The best fall sourdough recipes that use sourdough starter for fall-inspired breads, rolls, cakes, and cookies.
Sourdough is for more than bread; it can be used in just about any baked good. And when fall rolls around and you’re craving pumpkin spice or apple cinnamon, your sourdough starter can still be part of the fun.
Don’t be afraid of a sour taste in these baked goodies. Adding starter to sweets mimics a sour cream or buttermilk flavor: slightly tangy, but not sour. Oftentimes you won’t notice any difference and no one will know that there’s sourdough in there at all!
Fall Baking Essentials
If you love fall quick breads and cakes, you will love having a special harvest themed baking pan like this sunflower harvest pan.
Boiled apple cider (concentrated apple cider) has rich apple flavor that’s delicious for any sweet sourdough baked good, as well as using to mix up a quick glaze.
Make sure to stock up on cinnamon, molasses, and nutmeg!
Sourdough Apple Cake
Our favorite use of sourdough discard in the crisp months, sourdough apple cake is loaded with cinnamon, cloves, and apples. Topped with a cream cheese frosting with a splash of apple cider, it’s a true taste of fall in one little pan.
GET THE RECIPE FOR SOURDOUGH APPLE CAKE
Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
Nothing says fall baking like pumpkin bread, and if you’re looking for a moist pumpkin bread with just the right amount of spice, this recipe can’t be beat. Great, classic pumpkin bread flavor and just the slightest bit of tang from the sourdough starter. One of my favorite fall sourdough recipes!
Who could resist a deep fried doughnut loaded with apple flavor? And this apple fritter recipe is light on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and has fresh apples in the batter. An absolutely delicious fall recipe!
These do need a lot of time before they’re ready, but a lot of that time is just waiting on your dough. Perfect for a weekend morning spent at home.
Cookies say fall is in the air and back to school, don’t they? And any little person would love to come home to a plate of these peanut butter cookies on the counter. This recipe uses just the right amount of sourdough discard for a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie that the whole family will love.
Fall is pie baking time. Whether your favorite is pumpkin, apple, or pecan, you need a pie crust. Why not use some of your discarded sourdough starter to make some? This recipe turns out a flaky and tender pie crust every time. You’ll appreciate the detailed instructions and step by step photos that ensure even beginners will get this one right!
There’s nothing like a big square piece of old fashioned gingerbread. Warm, spicy, and not too sweet, gingerbread is perfect in fall and will carry you all through the winter. This recipe is easy to make and produces a perfectly moist spiced cake that you will simply love.
Molasses cookies are one of the best fall desserts! The epitome of warm and cozy spices that smell absolutely delicious while they bake, and adding your starter to this cookie recipe is a great way to use it.
Like any great molasses cookies recipe, this one turns out crisp edges and a soft and chewy center. You will love them.
Two of the best things about baking cinnamon bread are warming up the kitchen in the morning and a sweet cinnamon smell wafting through the house. Cinnamon swirl bread is perfect for fall mornings, and you can make an easy version using your sourdough starter. This bread dough is easy to work with and uses no yeast. Shape in the evening and bake the next morning for a sweet and delicious breakfast loaf.
GET THE SOURDOUGH CINNAMON BREAD RECIPE HERE
Sourdough Apple Cobbler
Cobbler is one of the fall desserts because its easier than pie but just as delicious. And you can absolutely use your sourdough starter in your cobbler topping.
The recipe below can be used with any fruit. To make the best apple cobbler, simply mix up apples, sugar and spices. (And of course, top with vanilla ice cream!)
Oatmeal muffins are a cozy and delicious breakfast that can be made ahead and frozen. Muffins are a great way to use your sourdough discard, and these fall muffins are one of the best.
“Sourdough microbes degrade the phytic acid, enhancing the nutritional quality of the bread.” If you make your own sourdough bread at home, using whole-grain flour or a combination of white and whole grain in your recipe will increase the fiber and nutrients a bit.
Making sourdough bread at home can be cheaper per loaf in the long run, but buying it might be more cost-effective if you value convenience or bake infrequently.
When your starter is reliably rising to double or triple its size and falling in the jar anywhere between 4-8 hours after you feed it (dependent on your ambient conditions and the flour you feed with) it is ready to bake with. When the starter is at the peak of its rise, it is called ripe, fed, or mature.
Past-Peak and Falling: If your starter/leaven is past-peak and is beginning to fall in height, it is beyond the optimal point to use it for baking, but it will still work.
Is it healthy to eat sourdough everyday? You could eat sourdough every day, but it isn't necessarily healthy to do so. A healthy diet is characterized by balance and moderation. Whether or not it is healthy for you to consume sourdough every day depends on the rest of your diet.
But flour type and personal diet need to play a big role. Is sourdough bread good for weight loss? Yes, it may help in your weight management journey. It's complex carbs and high fibre content can leave you feeling full and limit snacking.
Also, though sourdough bread does offer many benefits, it does not contain as much fiber as most whole-grain breads. Whole-grain sourdough bread does have more fiber and isn't much harder to make at home, but you're unlikely to find it at the store.
The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour. Why do you need to use these two types of flour?
Supermarket sourdough is often sourfaux – here's how to make the real thing. Mass-produced sourdough has been found to be adulterated with everything from vinegar to commercial yeast. Why not bake your own?
Stir in the morning and in the evening. Continue this process for 2 more days. Discard half, then feed with 60 g of flour and lukewarm water. Your starter is like a baby, don't forget to feed, stir every day and treat him with love.
Keep feeding your starter, and you'll see normal activity (bubbles) return in a few days. If your starter has a bit of dark liquid on top, it's not dead! It simply means it's hungry and that it's time to feed it. Unless your starter has a pink or orange hue or is beginning to mold, you probably haven't killed it yet.
To keep your sourdough starter healthy, you need to provide it with fresh flour and water on a schedule. Each time you refresh (feed) your starter, you must discard some of the fully-fermented mixture in the jar. Discarding helps keep the acidity low in your sourdough culture, which keeps it strong and healthy.
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).
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.
At this point, it's best to revive some of your backup starter, get a new sourdough starter going, feed some discard, or get starter from a friend. 140f will undoubtably kill the yeast in your starter and prolonged exposure to temperatures above 120f will harm your starter.
On the other hand, wholegrain, rye and sourdough can actually help weight management, Dr Kimbell says. The reasons for this are complex but in simple terms, these breads contain more fibre, require more chewing and have a more complex structure than industrially processed white loaves.
Yes, whole grain bread is very good for weight loss. Eating whole grains have been shown to help eliminate more belly fat when compared to eating refined grains. Whole grain bread contains fiber, which may also help keep you full for longer, making it easier to eat less overall and help lose weight.
Sourdough has made a comeback—and for good reason. It provides nutrients, including healthy carbs, protein, fiber, iron and vitamins like folic acid. It may help improve digestion, lower chronic disease risk and even promote healthy aging.
The best bread to reduce gut inflammation is bread made from whole grains. Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet.
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Introduction: My name is Maia Crooks Jr, I am a homely, joyous, shiny, successful, hilarious, thoughtful, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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