If you need another recipe for sourdough discard, try this orange cranberry bread. It uses 1/2 cup of sourdough discard.
My first sourdough starter, Pumbaa, lasted about a year before he died. I thought I was doing a good job taking care of him, but I was proven wrong. My current starter is named Pumbba Junior and seems to be thriving in his little sourdough crock. I feed him once a week (he’s in the refrigerator) and I have tried to clean the vessel a few times a month so it doesn’t get gross.
Because I hate throwing food away, I am always in a constant state of finding uses for my sourdough discard. I found this recipe a little while ago and thought it sounded great. I love orange cranberry bread (especially the one from Wegman’s with the crunchy sugar on the top!). Plus, this recipe uses half a cup of discard. Win-win!
The natural yeast in the sourdough starter helped leaven my bread and caused it to rise beautifully. I thought that baking it for 60 minutes was a tad too much, so I’d recommend checking your oven around 50 minutes or so. Just poke a toothpick in the center and see if it’s still wet (you want the toothpick to come out clean).
Thankfully, the bread did not end up too dry. I get mad when I bake bread and it’s harder and drier than a brick. Even Addie commented on how much she liked it!
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 4 out of 5
Sourdough discard orange cranberry bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 and ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- ½ cup oil
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sourdough
- 1 teaspoon orange juice
- ¾ cup milk of choice
Glaze (optional)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease or line a 9"x5" baking loaf pan and set aside (I used a silicone baking pan and did not line or grease it).
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cranberries. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix the oil and sugars together on medium speed until light and well-blended, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time until each has thoroughly been mixed in before adding the next.
- Turn the mixer to low and add ⅓ of the dry ingredients.
- Then add the milk, and another ⅓ of the dry ingredients.
- Add the sourdough discard, and then the final ⅓ of the dry ingredients.
- Add in the orange juice.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and bake in your preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool before adding any glaze.
- After the bread has cooled, you can make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the orange juice until you achieve a pourable glaze. Drizzle this over the top of the bread and allow it to set before serving.