A sourdough starter is a cultivated wild yeast culture made by fermenting water and flour together and maintained with regular feeding.
Levain is an off-shoot of the sourdough starter, typically fed a higher ratio of water and flour to increase activity, for the sole purpose of being used to leaven dough. It can also be customized for flavor.
Sourdough discard is excess levain or sourdough starter that is not used in a recipe or for maintaining the starter. Only a small portion of the sourdough starter is reserved and fed during each feeding, the rest is referred to as discard, since typically it is thrown away. In efforts to reduce waste, discard is often collected from multiple feedings and stored in the fridge until enough is allotted to be used for discard recipes.
For more information on how to start and maintain a sourdough starter, create a levain build, and see an example of a sourdough baking schedule, you can visit this guide.
Sourdough Baking: levain vs discard vs spiked dough
There are three ways you can bake with sourdough: with levain or sourdough starter, sourdough discard, or a combination of sourdough and commercial yeast aka spiked dough. Sourdough discard is the trickiest of the three to use for leavening since it is older and more dormant and more acidic. If this is your first time leavening with discard OR if your discard is older, I would recommend trying the spiked dough version, since it has a higher chance of success.
Active starter / levain
The most common and reliable method for making sourdough bread involves utilizing an active starter or levain. This approach ensures proper leavening while allowing you to achieve a milder tang in your final loaf.
An active starter or a levain build has the added advantage of imparting a sweeter flavor to your bread, so you don’t have to worry about the unpleasant tang from the sourdough discard. Additionally, it expedites the leavening process.
I usually never have enough sourdough starter to bake with (I only have 35g of starter sitting on the kitchen counter at any given time, see the post onfor more info) so I would always make a levain build. My go to build ratio is 1:6:6. That ensures that my leavain is super active approximately 10 hours later for use.
Sourdough discard
As mentioned, sourdough discard is the trickiest of the three for leavening since it is the least active and has the most developed flavor aka tang. When deciding to use sourdough discard, take into consideration the following properties:
Activity:we are using sourdough discard for leavening, so unlike other discard recipes, like crackers or pancakes which doesn’t require any leavening abilities, this one does, so we need to make sure the discard is still pretty active. Make sure you are using discard from an active starter and the discard is not too old. If you are just building your starter, for example, your discard will not work because your starter is not active!
Age:In terms of age, if your discard is from an active starter, it should be okay to use if it has been in the fridge for about up to a week. A week and a half might be a stretch and you may want to look into thespiked dough method. I usually use my discard after I have collected enough ~5days.
Tang:The amount of tang you will have depends on the age of your discard. If you want the least amount of tang, use discard that is no more than 3 days old. If you do not want any tang, try the active starter/levain option.
Spiked dough aka sourdough + yeast
Spiking the dough simply just means adding some commercial yeast to give your sourdough a boost. You can use it in combination with either sourdough discard or sourdough starter to speed up the rise time. I usually add a small quantity of commercial yeast, about 1/4 tsp for ~100g of flour and it cuts the rise time of dough made with sourdough discard by about 1-1.5hrs. Obviously, the more you add the more leavening you get from the yeast and the quicker the rise time. Please note that the commercial yeast does impart a flavor to the dough. In small quantities and mixed with sourdough it can be very pleasant– most French baguettes, for example, are made with a combination of long fermented commercial yeast (known as poolish) and sourdough. In larger quantities of commercial yeast, you will get a strong, distinctly yeasty smell and flavor that could be unplesant (think Subways bread).
Summary
Activity Level
Acidity
Acidity
Sourdough Starter
Active
Medium
This is typically referred to the the mother culture. It can also be the same levain if it is fed a certain ratio in preparation for a for bake.
Levain
Very active
Low
Levain is an off-shoot of the sourdough starter in preparation for baking. Since levain builds are typically fed at a higher ratio of water to flour, it is more active than a sourdough starter, making it ideal for leavening. The levain’s composition/flavor profile can also be customized specifically for the bake.
Sourdough Discard
Not very active
High
Depending on the age and acidity level of the discard, the range can be vast. Generally, sourdough discard can be collected and stored in the fridge until there is enough to use for a recipe. It is best used for recipes that do not require leavening or in combination with other leavening agents (ex: baking powder, soda, or commercial yeast).
Looking for more sourdough content? Check out these guides
Sourdough discard is excess levain or sourdough starter that is not used in a recipe or for maintaining the starter. Only a small portion of the sourdough starter is reserved and fed during each feeding, the rest is referred to as discard, since typically it is thrown away.
Active starter and discard both come from the same sourdough starter. However, they are in different phases. Active starter has been fed flour and water within the last 12 hours or so and is growing until it hits its peak. Once it begins to fall it is considered discard.
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.
As part of the feeding process, most bakers discard some of their sourdough starter before adding fresh flour and water to the jar. This is done to refresh the acidity levels (think sweet vs.sour smell) and to manage its overall growth in size. This technique is crucial for successful sourdough bread.
It's always an option to use your starter instead of making a levain. But, for most recipes, I prefer making a levain so I can control the flour going into the levain, the ripening timeline, and when I use it to mix into a dough—all of this without having to adjust my continually maintained sourdough starter.
A sourdough starter is a cultivated wild yeast culture made by fermenting water and flour together and maintained with regular feeding. Levain is an off-shoot of the sourdough starter, typically fed a higher ratio of water and flour to increase activity, for the sole purpose of being used to leaven dough.
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.
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.
How Do You Know if Sourdough Discard Is Bad? Sourdough discard will potentially smell acidic and even like acetone if it's a few days old. While it will smell different to a fed, active starter, it won't smell unpleasant.
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).
As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.
One only needs to discard when making a starter from scratch because it needs daily feeds for a week or two before it's strong enough to make bread. If one doesn't discard then before long you'll have a swimming pool of starter.
Overnight levain method: I suggest that, early on in your sourdough days, you build the levain the night before you want to make a loaf of sourdough, around 10pm. Ideally, you'll have fed the starter that morning, so that it's active in the evening when you build the levain.
Remove and discard half of your sourdough starter from the jar. Feed what's left in the jar with equal parts flour and water by weight (1:1:1 feeding ratio). You need a digital kitchen scale for this. Because we all work with different quantities of starters, this 1:1:1 feeding ratio is best understood by example.
Can I use sourdough discard to make a new sourdough starter? Absolutely! You can take a portion of sourdough discard and add a few grams of flour and a few grams of water to create a healthy active sourdough starter. You may need to feed your revived starter a few more times before its ready to make bread.
Sourdough discard: If you don't sourdough discard saved up, feel free to use active sourdough starter. If you don't have a strater, add 56 grams of flour and 56 grams of water to your dough.
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.
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.
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