This Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf is like pumpkin bread meets holiday gingerbread cookies. It's a delicious, moist loaf packed with spiced gingerbread flavors and topped with a light, sweet glaze. It's perfect for dessert or a sweet afternoon treat during the holiday season!
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Yum!!! This turned out so good. Will definitely make again.
- Amanda
Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe comes together easily with just two mixing bowls in about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
- It's a great recipe for beginner bakers or baking with kids!
- This Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf is packed with holiday gingerbread flavors and topped with a light, sweet glaze.
- Looking for other great holiday recipes? Try these Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms and these Candy Cane Marshmallows.
- It's a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard, but you can also adapt the recipe to use active sourdough starter if you prefer!
Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to make this Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf.
- Molasses: This is also where this recipe gets a ton of its flavor. I like to use Grandma's Original Molasses.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter that uses a 1:1:1 ratio (when you feed, it's with 1 part starter, 1 part flour, 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - While it's not needed for leavening purposes, if you'd like to make this loaf with active starter instead of discard, you can. To do so, replace the sourdough discard with active sourdough starter (200g). You don't need to change any other ingredients in the recipe.
- Try add-ins - Try some add-ins like candied ginger pieces (¼ cup) or chopped pecans. Stir these in when you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Add a citrus kick - Add 1 Tablespoon of orange or lemon zest into the batter, or 1 teaspoon of zest in the glaze for a bit of a citrus kick!
How to Make Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf
This recipe comes together in a few easy steps, which makes it great for beginner bakers or making with kids! The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, cloves, and salt.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the sourdough discard, brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses, vegetable oil, egg, and yogurt. Whisk until smooth.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Step 5: Bake for 60 minutes, then tent with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let the loaf cool before glazing.
- Step 6: Pour the glaze over the loaf, then slice and serve!
Expert Baking Tips
- Don't overmix the batter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry spots remain.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out mostly clean. You don't want this loaf to dry out, and it will continue to bake a little bit while it rests in the pan. Bake just until a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out mostly clean!
- If you like quick breads, try this Sourdough Discard Banana Bread and Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread, too!
- Let the loaf cool before adding the glaze. If the loaf is warm, the glaze will melt right off. It will still be delicious, though!
- Try a few other holiday recipes with these Candied Orange Slices and these Sourdough Discard Salt Dough Ornaments.
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: Store this Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can reheat the loaf in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make it warm and soft again.
Freezer Storage: Ensure the loaf has cooled fully, then store in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze individual slices or the full loaf. When you're ready to eat it, let the loaf thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can reheat individual slices in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make them warm and soft again.
Recipe FAQs
Sourdough discard is what is left over after you feed your sourdough starter. You can either literally discard it (throw it away or compost it), or you can use it in sourdough discard recipes like this one.
If you're new to working with sourdough starter, check out these in-depth posts on how to feed sourdough starter, how to use sourdough discard, and tips for struggling sourdough starter.
No! If dairy is not an issue for you, you can use regular dairy milk and yogurt for this recipe.
More Holiday Baking Recipes
If you tried this Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
For the Loaf
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg room temperature
- ¼ cup non-dairy or regular dairy yogurt
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons non-dairy or regular dairy milk unflavored
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sourdough discard, brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses, vegetable oil, egg, and yogurt. Whisk until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until no dry spots remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove the loaf from the pan (you can lift it up with the parchment paper) and transfer to a cooling rack to cool for at least an hour.
- While the loaf cools, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Start with 1 Tablespoon of milk and add more as needed to reach your desired glaze consistency. Pour the glaze over the loaf, then slice and enjoy!
Lesli Ross says
I made this and it turned out super dry. I don’t line my pans and just use butter and flour as a liner. I skipped the tenting part with the foil because another 10 minutes and the recipe would be ruined. Was I supposed to cover with foil for the first hour too?
Kennedie Ward says
Hi there! I love your recipes and am excited to try this one to bring to my Christmas market this weekend!
Are you able to post the recipe in grams for better accuracy? I’m so used to everything being weighed now since starting my sourdough journey!
Thanks!!
Jessica Vogl says
I will be updating this one soon(ish)! Likely in the next week or so.
Amanda says
Yum!!! This turned out so good. I had a bunch of discard and a bunch of fresh ginger that I wanted to use up, so I subbed fresh ginger for ground - 3/4 cup fresh for 1 tbsp ground...seemed like way too much but followed a ratio I found online and it turned out delightfully gingery! Also did not make the glaze because I was lazy but it's delicious without. Will make again.