I know, another darned sourdough discard bread recipe. But can you really have too many sourdough bread recipes? I don’t think so. But I might be getting close to topping out on ideas for using sourdough discard. Well, except for the delicious Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Biscuits recipe I’m going to publish in the next couple of days. (I just can’t seem to help myself. I am totally addicted to sourdough.) But about this recipe.

As we were eating breakfast the other morning, Mr. C. commented that this bread made absolutely delicious toast. And at the same time, I was thinking the same thing. No jam or peanut butter required. Just a thin spread of room temperature butter was all that was needed to make a perfect accompaniment to eggs and bacon. And then later that day, I used some of the bread to make croutons. OMG – those were some fine croutons!

But how I had originally planned to serve this bread never happened. I had wanted to make a hearty stew or soup and serve the bread as a way to mop up the gravy or broth. The bread never made it that far. It was gone before I got my act together enough to produce either a soup or a stew. The good part however, is that I have yet another wonderful sourdough discard recipe to share with you. And I have sourdough discard in my refrigerator just living to be used. Life is good. This bread is good.

So as always, feel grateful for the simple things in life. Take pleasure from a lovely sunset, or a beautiful moon rise, or the way seeing a friend, even from a distance can totally lift your spirits. It’s the little things that matter. Not how rich you are, or how powerful you are, or how attractive you are. If you can smell bread baking, you’re lucky. If you have clean water to drink and bathe in, you’re fortunate. If you have the capacity to love others as yourself, then you are truly blessed. Peace and love to all.  

1 c. sourdough starter discard

2/3 c. slightly warm water

1½ tsp. active dry yeast

½ tsp. granulated sugar

1½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. granulated garlic

⅓ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

2½ c. bread flour, or more as needed

extra virgin olive oil

Combine the sourdough starter, water, yeast, sugar, salt, rosemary, basil, oregano, granulated garlic, and Parmesan cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the flour and using your dough hook, knead dough until relatively smooth, about 6 minutes. (Most of the dough will form an irregular shaped ball around the bread hook. But there should still be a small amount of dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl.) 

Pour a bit of olive oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a sturdy rubber spatula, roll the dough into a ball totally covered with oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 to 1½ hours, or until doubled in bulk. (Mine took an hour and 15 minutes.)

Lightly flour a surface. Divide dough in half. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. 

Shape each piece of dough into a round ball. Place on baking sheet and cover with greased plastic wrap. (Greased side down.)  Allow to rise 1 hour at room temperature.  

Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, or until a light golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. (I used the convection option on my oven for the first 10 minutes.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.