How to Convert Any Recipe To Sourdough | With Conversions (2024)

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Learn how to convert any recipe to sourdough. You will love the added health benefits and complex flavors of all your favorite recipes.

Do you have some favorite recipes that you would like to convert to sourdough?

There are a lot of good reasons why you might like to do so. Once you follow a few principles and conversions, it actually isn’t complicated at all.

I am walking you through the steps and considerations to adapt any recipe to sourdough.

Why Sourdough?

You may be wondering why it’s worth converting any recipe to a sourdough recipe:

  • you get the health benefits of sourdough
  • you are not using commercial yeast
  • it’s cheaper and more sustainable than purchasing yeast
  • it pre-digests glutens which is good news for anyone with gluten sensitivity
  • the baked goods have better and more complex flavors
  • sourdough keeps bread fresh longer (made a video about that
  • using sourdough connects you more to the dough (some think it’s a challenge) about the effects of temperature, time, and hydration levels

How to get started

Following these steps may help you to get started:

  • Understand the type of recipe: is it yeast or baking powder/baking soda?
  • Define your goals: are you looking to get the full health benefits of sourdough or just the flavor? This will make a difference for non-yeast recipes. Yeast recipes need longer fermentation time anyway therefore you will automatically get the benefits of a long fermentation. In order to get the sourdough flavor, your sourdough discard is perfect for quick breads and pancakes.
  • Write out your recipe with the ingredients: This helps keep track of the ingredients. It also makes the math easier (I made a printable cheat sheet and conversion chart just for you).
  • Obviously, you will need an active sourdough starter. You can check out my simple method to make a sourdough starter without discard.
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How to convert yeast recipes:

Making a sourdough version of your yeasted recipes is pretty straightforward. You see, a sourdough culture contains natural yeast already.

  1. Simply replace 1 pkg / 7g of yeast with 1 cup / 100 g of sourdough starter.
  2. Reduce flour by about ½ cup / 50 g and liquid by about ½ cup/ 50 g.
  3. Double the fermentation/rise time – possibly longer.

Note: This conversion assumes that your own sourdough starter is at about 100% hydration level, meaning it is half flour and half water in weight. You may have to adjust the amount of flour or extra water as necessary.

Example recipe:

Yeast recipeSourdough bread recipe
600 grams of flour or 5 cups550 g or 4 ½ cups of flour
11 grams of sugar or 1 TBSPnot necessary
7 grams of yeast or 1 pkg or 2 ¼ tsp yeast1 cup of sourdough starter
15 grams of salt or 2 1/2 tspsame
380 grams of water or 1 2/3 cups330g or 1 ¼ cup of water
Bulk fermentation: 2 hours4+ hours
Second rise: 1 hour2+ hours
  • Since commercial yeast is more active and reliable than a sourdough starter, I recommend you use warm water for your recipe. Also, make sure you have a very active sourdough starter. If you are fermenting your dough at room temperature, be sure to allow for at least twice the rising time.
  • For best results, let the dough rise in a warm place. The second rise should go faster. You can also follow my tips on how to affect the sourness of your loaf of bread.
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Here you can see how I converted my German soft pretzels into true sourdough pretzels

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How to Convert Any Recipe To Sourdough | With Conversions (4)

How to convert quick bread/cake recipes:

This conversion is a bit more complicated, as sourdough does not have the same leavening power as these chemical agents. Generally, you’ll need to use a combination of sourdough starter and an additional leavening agent to achieve the desired rise. Experiment with ratios based on the specific recipe, but a good starting point is to use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking powder/baking soda along with 1 cup (240 ml) of sourdough starter.

  1. Determine if you’re going after the sour taste or if you are looking for a properly fermented recipe.
  2. If you’d like to have the sourdough taste, combine all the ingredients and bake according to the recipe.
  3. For a properly fermented quick bread, combine flour, liquid, and fat (if using) and let ferment for 4-8 hours.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and leavening agents (baking powder or baking soda).

