Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (2024)

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Sourdough Corn Dogs are hand-dipped in a honey, sourdough batter and fried until crispy and golden brown.

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (1)

If you’re craving the best corn dogs that ooze with nostalgia and flavor, look no further than Sourdough Corn Dogs. These all-American favorites take the classic juicy hot dog and give it a delicious twist. The secret ingredient? Sourdough discard!

Imagine biting into a crispy, golden-brown batter that’s been lovingly made from leftover sourdough starter. It not only adds a delightful tanginess but also ensures that the batter is incredibly easy to whip up. You can practically taste the memories of county fairs and carnivals with every bite.

What sets these sourdough corn dogs apart is that you can skip the hot dog buns altogether. The flavorful sourdough batter envelops the juicy hot dog, creating a perfect handheld treat.

They fry up quickly, so you won’t have to wait long to enjoy that irresistible combination of crunchy exterior and tender, savory interior.

Whether you’re reliving fond fair memories or introducing someone to the wonders of the American corn dog, Sourdough Corn Dogs are a surefire crowd-pleaser.

So, roll up your sleeves, grab some sourdough discard, and get ready to savor the simple pleasure of homemade nostalgia on a stick.

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Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (2)

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

Great Flavor –

This sweet, honey cornmeal batter is made better with the slight tang of sourdough discard! Fry it up for crispy, sweet, and unique homemade corn dogs.

Skip the buttermilk –

Instead, of using buttermilk, as many homemade corn dog recipes do, I used sourdough discard in my corn dog batter. The discard fries up just as sweet and fluffy, but with an extra bit of sourdough tang!

​Freezer friendly –

Sourdough Corn Dogs freeze and refresh perfectly! Find the simple instructions below.

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (3)

Ingredients

Hot Dogs –Any kind of hot dogs will do for this recipe, so choose your favorite.

Yellow Cornmeal –Be sure to purchase “finely ground” cornmeal. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritty cornmeal batter.

All-purpose Flour –To thicken the batter.

Baking Powder –This leavener helps the corndog batter to be light and fluffy.

Sugar –For a touch of sweetness.

Salt – Any salt will do, but my favorite isRedmond’s Unrefined Fine Sea Saltfor extra natural minerals.

Milk –Brings moisture to the batter.

Unfed Sourdough Starter –Use sourdough discard that is less than 2 weeks old.

Honey –Adds some sweetness and a honey flavor.

Egg– Help bind the batter.

Frying Oil –Choose a neutral oil, like Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, or Peanut Oil

Supplies

Popsicle sticks or Wooden Skewers

Tall glass

Dutch Oven or a Large Pot

Frying Thermometer

Tongs

Wire rack

How to Make Sourdough Corndogs

Pour the frying oil into a Dutch Oven or a large pot. Heat to medium-high heat (350 F).

Remove the hot dogs from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Insert a stick into each hot dog.

In a large bowl, whisk together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the sourdough discard, milk, honey, egg, and melted butter until smooth.

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (4)
Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (5)

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until all of the dry bites have been incorporated, but be careful not to overmix! This can lead to a dense batter. It’s okay if there are lumps, just like pancake batter.

Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass and dip one hot dog at a time. Allow any excess batter to dip off for 5 seconds, then place the top of the corn dog into the hot oil at an angle. Fry for 5-7 seconds before carefully dropping the entire sourdough corn dog into the oil, this prevents it from sticking to the bottom.

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (6)
Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (7)

Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the Sourdough Corn Dogs are a deep golden brown. Use tongs to turn the sourdough cornbread in order for it to be fried on all sides.

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Remove the Sourdough Corn Dogs from the oil and place on a wire rack.

Serve hot with your favorite condiments!

How to Serve:

Crispy Sourdough Corn Dogs are best when served hot with your favorite sauces, like ketchup or mustard!

Keep the dry frying going by whipping up some homemade french fries, onion rings, sourdough fried pickles, or homemade sourdough fried chicken tendersto serve alongside!

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (9)

How to Store:

Store leftover Sourdough Corndogs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat:

To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 30 seconds.

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (10)

FAQs:

What kind of cornmeal should I use?

Be sure to purchase “finely ground” cornmeal. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritter cornmeal batter.

Can you freeze Sourdough Corndogs?

Yes! To freeze Sourdough Corndogs, cool until room temperature, place in a freezer-safe bag, and place into the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 60 seconds.

What can I do with leftover batter?

Chop whole hot dogs into bite-sized pieces to make mini sourdough corn dogs! If you’re still left with batter and no more hot dogs, scoop the batter into the hot oil and fry up some Sourdough Hushpuppies.

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (11)

Happy frying!

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (12)

More Recipes Like This:

Sourdough Fried Pickles

Homemade Sourdough Fried Chicken Tender

Sourdough Mac and Cheese

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (13)

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard)

Yield: 12 corn dogs

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Sourdough Corn Dogs are hand-dipped in a honey, sourdough batter and fried until crispy and golden brown. 

