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

How much of your sourdough starter should you discard? ›

Starter that's kept at room temperature is more active than refrigerated starter, and thus needs to be fed more often. Room-temperature starter should be fed every 12 hours (twice a day) using the standard maintenance feeding procedure: discard all but 113g, and feed that 113g starter with 113g each water and flour.

Why do you have to discard so much sourdough starter? ›

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.

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. Because of it's unfed state, it's not used to bake the delicious bread you know as sourdough, but more often than not, used in sourdough discard recipes.

How do you reduce sourdough discard? ›

Maintaining this small sourdough starter means much less discard than maintaining a larger starter, but there will always be some discard. One approach is to save up all this discard in one container in the fridge in what I like to call a sourdough starter cache.

Should I stir my sourdough starter between feedings? ›

It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.

How do I know if my sourdough discard is good? ›

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.

Should I discard liquid on top of sourdough starter? ›

Barb Alpern, one of the sourdough experts on our Baker's Hotline, advises callers to discard the hooch if it's darkened to black. “At this point, the liquid is all sourdough waste products and isn't going to contribute anything very positive to the starter.

How long can you leave sourdough discard? ›

Sourdough discard only lasts a day or two at room temperature. As such, it is best to keep your discard in the fridge, where it will last for up to one week. Of course, you can only rely on it lasting that long if you store it correctly.

Does sourdough discard have to be active? ›

It can be at room temperature or come directly from the fridge. The texture is less bubbly (if bubbly at all) when compared to fluffy active starter. Sourdough discard is not active enough to make bread dough rise, and despite its name the “discard” does not have to be thrown away.

What is a substitute for sourdough discard? ›

Add the discard starter to the recipe as a replacement. How much sourdough starter can you substitute? We recommend substituting starter for no more than 1/3 of the flour in the recipe. If you like the result, you can try increasing the percentage the next time.

Do I need to feed sourdough discard before using? ›

Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

Over the past decade-plus of baking, I've tested all manner of flour from whole grain wheat to spelt to einkorn, and while they all do work, my preferred flour to use when creating a sourdough starter is whole grain rye flour and white flour (this can be all-purpose or high-protein bread flour).

Can I just feed my sourdough starter without discarding? ›

After day 7, do I keep discarding half of my sourdough starter? Nope! Once the sourdough starter is established on day 8, all you have to do is just give it flour and water. You no longer need to discard half of it.

What happens if you don't discard sourdough? ›

If you don't discard your sourdough starter, it will grow too big and be unmanageable. Not to mention you will go through an unmentionable amount of flour.

Can I keep adding sourdough discard to the same jar? ›

Yes. Discard is simply extra unfed starter.

How much sourdough starter do you give away? ›

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.

How do you know if you need to throw out sourdough starter? ›

If your sourdough starter exhibits any of these signs: - Smells like acetone or vinegar - Has a runny consistency - Is full of tiny bubbles or foaming - Doubles in size and then falls back down - Develops a clear, gray, or black liquid on top - Gets a white, powdery substance on the surface It's time to feed it!

What is the minimum amount of sourdough starter to keep? ›

All you need to do is take 20g of the starter you already have and then feed it with 20g of flour and 20g of water (so 1:1:1). Then you'll have a 60g starter, which is considered a smaller amount. You can of course reduce these amounts even further if you wish, but this is a reasonable size to keep waste to a minimum.

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