Can I Add Sourdough Starter to my Compost Pile?

by S Fraley
(Kentucky)

I make sourdough bread and have to toss out some of the started each time. The starter consists of yeast, flour and water. Can I add this leftover starter to my compost pile?

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Mar 20, 2012
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Homemade Compost Starter Eat Your Heart Out
by: Dave

Hi S. Fraley,

Yes, by all means you can add your sourdough starter into the compost pile.

compost sour dough

The truth about composting is this…you can compost just about any organic (carbon-based) waste material, however, you must be reasonable about it. We have to use common sense in that we’re not going to try and build an entire pile with sourdough starter. But a little bit of starter every so often will do absolutely no harm to your pile. Heck, it may even do a little good, since you’re adding all that living yeast.

Just out of curiosity, do you make your sourdough with natural cultures harvested from the air or do you use a yeast culture from a package?

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Mar 21, 2012
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Sourdough starter to compost
by: SFraley

Dave, thanks for the comment. I only have about a quart jar of the starter to toss and will only add a little at a time. My starter started with packaged yeast. The last time I fed it, it really was active. I havent tried my recipe with out the yeast, but just might. Great pic of rolls.

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