From pancakes to pizza, these vegan sourdough recipes have you covered!
By Lora O’Brien
It seems the world has been going crazy over sourdough for some time now. And for good reason! Freshly baked sourdough bread is delicious. A little tangy, warm and soft with a crisp crust…yum! Plus, you can top it with anything from smashed avocado to tofu scramble. It makes the perfect breakfast or snack.
But despite the trend for sourdough, it isn’t a modern invention. The oldest sourdough bread dates back to…3700 BC! Crazy, right?
Our ancestors discovered that, when they began eating newly cultivated grains, when left out long enough, they make the perfect habitat for wild yeast and bacteria to grow. This allows our bodies to digest the bread more easily. And sourdough comes with some pretty impressive other credentials, too!
What Is Sourdough, Anyway?
What is sourdough, and how do we use it in vegan sourdough recipes?
Well, sourdough is a naturally leavened bread. In simple terms, that means a bread that doesn’t use commercial yeast to help it rise. Instead, a starter is used. This is a fermented flour and water mixture that is packed with wild yeast and good bacteria. The fermentation process gives sourdough its distinctive tangy flavour and chewy texture that we love so much.
The Benefits Of Eating Sourdough
- Increased mineral bioavailability: Whole grains are full of essential minerals like zinc, magnesium and iron, sure. But they also contain phytates that bind to these sacred minerals and inhibit absorption in the gut. This is far from ideal. The lactic acid present in sourdough helps to break down phytates, increasing our ability to properly absorb the beneficial minerals present in bread.
- Lower glycemic index: During the baking process, the lactic acid in sourdough alters the starch/protein, making it easier for our bodies to digest it at a slower rate. This prevents a glucose spike from happening. This is better for our blood sugar and provides stable energy all day.
- Helps absorb nutrients: Although microbial probiotics don’t survive the heating process that comes with baking vegan sourdough recipes, baking does create lactic acid, which helps break down sourdough’s phytic acid content. And that helps the gut, because phytic acid can prevent nutrient absorption. That’s especially true for whole wheat and rye sourdough.
- Gluten is broken down more easily: Many people in the modern world struggle to digest gluten, and gluten free diets have hugely increased. Many have been able to digest sourdough even with gluten sensitivities, due to the fact the wild yeast and lactobacillus bacteria work harmoniously to break down wheat flour’s gluten proteins into much smaller peptides. Properly prepared sourdough has been measured and found to have gluten concentrations of just 12 PPM, which makes it legally gluten free.
How To Make A Sourdough Starter
Sourdough requires a starter. This is easy to make and anyone can do it from home with some time and patience.
Consider your starter your baby. You need to love it, shelter it from changes in weather, and feed it regularly. A starter will mature as you nurture it. And if you take care of it, it will last you a lifetime. You can even hand it down to your children!
A sourdough starter is made using just flour, water and salt. You can make all types of starters with various flours, but you’ll want to stick to one you’ll be using to make bread. For example, white bread flour will make a white sourdough, whereas a rye starter will make a rye bread.
Feed your starter water. You can use tap water, but if you prefer not to, use spring water, bottled water or filtered water. Distilled water is not recommended as vital minerals are removed.
You’ll also need salt. Pure sea salt is the best. I’d recommend Maldon’s if you’re from the UK, and Redmonds if you’re from the USA. If using rock salt, you’ll need to crush it to a smoother consistency before using it.
Follow these steps to make a starter here. It will look like this, below.
What Can You Make With A Sourdough Starter?
If you thought a sourdough starter was just for bread, think again! You can use your starter to make a whole variety of recipes from bread and muffins to pancakes and granola. The addition of the fermented starter makes the food easier to digest and healthier overall.
Recipes will either call for active sourdough starter, or for discard. This is what you’d typically empty before feeding your starter again. You’ll need to build a healthy and thriving starter before you can use its discard in recipes. But once you can, you can collect it and store it in the fridge to have on hand to make lots of yummy recipes!
Let’s get cooking!
Recipe below: Grilled sourdough flatbread
20 Vegan Recipes With Sourdough
1. Sourdough Pancakes with Roasted Peaches
Pancakes are one of my favourite ways to use my sourdough starter. They’re quick to throw together, and ideal for breakfast or brunch. These delicious pancakes are fluffy and thick and topped with caramelised roasted peaches. But you can pretty much use whatever fruit you have on hand.
Get the recipe here.
2. Sourdough English Muffins
Is there anything more comforting than a toasted English muffin smothered in jam? I’d say not, and that’s why this is one of my fave vegan sourdough recipes! It incorporates sourdough to make a rich and flavoursome muffin, perfect for breakfast or tea time.
Get the recipe here.
3. Sourdough Granola
Store bought granola is not only expensive but is often full of added sugar and far from ideal ingredients. This chunky sourdough granola recipe is delicious and healthy with the delicious tastes of pecans and maple syrup. Yum!
Get the recipe here.
