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
So the difference between a levain and discard is you actually feeding the discard? Not quite. A levain is an offshoot of your starter that you feed specifically for a recipe you're going to make. The levain gets mixed into dough, while your original starter is fed again.
Sourdough discard is an unfed, ripe portion of the mother culture. You remove sourdough discard during feedings to maintain the size of your sourdough starter. Trash, compost, or store discard so that you can use it in unleavened sourdough discard recipes. Finally, a levain is an offshoot of the mother culture.
The discard is just like a levain you would make for a recipe. The only difference is it's the same makeup as your starter. You might see sourdough starter discard as waste—after all, you probably compost or toss it more often than not.
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.
Sourdough starters require regular feedings to stay active. If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain.
We have a whole collection of Sourdough Discard Recipes that you can bake with your sourdough discard; in these recipes, discard adds flavor but doesn't do much in the leavening department. Some of our favorite sourdough discard recipes include: Classic Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes.
Sourdough discard imparts so many benefits to baked goods. Flavor: Sourdough adds a delicious, nuanced flavor to desserts and savory baked goods. It adds a slight sour flavor without making them taste too off putting or acidic.
A starter and a leaven essentially do the same thing. You add them to a bread dough, and they make it ferment and rise. You can just keep a starter, feed it regularly or refrigerate and refresh it occasionally, and build it before you want to use it in a recipe.
A levain, also called a leaven or levain starter, is an off-shoot of your sourdough starter, and it's a mixture of fresh flour, water, and some ripe starter. This mixture will be used entirely in a batch of dough and has the same fate as the bread dough you're mixing: you will bake it in the oven.
So the holiday commemorates the Exodus with unleavened bread. However, another plausible reason why leaven is forbidden is because God often associates it with sin. Jesus told His disciples, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (Mt. 16:6).
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.
Absolutely you can! Active starter can be used in the same way as sourdough discard in sweet or savory baking. You can add active sourdough starter to any recipe you would add discard to following the same calculation.
Technically, yes you can start another sourdough starter with your sourdough discard - however you don't need two sourdough starters! So as long as your starter is at least 7 days old, why not bake something yummy with the discard?
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).
When you are ready to bake, remove the discard from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. I recommend keeping sourdough discard for up to one week. If needed, mark the date on the container in your refrigerator. After one week, there is a higher chance of the discard growing bad bacteria or mold.
Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this? If you are using it straight from the fridge it may be a little stiff or thick, so you'll need to ensure you mix it really well.
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.
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.
A clear liquid on top of a starter that has vigorously risen and fallen and was covered with bubbles (which have subsided) is hooch. If you see hooch on your starter, discard and refeed. A clear liquid on top of a starter that has not vigorously risen and fallen is water separation.
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