Favorite Sourdough Recipes (That Aren't Just a Loaf of Bread)

Hey'a, everyone! So, this has been a bit of a crazy week. I picked up a new project (more info coming soon!), and that plus my normal stuff is keeping me pretty busy. Today's post, however, is not about any of that. Instead, it's about something I've been doing for almost a year now: sourdough. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I've been having lots of baking adventures over the past year, trying to accomplish the perfect sourdough loaf and looking for new recipes to try. Today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite recipes that aren't just loaves of bread — after all, by this point, anyone who picked up sourdough during quarantine and hasn't given up on it yet is probably looking for something new to do with it. A lot of these also use discard, which is great because it's no fun to just waste half your starter every time you feed it. So, without further ado, the absolute best sourdough recipes I've tried.

(Ok, a moment of further ado: have you taken my social survey yet? If so, thank you very much! If not, please go do that; it only takes a few minutes, and it'll help me figure out what I'm doing with my life in terms of connecting with y'all. Now, back to the recipes.)

Sourdough Recipes (That Aren't a Loaf of Bread)

1. Sourdough Crumpets. This is the most recent addition to the list, but it's also my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE thing on it. I've spent most of my life wondering what the pumpernickel a crumpet is and thinking it was something like a macaroon or macaron. In reality, it's more like a cross between a pancake and an English muffin, and it is SO GOOD. It's also super easy; you just take starter, add a little salt, sugar, and baking soda, mix it up, and drop it on the griddle in some crumpet rings. (I substitute biscuit cutters, though I'm thinking of buying some actual English muffin/crumpet rings in the near future just so I can have them consistently sized.) I like these best with butter and buckwheat honey, but they're also really good plain and hot off the griddle.
   
   
   
2. Buttery Sourdough Buns. These rolls are rolled up like a cinnamon bun, but they're usually buttery and savory, more like a crescent roll. I will confess, though, that I almost never stick to the recipe for what goes inside the buns. They just say to do butter and a bit of paprika, but me? I load these up with SO MUCH CHEESE. Usually, it's whatever shredded cheddar or whatever similar cheese we have in the freezer, but the last time I made these I used shredded romano, grated parmesan, and some basil and they were delicious. (For the record, I still do use the melted butter; it's just that I put cheese in there too. Also, you do have to roll them up tight or some of the cheese will fall out.)
   
   
   
3. Soft Sourdough Rolls and Crusty Sourdough Rolls. Cheating? A little. But I'm not going to choose between my two go-to sourdough roll recipes, not when they're both equally delicious. I absolutely LOVE rolls — like, the way my roommate loved Colonial's breadsticks. I know it's just a lump of dough or a mini loaf of bread, but they're SO YUMMY, especially when you split them partway open and load the inside up with butter or honey or other fillings and then eat it like that. The soft sourdough rolls are excellent for sandwiches — and I do mean excellent — though they're also great just as a side. (If you're making them as a side, though, make them smaller. You can always eat more of them.) The crusty sourdough rolls are delicious with anything, but I especially like them with Italian-type foods like lasagna and cataloni.
   
   
   
   
4. Sourdough Pretzels. My family's pre-crumpet favorite, though we haven't made them in a while. These are probably the second-easiest thing on the list, unless you're like me and really struggle with rolling dough into ropes for twisting. They're really at their best fresh, when they're hot and salty and sourdoughy and chewy and all that. You can also just leave them as lumps so they become pretzel rolls, though I'm still figuring out sizing to make them function well for sandwiches and burgers and such.
   
   
   
5. Sourdough Pizza. How many times have I featured this on my Instagram? It's a very time-intensive pizza crust, but it's so good, and I think it's well worth the extra effort. I normally do the two thin crusts version (mostly because I didn't learn until recently that the single thick crust was an option), which works really well. (I will say, though — preheating your stone isn't always the best idea, no matter what the recipe says. We tried that, and it ended up being far too hard and crispy on the bottom.)

Are you into sourdough? Please share some of your favorite recipes (even if it's just your preferred loaf recipe; I'm thinking of expanding soon). And if you're not into sourdough, if you have a favorite bread product recipe, please go ahead and share that too; I'm always excited for new things to try.
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)