4. Sourdough Waffles
Use your sourdough starter to make some waffles! These freeze really well, so you can batch cook them, throw them in the freezer and pull them out when needed for a quick breakfast. They’re airy, crispy and egg-free, with all the benefits of fermented grains. One of the most versatile vegan sourdough recipes, too, since you can top them with anything from a tofu scramble to simple maple syrup.
Get the recipe here.
5. Blueberry Sourdough Muffins
It’s a bold but true statement: these are the best blueberry muffins ever! Light and fluffy with juicy pockets of blueberries, they’re quick and easy to make. Plus, you’ll only need one bowl to make them, so less washing up, yay!
Get the recipe here.
6. Savoury Sourdough Pancakes
Think pancakes are only the sweet variety? Nope! These savoury pancakes make a delicious breakfast or lunch, and they’re versatile, too. Simply make the batter, add your veggies and cook. One of the quickest, easiest and most delicious vegan sourdough recipes!
Get the recipe here.
7. Sourdough Pizza Crackers
Since you get sourdough discard every time you feed your starter, it seems wasteful to just toss it. Use it instead to make some crackers, and these vegan sourdough pizza crackers taste just like pizza! Just mix, roll, bake and then cut. The perfect snack!
Get the recipe here.
8. Spinach Artichoke Vegan Pizza
Skip takeout and bake this tasty pizza at home! The sourdough pizza crust is topped with a creamy vegan cheese and a spinach artichoke filling. This recipe uses instant yeast, but you can make a sourdough pizza crust without it if you’d prefer it was authentic sourdough. It’s one of those vegan sourdough recipes you can easily freeze, too.
Get the recipe here.
9. No Knead Vegan Cheese Sourdough Bread
There are plenty of sourdough recipes if you want to make a standard sourdough bread. But if you want to make a fancy loaf, this recipe adds some vegan cheese to make a savoury bread. The green onions, garlic and dairy-free cheese mean every mouthful is loaded with flavour.
Get the recipe here.
10. Wild Garlic Sourdough Scones
These super light and fluffy scones use sourdough starter flavoured with wild garlic. The perfect vegan snack, you can enjoy them with some dairy-free butter, vegan cream cheese or some vegan cheese.
Get the recipe here.
11. Sourdough Onion Rings
For real, who doesn’t love a crunchy onion ring? Throw it into a burger or use them as a salad topper, this recipe uses sourdough discard to make crispy, crunchy onion rings. One of the tastiest vegan sourdough recipes for sure. Yum!
Get the recipe here.
12. Pesto Rolls
Got a jar of pesto on hand? Use it with your sourdough to make these vegan pesto rolls. They’re soft and doughy with the flavours of the pesto. They are ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with soup or served with salad for a light meal.
Get the recipe here.
13. Garlic and Rosemary Sourdough Focaccia
Making focaccia from scratch may seem daunting. But this is one of the easiest vegan sourdough recipes to make! It just needs some bubbly active sourdough starter and a few other simple ingredients. You can even let it rise overnight! The end result is a fancy looking focaccia that is soft and fluffy,
Get the recipe here.
14. Sourdough Banana Bread
If you’re a fan of banana bread, this will be one of those vegan sourdough recipes you just have to try! It’s just like the classic deal, but a bit chewier and tangier. And healthier!
Get the recipe here.
15. Sourdough Donuts
It’s easy to make pretty much any recipe vegan with a few little tweaks, as this donut recipe shows. The doughy donuts can be filled with jam, Nutella or a vegan custard. Give it a try!
Get the recipe here.
16. Sourdough Panettone
Who’d have thought to turn sourdough into this impressive panettone? The towering sweet bread is speckled with raisins, golden raisins and candied orange and has a soft, buttery texture. In short? You’ll struggle not to eat the entire thing in one sitting! One of the best vegan sourdough recipes to make for Christmas, too, of course.
Get the recipe here.
17. Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Making this carrot cake banana bread using your sourdough starter adds a deep, delicious flavour and a very delightfully fluffy texture. The recipe incorporates shredded carrots and warm spices for autumnal vibes!
Get the recipe here.
18. Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Drooling just looking at these chocolate chip cookies? They’ll be one of your new favourite vegan sourdough recipes! Made using a gluten free sourdough, they’re dairy-free, vegan and will be the tastiest cookie you’ve ever had.
Get the recipe here.
19. Sourdough Brownies
Bet you didn’t think you’d see this in a list of vegan sourdough recipes, right? But everything we love about brownies is packed into these sweet treats! They have a fudgey flavour, a crispy meringue-like topping and a gooey centre.
Get the recipe here.
20. Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Vegan sourdough recipes don’t get more tasty than this! These buttery sourdough cinnamon rolls will literally melt in your mouth. They have the same flakiness as a classic cinnamon roll but are a little less sweet. The fermented sourdough adds a subtle tang, while the maple and vanilla glaze tops them off perfectly.
Get the recipe here.
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