Fall Sourdough Recipes (2024)

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The best fall sourdough recipes that use sourdough starter for fall-inspired breads, rolls, cakes, and cookies.

Fall Sourdough Recipes (1)

Sourdough is for more than bread; it can be used in just about any baked good. And when fall rolls around and you’re craving pumpkin spice or apple cinnamon, your sourdough starter can still be part of the fun.

Don’t be afraid of a sour taste in these baked goodies. Adding starter to sweets mimics a sour cream or buttermilk flavor: slightly tangy, but not sour. Oftentimes you won’t notice any difference and no one will know that there’s sourdough in there at all!

Fall Baking Essentials

  • If you love fall quick breads and cakes, you will love having a special harvest themed baking pan like this sunflower harvest pan.
  • Boiled apple cider (concentrated apple cider) has rich apple flavor that’s delicious for any sweet sourdough baked good, as well as using to mix up a quick glaze.
  • Make sure to stock up on cinnamon, molasses, and nutmeg!

Sourdough Apple Cake

Our favorite use of sourdough discard in the crisp months, sourdough apple cake is loaded with cinnamon, cloves, and apples. Topped with a cream cheese frosting with a splash of apple cider, it’s a true taste of fall in one little pan.

Fall Sourdough Recipes (2)

GET THE RECIPE FOR SOURDOUGH APPLE CAKE

Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Fall Sourdough Recipes (3)

Nothing says fall baking like pumpkin bread, and if you’re looking for a moist pumpkin bread with just the right amount of spice, this recipe can’t be beat. Great, classic pumpkin bread flavor and just the slightest bit of tang from the sourdough starter. One of my favorite fall sourdough recipes!

Sourdough Apple Fritters

Who could resist a deep fried doughnut loaded with apple flavor? And this apple fritter recipe is light on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and has fresh apples in the batter. An absolutely delicious fall recipe!

These do need a lot of time before they’re ready, but a lot of that time is just waiting on your dough. Perfect for a weekend morning spent at home.

Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies

Fall Sourdough Recipes (4)

Cookies say fall is in the air and back to school, don’t they? And any little person would love to come home to a plate of these peanut butter cookies on the counter. This recipe uses just the right amount of sourdough discard for a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie that the whole family will love.

???? Sourdough Pie Crust

Fall is pie baking time. Whether your favorite is pumpkin, apple, or pecan, you need a pie crust. Why not use some of your discarded sourdough starter to make some? This recipe turns out a flaky and tender pie crust every time. You’ll appreciate the detailed instructions and step by step photos that ensure even beginners will get this one right!

Sourdough Gingerbread

Fall Sourdough Recipes (5)

There’s nothing like a big square piece of old fashioned gingerbread. Warm, spicy, and not too sweet, gingerbread is perfect in fall and will carry you all through the winter. This recipe is easy to make and produces a perfectly moist spiced cake that you will simply love.

Sourdough Molasses Cookies

Molasses cookies are one of the best fall desserts! The epitome of warm and cozy spices that smell absolutely delicious while they bake, and adding your starter to this cookie recipe is a great way to use it.

Like any great molasses cookies recipe, this one turns out crisp edges and a soft and chewy center. You will love them.

???? Sourdough Cinnamon Bread

Fall Sourdough Recipes (6)

Two of the best things about baking cinnamon bread are warming up the kitchen in the morning and a sweet cinnamon smell wafting through the house. Cinnamon swirl bread is perfect for fall mornings, and you can make an easy version using your sourdough starter. This bread dough is easy to work with and uses no yeast. Shape in the evening and bake the next morning for a sweet and delicious breakfast loaf.

GET THE SOURDOUGH CINNAMON BREAD RECIPE HERE

Sourdough Apple Cobbler

Cobbler is one of the fall desserts because its easier than pie but just as delicious. And you can absolutely use your sourdough starter in your cobbler topping.

The recipe below can be used with any fruit. To make the best apple cobbler, simply mix up apples, sugar and spices. (And of course, top with vanilla ice cream!)

