sourdough discard is a wonderful component to many of my daily recipes, but it does occasionally get ahead of me. If you want to avoid wasting that flavorful discard, it can be stored on the counter for 1-2 days, in the fridge for about a week, or even in the freezer for months!

Does sourdough discard have to be active? ›

One note: Don't start using your discard until your starter is really up and running. In other words, if you've just started your starter and it's not yet established, then you shouldn't save that discard. Wait until you have a healthy, active sourdough starter, then keep any discard from routine feedings.

What happens if you don't discard sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

What is the best flour for maintaining sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose flour works great for feeding starter, but adding a little whole grain flour can help give it a boost if needed.

How long is too long to leave a sourdough starter? ›

I wouldn't go more than 24 hours without feeding a very young sourdough starter (it may survive longer than this unfed however you will leave it open to the risk of mold). Mature sourdough starter aged more than 6 months old should be able to survive unfed on the counter for around 3-4 days without any risk of mold.

What happens if you don't feed sourdough starter for a week? ›

It will be perfectly fine and you do not need to take any special action. Many established starters have lived unused in fridges for weeks and months and have been absolutely fine, working perfectly when next used.

Can you feed starters without discarding? ›

How to increase a starter. If your recipe calls for more than 227g (about 1 cup) of starter, feed it without discarding until you've reached the amount you need (plus 113g to keep and feed again).

How long can you keep sourdough discard before it goes bad? ›

Sourdough discard only lasts a day or two at room temperature. As such, it is best to keep your discard in the fridge, where it will last for up to one week. Of course, you can only rely on it lasting that long if you store it correctly.

Can you over feed a sourdough starter? ›

Premature discarding and overfeeding will weaken your starter and elongate the process. Don't discard and re-feed a weak starter before it shows increasing bubble activity or height from the previous feeding. If you don't see more bubbles or a faster rise each day, skip a feeding, and give it more time.

Can you use a day 1 sourdough discard? ›

Remember, you can't use the discard from your homemade sourdough starter for the first 7 days. You can use sourdough discard in all kinds of sourdough discard recipes, including these no wait sourdough recipes, overnight sourdough discard recipes and sourdough discard recipes that use up a lot of discard.

How do you store sourdough starter between uses? ›

Store your starter in the fridge with a fitted lid on in between uses. Your starter stays happily dormant in the fridge, you will see just how magic it is when you take it out of the fridge and it looks sludgy and dull, and then it comes up to room temperature and you feed it and it bounces back.

How do you keep sourdough starter from going bad? ›

Sourdough starter can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. If you're feeding and making bread with your starter regularly (once a week or so) you can leave it out at room temperature. If you're going away for a bit or if you don't use it that often (once a month or less), store it in the fridge.

How long can you keep sourdough starter on the counter? ›

I wouldn't go more than 24 hours without feeding a very young sourdough starter (it may survive longer than this unfed however you will leave it open to the risk of mold). Mature sourdough starter aged more than 6 months old should be able to survive unfed on the counter for around 3-4 days without any risk of mold.

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