Using your starter: sourdough quick bread

Dinner becomes extra comforting when there is a loaf of fresh bread at the table. Indeed, sometimes it is the only part of the meal my kids will eat, and when I’ve made it myself, it doesn’t seem like such a bad option. We almost always have some kind of grain on our plates; rice, farro, barley, pasta of varying sizes and shapes, potatoes, sweet potatoes – these are all on regular rotation. But some nights (looking at you, soup night), bread is the answer, and, often, this fact occurs to me only in the late afternoon. No time to whip up a loaf of sourdough. Enter quick breads.

Quick breads are quick because there is no rising involved. I think of them like a savory, loaf-shaped cake. They tend to be crumbly, like a cornbread, and you can adjust the ingredients however you like. The following is adapted from the buttermilk quick bread recipe on the Kitchn, an excellent and general recipe you should definitely try sometime when you have extra buttermilk lying around. I’ve made that recipe subbing in yogurt, and that works well too. But you know what else is tangy and liquidy and hanging around my kitchen asking to please be used? Sadie. My sourdough starter. This is a great way to use up excess sourdough starter that might otherwise get tossed. It comes together quickly, is tasty as can be, and goes beautifully with a bowl of creamy, gingery lentil soup, which is what we ate it with last night. You can customize as you like, adding in flavorful things, or keep it simple.