My sourdough starter, Blanche, died from neglect. I thought I knew how to take care of a starter properly but found out otherwise. So I will do some more research and try again after my Whole 30.
Although I didn’t get to my end goal of making bread with my starter, it wasn’t a total waste. I was able to make some really awesome recipes with my sourdough discard. You know, the stuff you throw away when you feed your starter.
The first sourdough discard recipe I tried was for sourdough cranberry date muffins. The muffins were light and tender with a nice balance of sweet and tart.
Sourdough Cranberry Date Muffins
Adapted From The King Arthur Flour Website
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup chopped dates
4 TBS sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup fresh or dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
1/2 cup plus 2 TBS all purpose flouf
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease the wells of a 6 cup muffin pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, dates, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
Remove the sauce pan from the heat and stir in the cranberries, nuts, baking soda, salt, and eggs; mix thoroughly. Stir in the starter and the flour until evenly combined.
Fill the cup 2/3 full. Bake the muffins for 17 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and cool them in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely
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