Example recipe:

Irish Soda breadSourdough Irish Soda Bread
none1 cup sourdough starter
4 TBSP buttersame
1wholeeggsame
1 ¼ cups buttermilk¾ cups buttermilk
3 ½ cups flour3 cups flour
1TBSPsugarsame
1 tsp baking sodasame
1 ½ tsp sea saltsame

TIPS

  • For a longer fermentation, only mix the five ingredients and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 5-8 hours. Then add the baking soda and salt right before baking. That way you get the maximum impact from the baking soda.
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For pancakes, waffles, crepes:

Converting a pancake, waffle, or crepes recipe follows the same principles as for quick breads:

  1. Determine if you’re going after the flavor or if you are looking for a properly fermented recipe.
  2. If you’d like to have the sourdough taste, combine all the ingredients and bake according to the recipe.
  3. For properly fermented pancakes, combine flour, liquid, and fat (if using) and let ferment overnight.
  4. The next day, add the rest of the ingredients and leavening agents (baking powder or baking soda).

Check out this delicious sourdough waffle recipe.

TIPS

  • This is also a good use for your sourdough discard – which has already been properly fermented.
  • You can simply add eggs, sweetener, and some baking powder to your sourdough discard to make simple sourdough pancakes.

More Tips for Converting Any Recipe to Sourdough:

Experiment and adapt: Converting recipes to sourdough often requires experimentation and adjustment. It helps to keep notes of your conversions, including the amounts of ingredients used and the fermentation times. This way you can refine your process and achieve better results over time.

Remember that converting any recipe to sourdough is not an exact science, and the results can vary depending on many factors. The more you practice and gain experience with sourdough baking, the better you’ll become at adapting recipes to fit your sourdough starter’s characteristics.

I have converted a regular English muffin recipe to sourdough English muffins without having to tweak the recipe much.

Get your FREE conversion chart and cheat sheet here

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FAQ:

Does it matter if I use whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour in my recipes?

I recommend sticking to the original recipe. Whole grain flour can contribute to a more active fermentation process, leading to faster rising times. With sourdough, the additional nutrients in whole wheat flour can help feed the wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. As a result, you get a more robust fermentation and deeper flavor development.

How much longer does sourdough take versus yeasted breads?

Since commercial yeast is much more reliable, I recommend adding at least double the time, probably more. Also, sourdough reacts much more to variables such as your own sourdough starter, temperature, and humidity. Therefore, I recommend watching your dough more closely and allow more ample time to let the dough ferment.

Can I use sourdough and yeast in my bread recipe?

Yes, absolutely. Many sourdough purists will say that it is not a true sourdough bread if you add commercial yeast. However, I have a popular sourdough bread recipe that calls for a small amount of yeast. You still get the benefits of sourdough with guaranteed success.

Can I convert sweet bread recipes or cake recipes to sourdough?

Some people say that because of the amount of sugar, cake recipes are not well-suited for a longer fermentation. I have not personally experimented with this but will do so soon. So stay tuned!

Does this conversion also work for other flours such as einkorn or gluten-free flours?

Different doughs such as gluten-free or einkorn have lower levels or gluten and will behave differently than wheat-based recipes. You might have to experiment and make small adjustments over time to create your new favorite bread recipe.

What is the difference between a quick sourdough bread and a long-fermented (or properly fermented) sourdough recipe?

In order to get the full health benefits of sourdough, the dough should be fermented for at least 8 hours. In that time, the “anti-nutrients” in the grains will be neutralized while the vitamin content will be increased. Grains will also be easier to digest (you can read more in Sally Fallon’s book “Nourishing Traditions“.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

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How to Convert Any Recipe To Sourdough | With Conversions (2024)

FAQs

Can you make sourdough bread with a different flours? ›

Any flour containing starch is suitable for a sourdough starter, since it is the sugar that the microbes feed on. Glutenous flours, such as spelt, einkorn, rye, and wheat, tend to work best.

