10 Simple and Easy Sourdough Recipes for Beginners
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If you’re brand new to sourdough, figuring out what to make first can feel a little overwhelming. The good news is that sourdough baking doesn’t have to be complicated!
You can make so much more with a sourdough starter than a traditional artisan loaf. From fluffy pancakes and homemade sandwich bread to bagels, cinnamon rolls, and pizza, there are plenty of easy sourdough recipes that are perfect for beginners.
I’ve rounded up 10 of my favorite beginner-friendly sourdough recipes to help you get comfortable using your starter and start making more homemade food for your family.
Some of these recipes use active sourdough starter, while others use sourdough discard, so you’ll have plenty of ways to put that jar of starter to work.
What Is the Easiest Sourdough Recipe for Beginners?
If you’ve never baked with sourdough before, I recommend starting with something familiar.
Pancakes, waffles, muffins, banana bread, and brownies are some of the easiest sourdough recipes because they’re made similarly to their traditional versions.
Once you’re comfortable using your starter, you can move on to recipes like a traditional sourdough loaf, sandwich bread, bagels, English muffins.
There’s no need to master everything at once!
Active Sourdough Starter vs. Sourdough Discard
Before we get into the recipes, it helps to understand the difference between active starter and discard.
Active sourdough starter has recently been fed and is bubbly, risen, and ready to leaven bread.
Sourdough discard is starter that hasn’t recently been fed or isn’t at its peak. It can still add wonderful sourdough flavor to recipes, but many discard recipes use another leavening ingredient to help the recipe rise.
1/2 gallon sourdough starter jar I use
Both active sourdough starter and sourdough discard are incredibly useful to have in your kitchen, and you’ll find recipes using each below.
10 Easy Sourdough Recipes to Try First
1. Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread
If your goal is to learn how to make traditional sourdough bread, this is the perfect place to start.
A simple artisan sourdough loaf uses just a handful of basic ingredients and teaches you the foundations of sourdough baking, including fermentation, shaping, and baking.
There’s definitely a learning curve when you make your first few loaves, but don’t worry about making them perfect. Each loaf will teach you something!
Why beginners will love it: It’s a simple introduction to traditional sourdough without a long list of ingredients.
2. Easy Sourdough Pancakes
Pancakes are one of the easiest ways to start using your sourdough starter.
They’re fluffy, simple to make, and perfect for breakfast. They’re also very forgiving, which makes them a great recipe when you’re still getting comfortable with sourdough.
Make a double batch and freeze the extras for an easy breakfast later in the week.
Why beginners will love it: No shaping, complicated fermentation, or special bread-baking skills required.
3. Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
If you’re not quite ready to tackle an artisan loaf—or you just want a soft everyday bread—try sourdough discard sandwich bread.
It’s soft, fluffy, and perfect for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, and everyday meals.
Why beginners will love it: It’s an approachable way to practice making homemade bread while putting your discard to good use.
4. Easy Sourdough Bagels
Homemade bagels might sound complicated, but they’re actually a really fun sourdough recipe for beginners.
After making the dough, you’ll shape your bagels, briefly boil them, add your favorite toppings, and bake.
The result is chewy homemade sourdough bagels that are perfect for breakfast.
Why beginners will love it: Bagels are a fun introduction to shaping sourdough dough, and they don’t have to look perfect!
5. Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Once you’re ready to branch out from bread, homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls are a must.
Soft sourdough dough is filled with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon before being rolled, sliced, and baked.
Top them with cream cheese frosting for a homemade breakfast that feels extra special.
Why beginners will love it: Cinnamon rolls are a great way to practice working with sourdough dough and getting a good rise in an easy way.
6. Easy Sourdough Biscuits
Homemade sourdough Biscuits are simple to make and a classic recipe to keep in your kitchen.
They’re flaky, moist, and perfect to pair with sausage gravy in the morning or as a side to your favorite soup!
Why beginners will love it: They are so easy and quick and brings back the nostalgic feeling of grandma’s kitchen.
7. Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
If you want to start making more food from scratch without making your life complicated, homemade pizza is a great place to start.
Sourdough discard pizza dough is an easy way to use up extra starter while making a family-friendly dinner.
Set out everyone’s favorite toppings and let the kids make their own pizzas!
Why beginners will love it: Pizza dough is very forgiving, making it a great first dough recipe.
8. Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
These sourdough discard blueberry muffins are soft, lightly sweet, and filled with juicy blueberries.
They’re perfect for breakfast, snacks, or packing into lunchboxes.
Why beginners will love it: Mix, scoop, and bake. No kneading or fermentation required.
9. Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls
Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls
Homemade dinner rolls are another great recipe to learn when you’re new to baking bread.
They’re soft, fluffy, and perfect alongside soups, Sunday dinners, and holiday meals.
Why beginners will love it: You’ll get more comfortable working with and shaping bread dough without needing to make a traditional sourdough loaf.
10. Sourdough Discard Brownies
And finally, let’s end with chocolate!
These sourdough discard brownies are soft, rich, chocolatey, and fudgy—and they’re one of the easiest ways to use up extra sourdough starter.
Why beginners will love it: There’s no special sourdough technique required. Just make your brownie batter, add your discard, and bake.
What Sourdough Recipe Should I Make First?
If you’re completely new to sourdough, don’t feel like your first recipe has to be a beautiful artisan loaf.
Start with whatever sounds good!
Want breakfast? Make pancakes.
Have discard sitting in your refrigerator? Make brownies or muffins.
Need dinner? Try pizza dough.
Ready to learn traditional sourdough? Make your first artisan loaf.
The more you use your starter, the more comfortable sourdough baking will become.
What Do I Need to Start Baking Sourdough?
You really don’t need a kitchen full of special equipment to get started.
A few basics can make sourdough baking easier:
Start with what you already have and add tools as you need them. Sourdough can be as simple or as complicated as you make it.
More Easy Sourdough Recipes
Once you’ve made a few of these recipes, there are so many more ways to use your sourdough starter.
If you have extra discard to use, check out my 10 Easy Sourdough Discard Recipes for Beginners.
10 Easy Sourdough Discard Recipes for Beginners]
You can also explore all of my sourdough recipes here:
Whether you’re hoping to make homemade bread for your family or simply want an easy way to use up your sourdough discard, you don’t have to master everything at once.
Pick one recipe, get comfortable with your starter, and keep going. Before long, baking with sourdough will simply become another part of cooking from scratch at home.
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