Ingredients

  • 12 hot dogs, choose your favorite
  • 1 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (290g)
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (175g)
  • 1/4 cup sugar (60g)
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder (11g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (1g)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cup milk (370ml)
  • 1/2 cup unfed sourdough starter, discard (140g)
  • 1 T melted butter (13g)
  • 1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Pour the frying oil into a Dutch Oven or a large pot. Heat to medium-high heat (350 F).

2. Remove the hot dogs from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Insert a stick into each hot dog.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the sourdough discard, milk, honey, egg, and melted butter until smooth.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until all of the dry bites have been incorporated, but be careful not to overmix! This can lead to a dense batter. It's okay if there are lumps, just like pancake batter.

6. Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass and dip one hot dog at a time. Allow any excess batter to dip off for 5 seconds, then place the top of the corn dog into the hot oil at an angle. Fry for 5-7 seconds before carefully dropping the entire sourdough corn dog into the oil, this prevents it from sticking to the bottom.

7. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the Sourdough Corn Dogs are a deep golden brown. Use tongs to turn the sourdough cornbread in order for it to be fried on all sides.

8. Remove the Sourdough Corn Dogs from the oil and place them on a wire rack.

9. Serve hot with your favorite condiments!

Notes

How to Store:

Store leftover Sourdough Corndogs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat: To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 30 seconds.

How to Freeze:

To freeze Sourdough Corndogs, cool until room temperature, place in a freezer-safe bag, and place into the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 60 seconds.

What kind of cornmeal should I use?

Be sure to purchase "finely ground" cornmeal. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritter cornmeal batter.

What can I do with leftover batter?

Chop whole hot dogs into bite-sized pieces to make mini sourdough corn dogs! If you're still left with batter and no more hot dogs, scoop the batter into the hot oil and fry up some Sourdough Hushpuppies.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard) (2024)

FAQs

What is the discard when making sourdough bread? ›

Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of your sourdough starter that you remove before you add fresh flour and water.

What is the difference between sourdough starter and discard? ›

Active starter and discard both come from the same sourdough starter. However, they are in different phases. Active starter has been fed flour and water within the last 12 hours or so and is growing until it hits its peak. Once it begins to fall it is considered discard.

Can you do anything with sourdough starter discard? ›

You can always use this discard by directly mixing it into a dough for baking. Your discard, as long as it's in good shape, will leaven any bread dough just as well. The discard is just like a levain you would make for a recipe. The only difference is it's the same makeup as your starter.

Can I use sourdough discard instead of buttermilk? ›

Instead of the buttermilk offering that tang and tenderness, it is replaced with discard which uses the starters natural acidity. This is a great option if you don't have buttermilk on hand, but you have sourdough discard sitting around.

How to tell if sourdough discard is bad? ›

Visible Mold Any mold regardless of color indicates that the starter is contaminated and should be discarded. Consistently Poor Performance If the starter doesn't rise bubble or double in size after feeding it may have weakened yeast or a microbial imbalance.

What happens if you don't discard sourdough? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

Do you discard every time you feed sourdough starter? ›

It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.

How quickly do you need to use sourdough discard? ›

The longer the discard sits in your refrigerator, the more fermented and “sour” it gets. I don't like to use discard that is more than one week old in discard recipes . After about a week, the discard can become very sour and impact the flavor of the discard recipe.

Can you use sourdough discard straight from the fridge? ›

Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this? If you are using it straight from the fridge it may be a little stiff or thick, so you'll need to ensure you mix it really well.

Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.

Can you use a day 1 sourdough discard? ›

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for about one week, but I do know others who keep it for much longer. After one week, there is a higher risk of mold or bad bacteria growing on the discard.

Can I gift my sourdough discard? ›

You can either split your starter into a new jar for your friend and feed both as normal ( about 100g of starter and 100g each of water and flour) or spilt some off and give them the discard to feed up. Generally, you don't need more than about 50g of starter to pass on to really get a new starter going.

Is eating sourdough discard healthy? ›

Sourdough discard recipes not only reduce waste but also offer health benefits, making them a wonderful addition to a balanced diet. The fermentation process of the sourdough starter increases the availability of certain nutrients and can help improve digestion.

Why do you discard half of sourdough starter? ›

Discarding half is wayyyy LESS wasteful than keeping it around or “sharing” the other half with a friend because… The sourdough starter is not a viable starter until 3 to 5 days old and sometimes longer. It takes that long for the organism balance to get established.

Can you eat raw sourdough discard? ›

While some people claim to have healed their gut problems by eating probiotic rich sourdough starter, it's not really advisable. Raw sourdough starter contains uncooked flour which can harbor harmful bacteria among other things. You can read more about why you shouldn't eat raw flour here.

Can you feed sourdough starter without discarding? ›

If your recipe calls for more than 227g (about 1 cup) of starter, feed it without discarding until you've reached the amount you need (plus 113g to keep and feed again).

Is sourdough discard good for you? ›

Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking. Sourdough discard is rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion.

Do you have to discard sourdough every time? ›

It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.

Can you use an active sourdough starter instead of discarding? ›

Absolutely you can! Active starter can be used in the same way as sourdough discard in sweet or savory baking.

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