If you regularly make your own sourdough bread, you probably produce a lot of sourdough discard. I know I do.
That’s why I created this easy sourdough discard tortillas recipe. Learn how to make homemade tortillas from your sourdough starter, then grab the printable recipe card down below.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Recently, we’ve been experimenting with new and unusual sourdough bread recipes.
And that means a couple of times a week we get what’s known as discard from feeding our sourdough starter.
Sourdough Starter vs. Sourdough Discard
Sourdough starter is a combination of flour and water that has been fermented over time. The fermentation process allows wild yeast and bacteria to grow. And this creates a substance that we use as a leavening agent in bread and other baked goods.
And by the way, you can make your own sourdough starter without yeast - it’s easy.
Sourdough starter is the basis of many traditional bread recipes and is a staple ingredient in many bakeries.
On the other hand, sourdough discard is the portion of a sourdough starter that gets removed and discarded during the feeding process.
When feeding a sourdough starter, you usually remove some of the starter and feed the rest with fresh flour and water to keep it active and healthy.
Now I hate to throw anything out. So we use sourdough discard in various recipes, including tortillas, sourdough muffins, pancakes, sourdough crackers, biscuits, and waffles.
Sourdough discard is different from active sourdough starter. It does not contain enough live yeast to leaven baked goods on its own.
However, it has an amazing flavor that our family just loves.
Sourdough Discard Tortilla Recipe
These homemade sourdough discard flour tortillas are a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard so that it doesn't go to waste.
You need only five ingredients. And two of these ingredients are water and salt!
In less than 30 minutes, you can have a small or large batch of fresh sourdough starter discard tortillas on hand. We love flatbreads, including tortillas and naan bread with soups and stews. This
However, we often use our tortillas for breakfast wraps and burritos. My family also enjoys them when I serve them with their favorite Tex Mex Casserole. And recently, we've been spreading them with balsamic onion relish and cream cheese, adding a few finely diced red peppers, and rolling them up to slice as pretty pinwheels.
Now, you don’t need any special tools. However, you may want to invest in a tortilla press. This would make the job quicker and give more uniformity to your tortillas.
Tip: these sourdough discard tortillas freeze really well. So it’s worth the few minutes of extra rolling time to make a double batch of these sourdough discard tortillas to freeze for future meals.
Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this recipe.
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. lard or olive oil
- ½ cup active sourdough starter
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Mix the flour, salt, and oil until well combined, you may want to use your hands to incorporate the oil throughout the dry mixture better.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk sourdough starter and water.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients with a spoon or spatula. Then knead by hand until dough forms into a rough ball.
- Lightly flour the counter and knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes until it no longer sticks to the surface and is fairly smooth.
- Separate the dough into 6-12 balls, depending on how large you would like your tortillas to be.
- Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out each ball onto a lightly floured surface until it almost seems too thin, just before the dough is translucent. Don’t worry about getting them perfect; you'll get better at rolling them out perfectly round as you make them!
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
- Place each tortilla in the pan until it begins to puff up just a bit, no longer than 30 seconds, then flip, and repeat with the other side. You are looking for a beautiful light gold with some brown spots.
- Enjoy!
To store: Allow tortillas to cool and place in an airtight container for 4-5 days or in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Sourdough Starter Discard FAQs
Q: How should I store my sourdough discard?
A: We recommend storing your sourdough discard in an airtight container in the fridge. This will help it last longer and maintain its flavor.
Q: How long does sourdough discard last?
A: Sour dough discard can last for up to a week in the fridge if kept in an airtight container. If you're not planning to use it within a week, you can freeze it for later use.
Q: Can I freeze sourdough discard?
A: Yes, you can freeze sourdough discard and use it later.
I suggest freezing it in small portions so you can thaw only what you need. Simply transfer the discard to a freezer-safe container, and it will keep for several months. When you're ready to use it, just thaw it in the fridge and give it a good stir before using it in your recipe.
Recipe
Sourdough Discard Tortillas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. lard or olive oil
- ½ cup active sourdough starter
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the flour, salt, and oil until well combined, you may want to use your hands to incorporate the oil throughout the dry mixture better.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk sourdough starter and water.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients with a spoon or spatula and then knead by hand until dough forms into a rough ball.
- Lightly flour the counter and knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes until it no longer sticks to the surface and is fairly smooth.
- Separate the dough into 6-12 balls, depending on how large you would like your tortillas to be.
- Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out each ball onto a lightly floured surface until it almost seems too thin, just before the dough is translucent. Don’t worry about getting them perfect, you will get better at rolling them out perfectly round as you make them!
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high
- Place each tortilla in the pan until it begins to puff just a bit, no longer than 30 seconds, flip, and repeat with the other side.
- You are looking for a beautiful light gold with some brown spots.
Notes
Nutrition
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