What can you make with sourdough starter besides bread?

Most people start with bread. That's how it should be — there's nothing quite like your first sourdough loaf, still warm from the oven, with a crust that crackles when you cut it. But once your starter is active and you're comfortable with the rhythm of feeding and baking, you'll quickly realise that sourdough starter is one of the most versatile ingredients in a home kitchen.

Here's what else you can make — and why the long fermentation that makes sourdough bread so good applies just as well to everything else on this list.

Sourdough pizza base

This is the natural first step beyond bread, and for good reason. A sourdough pizza base has a depth of flavour that commercial yeast simply can't replicate — slightly tangy, with a chew and char that's closer to a wood-fired pizzeria than anything you'd get from a packet mix.

The key difference from bread dough is hydration and timing. Pizza dough is typically lower hydration than a sourdough loaf, which makes it easier to stretch and shape. A long cold ferment in the fridge — overnight or up to 72 hours — develops the flavour and makes the dough extensible enough to hand-stretch without springing back.

If pizza is where you want to go next, George's Sourdough Pizza Cookbook covers the full method — dough, fermentation, shaping, and a range of topping combinations designed for a standard home oven.

Flatbreads and lavosh

Sourdough flatbreads are one of the quickest and most satisfying things you can make with an active starter. The dough comes together in minutes, needs no proofing time, and cooks in a hot pan or under a grill in under five minutes.

Lavosh is the cracker-style flatbread — thin, crisp, and endlessly versatile as a base for dips, cheese, or charcuterie. It's one of the most popular things people make with Sourdough Flakes, and we have a full lavosh recipe here if you want to try it.

Thicker sourdough flatbreads work beautifully alongside curries, soups, or as a wrap. Add herbs, seeds, or a brush of olive oil before cooking to vary the flavour.

Sourdough pancakes and waffles

This is the discovery that converts people. Sourdough pancakes are lighter, more flavourful, and more interesting than any other pancake you've made. The fermentation adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness of maple syrup or fruit, and the bubbles produced by the active starter give them a lift that baking powder alone can't achieve.

The easiest method is to use sourdough discard — the starter you'd otherwise throw away during the feeding process — as the base for your batter. Mix with egg, a little milk, a pinch of salt, and cook as normal. Waffles work exactly the same way and benefit from an overnight rest in the fridge for even more flavour development.

Sourdough crackers

Sourdough crackers are another excellent use for discard. Thin, crisp, and deeply savoury, they're one of the easiest bakes on this list — just mix discard with a little oil, salt, and any seeds or herbs you like, roll thin, score, and bake at high heat until golden.

They keep well in an airtight container for several days and are genuinely impressive on a cheese board. Rosemary and sea salt, sesame and nigella, or smoked paprika and cumin all work beautifully.

Sourdough banana bread and muffins

Sourdough discard works surprisingly well in sweet baking. Adding it to banana bread or muffin batter introduces a faint tang that cuts through the sweetness and adds complexity — the kind of depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.

You don't need to adjust the recipe dramatically. Replace some of the flour and liquid in your usual recipe with an equal weight of discard and reduce the leavening slightly. The result is a more tender, flavourful bake with better keeping qualities than the standard version.

Sourdough pasta

Less common but worth knowing about. Adding sourdough starter to fresh pasta dough introduces a slight tang and improves the texture — the fermentation partially breaks down the gluten structure, making the pasta more tender and easier to digest. Use a small amount of active starter in place of some of the flour and egg, allow a short rest before rolling, and cook as normal.

Sourdough focaccia

Focaccia is the most forgiving sourdough bake after flatbreads. It's a high-hydration dough that you don't need to shape — just stretch it into an oiled pan, dimple the surface, drizzle generously with olive oil, and add your toppings. Rosemary and flaked salt is the classic, but cherry tomatoes, olives, caramelised onion, or thinly sliced potato all work beautifully.

Focaccia is also one of the best entry points if you've been finding sourdough bread intimidating. There's no scoring, no Dutch oven, and the open crumb structure is achieved by the folding process during fermentation rather than precise shaping. If you've got an active starter and an afternoon, focaccia is where to start.

The common thread

All of these bakes share the same foundation: a living culture with genuine flavour, time to ferment, and the patience to let that fermentation do its work. Whether you're making a cracker or a pizza, the principles are the same — and the starter you've been feeding is already capable of all of it.

If you haven't started yours yet, you can find our Sourdough Flakes starter here and the full rehydration guide on the getting started page.