Sourdough discard flatbread

Sourdough discard flatbread turns unfed starter into soft, pliable skillet breads with no yeast and no oven, in about 40 minutes start to finish. Mix 200 g discard with 200 g flour, a little yogurt, oil, salt, and baking powder, rest the dough, then roll thin and cook each one in a hot dry pan. They puff, blister, and stay foldable, which makes them right for wraps, dips, or tearing alongside a curry.

The discard does most of the flavor work here. It does not need to be active or bubbly, so cold discard straight from the fridge is fine, even a jar that has sat for a week. The baking powder gives a light lift since the discard will not reliably leaven on its own. If your jar is overflowing, this is one of the fastest ways to clear it. For more ideas, see the discard recipes hub.

Ingredients

Weigh everything in grams. The dough should feel soft and a little tacky, not wet.

• 200 g sourdough discard (100% hydration)
• 200 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 60 g plain yogurt
• 20 g olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 5 g fine salt
• 3 g baking powder

The yogurt keeps the crumb tender and adds a touch more tang. If your discard runs thick, add a splash of water. If it runs thin and loose, work in another 15-20 g of flour until the dough holds a ball.

Method

1. Stir the discard, yogurt, and olive oil together in a large bowl until smooth.
2. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix to a shaggy dough, then knead in the bowl for about 2 minutes until it pulls together into a soft ball.
3. Cover and rest 20 minutes. This lets the flour hydrate and the gluten relax, so the dough rolls thin without snapping back.
4. Divide into 6 equal pieces, roughly 80 g each. Roll each into a ball, flatten, then roll out to 3-4 mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Aim for even thickness so they cook flat.
5. Heat a dry skillet or cast iron pan over medium for 3-4 minutes. It is ready when a flick of water sizzles and skips, around 200C (400F).
6. Lay one flatbread in the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes, until bubbles rise across the top and the underside shows brown spots. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more.
7. Brush the hot bread with olive oil and stack under a clean towel. The trapped steam keeps them soft and foldable. Repeat with the rest.

Timings are estimates. Pans and stoves run differently, so judge by the blisters and the brown spots rather than the clock. If they scorch before they puff, drop the heat a notch and give the pan a minute to settle.

Tips

• Rest is not optional. That 20-minute pause is where the dough turns from stiff to easy to roll. Skip it and the breads fight you.
• Dry pan first. Cook them dry so they blister, then oil after. Oil in the pan from the start fries the surface and stops the puff.
• Keep them even. Thick spots stay doughy in the middle while thin edges burn. Roll to a consistent 3-4 mm.

Storage

Wrapped in a towel or a sealed bag, they stay soft for a day at room temperature. Reheat in a dry pan for 20-30 seconds a side to bring back the flex; the microwave turns them rubbery. They also freeze well for about a month, stacked with parchment between each one.

Want to adjust the dough feel? If your discard is not exactly 100% hydration, run the numbers through the hydration calculator so the flour-to-water balance stays right.