Make Your Pup Some Sourdough Discard Dog Treats
Too much sourdough starter? No problem! Expand your baking routine to include treats for the pups.
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Like many folks, I’ve had the sourdough bug in a big way. I’d been wanting to delve into creating and nurturing a starter for ages but never seemed to have time to devote to it. Once I got my starter to a robust bubbly stage, I did a little research to determine if dogs could be fed sourdough bread. Here’s what you need to know about dogs and sourdough bread.
Can Dogs Eat Sourdough Bread?
While sourdough bread isn’t the most nutritionally dense treat for dogs, sourdough bread is safe for most dogs to eat as an occasional snack. Just like people, dogs can eat bread in moderation, assuming they don’t have any allergies.
As those of you who share this passion know, tending to your starter means feeding it on a regular basis. This involves plucking off a portion from your “mother” culture and (presumably) throwing it away. I can’t stand the idea of tossing that excess, so I’ve been looking for recipes that use starter discards. So far, I’ve made amazing sourdough English muffinsopens in a new tab using a recipe from King Arthur Flour, and pancakes, banana bread, and waffles using three delicious recipes from ThePerfectLoafopens in a new tab. All delicious foods for people, but what I really wanted was a sourdough dog biscuit recipe.
My three dogs love this baking mania. Sometimes, I’ve made them super-easy starter-discard crumpetsopens in a new tab (apt name, isn’t it?). I’ve also made crunchy croutons from leftover bread, adding lots of olive oil for its antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acid, which makes the croutons a nutritious snack for them.
Then, since I hadn’t stumbled on any sourdough recipes specifically for dog treats, I decided to whip up my own, and made a batch of mini oat flour sourdough dog biscuits just for them. (Note: Raw bread dough is dangerous for dogs, so be sure to keep your yeast dough safely away from dogs.)
Sourdough Discard Dog Treats
To make the oat flour, I followed directions from one of my favorite food bloggers, Kathryne Taylor of Cookie + Kate. Oats are a great source of phosphorus and magnesium, and also have high levels of Vitamin B1, B12 and folate. And, depending on what oat product you start with, these can also be gluten-free. In addition, I added canned organic pumpkinopens in a new tab—which is exceptionally high in carotenoids, potassium, vitamin C and good-for-digestion fiber—to give the biscuits an extra-nutritious boost.
This is one of those recipes to which you can add or subtract ingredients, depending on what’s in your pantry. Making food or treats for dogs is extra-fun and super-easy. There’s really no such thing as a cooking flop—your dog will be perfectly satisfied with everything you make.
This recipe reflects ingredients I had on hand, and that I knew to be nutritious. Note that when baking, it’s best to weigh out both the liquid and dry ingredients using a kitchen scale.
Claudia Kawczynska
Claudia Kawczynska was co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Bark for 20 years. She also edited the best-selling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot.
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