Every time David Anthes feeds his starter, there is discard. Throwing it away every time felt wasteful early on. Learning to use it well made his baking more efficient without adding much extra work.
What Discard Actually Is
Sourdough discard is the portion of starter removed before feeding. At this stage, it is past its peak activity — the wild yeast and bacteria have consumed most of the available food and are beginning to weaken. The discard still contains live cultures, flour, water, and organic acids from fermentation. It will not leaven a loaf reliably on its own, but it contributes flavor and a mild tang to anything it goes into.
David Anthes stores discard in a covered jar in the refrigerator and uses it within a week. After that, the acidity increases to the point where it can overwhelm the flavor of whatever he adds it to. Fresh discard — within 24 to 48 hours of feeding — is the most versatile for cooking and baking.
Pancakes and Waffles
Sourdough discard pancakes are the most straightforward use David Anthes has found. He substitutes discard for a portion of the flour and liquid in a standard pancake recipe, reducing both by the amount of discard added. At 100 percent hydration starter, 200 grams of discard replaces 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of liquid. The result is a pancake with a mild sour note and a slightly thinner, more tender texture than standard batters. He lets the batter rest for 15 to 30 minutes before cooking, which gives the acids time to react with any baking soda in the recipe and produce a finer rise.
Waffles follow the same substitution logic. David Anthes finds that discard waffles have a crispier exterior than their conventional counterparts, which he attributes to the organic acids interacting with the batter during cooking. He shares these most often with neighbors and coworkers — they disappear quickly.
Crackers
Discard crackers require nothing more than discard, a fat (olive oil or butter), salt, and optional seasonings. David Anthes mixes them directly — no leavening, no resting period — spreads the batter thinly on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and bakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp. The result is a thin, tangy cracker that works well with cheese. The formula is flexible enough to incorporate seeds, herbs, or spices without changing the basic method.
This is the use David Anthes reaches for when he has a large amount of discard and not much time. The crackers take about 30 minutes from start to finish, require no special equipment, and use up a significant volume of discard at once.
Pizza Dough
Discard pizza dough combines discard with bread flour, water, salt, and a small amount of commercial yeast as insurance leavening. David Anthes mixes it the evening before, lets it bulk ferment at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerates it overnight. The long cold ferment develops flavor from both the wild culture in the discard and the commercial yeast, and the dough is easy to shape after 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator.
Using discard this way turns what would be waste into a high-quality pizza dough that requires less planning than a pure sourdough pizza but produces better flavor than a same-day dough made entirely with commercial yeast. David Anthes considers it one of the best practical applications of the discard that accumulates through regular starter maintenance.