Sourdough Oatmeal Muffins

Oatmeal muffins are a cozy and delicious breakfast that can be made ahead and frozen.
Muffins are a great way to use your sourdough discard, and these fall muffins are one of the best.

Enjoy!

I’m sure you’ll find something on this list that you’re excited to bake!

Fall Sourdough Recipes (7)Fall Sourdough Recipes (8)

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Fall Sourdough Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How quickly should a sourdough starter rise and fall? ›

When your starter is reliably rising to double or triple its size and falling in the jar anywhere between 4-8 hours after you feed it (dependent on your ambient conditions and the flour you feed with) it is ready to bake with. When the starter is at the peak of its rise, it is called ripe, fed, or mature.

Why is sourdough bread so hard to make? ›

Sourdough needs time to ferment and develop flavor and rise, so you can't really decrease this time (without sacrificing oven spring) but you can do things to decrease your "hands on dough" time. My best tips for making sourdough less time consuming are: Use a stand mixer to reduce your hands on time right down.

What is the oldest sourdough starter ever? ›

In 2020, Seamus Blackley, the creator of Xbox and a seasoned baker himself, baked sourdough bread from dormant yeast samples that are 4,500 years old, according to the Atlas Obscura website.

What not to do with sourdough? ›

Here are the big errors to avoid when working with sourdough.
  1. You Bake Too Soon. ...
  2. You Use Unfiltered Tap Water. ...
  3. You Use Water That Is Too Hot or Too Cold. ...
  4. You're Impatient. ...
  5. You Don't Autolyse Your Dough. ...
  6. You Don't Let Gluten Develop Properly. ...
  7. You Don't Let the Bread Proof Long Enough. ...
  8. You Don't Form the Bread Correctly.
Apr 1, 2022

What if my sourdough starter rises but doesn't fall? ›

In some cases, I've found that some starters never fall, or only collapse a small amount in their jar. Again, this is related to the flour used and is not a bad sign. Use the other signs of fermentation to determine when it's ripe and needs feeding.

Should I stir my sourdough starter between feedings? ›

It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.

Does a sourdough starter get better with age? ›

For most bakers, the answer is a clear no. Maurizio Leo, author of the award-winning bread cookbook The Perfect Loaf, still uses the first starter he ever made; it's now 12 years old. And while he's sentimental about that starter, he says its age doesn't really impact his bread.

Can you keep a sourdough starter alive forever? ›

Dried sourdough starter lasts indefinitely, and can be brought back to life with water and flour when you're finally ready to bake again.

Why is sourdough starter discarded? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it? ›

Do I have to discard my sourdough starter? It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.

Who Cannot eat sourdough bread? ›

Beyond Celiac does not recommend that those with celiac disease eat sourdough bread unless it is clearly labeled gluten-free or has been made safely at-home with gluten-free starters/ingredients.

Why is sourdough bread not fattening? ›

Not only that, but sourdough bread is higher in fibre than some other types of bread making it stand out when it comes to potential ties with weight loss. High levels of fibre in diets have been linked to weight loss, with fibre-rich foods usually helping you feel and stay full for longer.

Why does my sourdough starter rise then deflate? ›

Sourdough starter goes flat when it's been left too long for that temperature and it runs out of food. The starter fills with air, was not used in time, runs out of energy, and deflates. Deflation destroys the airy structure of the sourdough starter.

What if my sourdough starter rises too fast? ›

If it's doing this too fast (for example, you refresh at 8 a.m., and it ripens at 2 p.m. when you're at work), you can reduce the water temperature, change the ambient temperature, or reduce the amount of mature starter you carry over at each refreshment (this is what I do).

How fast should sourdough starter grow? ›

If kept around 76°F (24°C), this sourdough starter should ripen about every 12 hours. To give it a feeding, I discard the ripe sourdough starter in the jar down to 20g, add 70g fresh all-purpose flour, 30g whole rye flour, and 100g water.

How fast should a starter double? ›

Often, the starter will double in size in 12 hours or less. Sometimes it takes 24 hours. If you get good bubbling and the starter doesn't double, that's OK.

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