How much sourdough starter is equal to one package of yeast? ›

As a general rule, 100g of sourdough starter can be used to replace one packet of yeast (a packet usually contains 5-7g of commercial yeast).

What can I use if I don't have a sourdough starter? ›

Rather than using a traditional sourdough starter, Greek yogurt and sour cream are mixed with bread flour, yeast, and a pinch of salt.

Can you make a sourdough starter with any flour? ›

What Flour Should I Be Feeding My Sourdough Starter With? You can feed your sourdough starter with any flour you like, as long as it provides the starches the wild yeast in your sourdough starter need to convert to Co2 to rise your dough. The flour you choose should always be unbleached flour.

Can you make sourdough with alternative flours? ›

I feed my starter with brown rice flour, but you can use sorghum, millet, or most other wholegrain flours for your starter. I would not recommend using a premade gluten-free flour blend, or a starch. Wholegrains work best because they give your starter a lot to feed on.

Can I switch flours in my sourdough starter? ›

Breadtopia's sourdough starter is fed organic bread flour, but you can feed it a different flour if that is your preference. This is also true of starter you've made yourself or that a friend gave you.

Is making sourdough cheaper than buying it? ›

So if you look solely at the ingredients, it is cheaper to make your own sourdough. But if you bring other factors into it - it might not be as cheap. This post aims to show you how you can bake a classic sourdough loaf with a little work and no fancy equipment.

What is the best sourdough starter flour ratio? ›

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour.

What happens if you mix sourdough starter and yeast? ›

When you add commercial yeast to your sourdough bread, it will likely rise faster. More Consistency in Results (Potentially): Since sourdough bread relies on the yeast in the air around it, there are many more environmental conditions that come into play which will ultimately affect the rise of your bread.

When should you not use sourdough starter? ›

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. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what you want to bake with it.

What is the no discard sourdough starter method? ›

Sourdough Starter Management: A Zero-Discard Method
  1. Ripe starter that is ready to use. ...
  2. Most of the starter goes into a dough and the remainder is fed. ...
  3. The starter is at least partially ripened and then refrigerated. ...
  4. Deciding whether and how to feed the starter again before the next bake. ...
  5. Ripe starter that is ready to use.
Mar 4, 2023

Can I use dead sourdough starter? ›

Maybe you've been away or just been busy and now you'd like to get back into baking with your sourdough starter - but it's been forgotten at the back of the fridge and now looks like something that grew in a swamp. Never fear. Unless there's visible mold on your sourdough starter, it will be able to be revived!

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.

How old is the oldest sourdough starter? ›

The World's 'Oldest' Sourdough Starter Was Made With 4,500-Year-Old Yeast. There's no bread quite like sourdough. In addition to being tasty as a sandwich bread, delicious as sourdough croutons, and even great just toasted with butter, sourdough's production process is decidedly unlike other breads.

What is the healthiest flour for sourdough bread? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

Can you mix different flours to make bread? ›

By combining different types of flour, you can create a blend that enhances the flavor and texture of your baked goods. For example, using a blend of cake flour and all-purpose flour can create a lighter, fluffier texture in cakes. Alternatively, using bread flour in your blend can create a chewier texture in breads.

Is all-purpose flour good for sourdough? ›

This easy recipe has been developed without using vital wheat gluten, so you can make sourdough bread using just all purpose flour, water and salt ... and of course your active sourdough starter (if you don't have one, you'll find instructions to make your own homemade sourdough starter here).

Can you interchange bread flour with all-purpose flour? ›

You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour one for one in any recipe that calls for it. Your bread might not raise quite as high or have quite as much chew, if you are using all-purpose flour, but it will still be delicious and homemade and all the good things.

What happens if you use bleached flour in sourdough? ›

+ Chlorine in bleached flour and tap water will kill the yeast cultures and bacteria colonies quickly and your lovely bubbly airy starter will be no more. Or maybe it didn't get to that point and that's why the starter you're creating or maintaining isn't working. NO CHLORINE. Your starter will thank you.

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