Madeleines with Sourdough Discard

Here is the perfect recipe for Madeleines with Sourdough Discard. I baked madeleines many times when I attended pastry school. But I never thought that adding sourdough discard not only helps with its utilization, but also adds extra moisture and softness to your French delicious treats.

Here is the perfect recipe for Madeleines with Sourdough Discard. I baked madeleines many times when I attended pastry school. But I never thought that adding sourdough discard not only helps with its utilization, but also adds extra moisture and softness to your French delicious treats.

The result completely surprised me. These madeleines turned out incredibly tender, light, buttery, and delicate with beautifully soft texture and slightly crisp golden edges. The sourdough discard adds subtle depth of flavor that works perfectly with the rich buttery batter without overpowering the classic taste of traditional French madeleines. Instead, it enhances the overall flavor and creates a more moist and tender crumb that stays fresh longer.

One of the things I love most about madeleines is how elegant they feel despite being relatively simple to prepare. Their signature shell shape and delicate hump make them instantly recognizable and give them that beautiful bakery-style appearance. Fresh from the oven, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, they feel like something from a French pastry shop.

The batter itself comes together very easily, making this recipe approachable even for beginner bakers. Chilling the batter before baking helps create the classic madeleine hump while also improving texture and flavor. Once baked, the edges become lightly crisp and golden while the inside remains soft, airy, and buttery.

These madeleines pair beautifully with coffee, tea, espresso, or hot chocolate and are perfect for breakfast, dessert, afternoon tea, or special gatherings. They can also be customized with citrus zest, vanilla, chocolate, honey, or even dipped partially in chocolate for an extra elegant finish.

Another wonderful aspect of this recipe is that it transforms sourdough discard into something truly refined and impressive. Instead of throwing discard away, you can use it to create delicate French pastries with remarkable texture and flavor. It’s one of my favorite examples of how sourdough discard can elevate recipes far beyond traditional bread baking.

The aroma while baking is absolutely incredible — warm butter, vanilla, and lightly caramelized edges filling the kitchen. Freshly baked madeleines are almost impossible to resist while still warm.

Whether you are already familiar with French pastries or trying madeleines for the first time, this recipe is truly worth making. Soft, buttery, elegant, and incredibly flavorful, these sourdough discard madeleines quickly became one of my favorite ways to use discard in a creative and delicious way. Once you try them homemade, it’s hard not to fall in love with their texture, flavor, and classic charm. This is a new spin on a traditional French treat.

I promise, you’ll love it.

Ingredients 

• 2 large egg 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 100g sugar
• 100g sourdough discard
• 10g vanilla extract 
• 2g salt
• 40g whole wheat flour
• 100g all purpose flour
• 8g baking powder
• 120g melted butter 

Directions

Night before 

• Whisk together eggs, yolks and sugar until light foam.
• Add sourdough discard and vanilla, mix until well incorporated.

• In a separate bowl mix together salt, flour and baking powder.
• Add dry ingredients to an egg mixture.
• Mix well.
• Pour all melted butter, whisk together until nice and smooth dough. 
• Cover and transfer to a refrigerator for 12-14 hours.

Next day 

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Dust the molds with flour.
• Fill each madeleine mold to about 3/4 (I used a tablespoon dipped in the water for easier batter transition into molds)
• Bake 13-15 minutes unit golden edges.

Enjoy!

Madeleines with Sourdough Discard

2117kcal

No ratings yet

Pinterest Facebook Share on X

Share Print

Prep 20 minutes mins

Cook 15 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 12 hours hrs

Total 12 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Straight from pastry school training, adding sourdough discard to classic French Madeleines with Sourdough Discard is an absolute game-changer. It utilizes your leftover discard while introducing an incredible amount of moisture and signature velvety softness to these delicate, shell-shaped tea treats.

Servings 12 madeleines

Cuisine French Pastry

Ingredients

1x2x3x

The Rich Egg Foam Base

• ▢ 2 Large eggs
• ▢ 2 Egg yolks
• ▢ 100 g Sugar

The Tangy Moisture Inclusions

• ▢ 100 g Sourdough discard (Unfed, straight from the refrigerator)
• ▢ 10 g Vanilla extract

The Flour & Fat Matrix

• ▢ 100 g All-purpose flour
• ▢ 40 g Whole wheat flour
• ▢ 8 g Baking powder
• ▢ 2 g Salt
• ▢ 120 g Unsalted butter (Melted completely and cooled slightly)

Equipment

• ▢
  Madeleine Mold Pan (Standard 12-shell metal or silicone tray)
• ▢
  Two Mixing Bowls
• ▢
  Whisk & Rubber Spatula
• ▢
  Pastry Brush (For greasing the molds)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Foam Emulsion & Chilling Rest

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 large eggs, 2 egg yolks, and 100g of sugar. Whisk vigorously by hand for 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly and creates a pale, light foam.
2. Add the 100g of sourdough discard and 10g of vanilla extract directly into the egg mixture. Whisk gently until the discard is completely smooth and well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the 100g of all-purpose flour, 40g of whole wheat flour, 8g of baking powder, and 2g of salt.
4. Dump the dry flour mix into your wet egg bowl. Use a rubber spatula to fold gently just until the flour patches disappear—do not over-mix.
5. Pour all 120g of melted butter into the batter. Whisk steadily until the fat emulsifies completely, creating a beautiful, glossy, and smooth cake paste.
6. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill undisturbed for 12 to 14 hours overnight.

Next Day – Cold Transition & High-Heat Bake

1. Next Morning: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Dust your madeleine mold shells thoroughly with flour (or brush generously with melted butter) to prevent sticking.
2. Pull the thick batter straight out of the fridge. Critical Guardrail: Do not let the batter warm up to room temperature; it must remain cold when entering the oven to build the signature center hump.
3. Fill each shell mold to roughly 3/4 capacity. Pro Tip: Use a tablespoon dipped in cold water to make scooping and transitioning the thick, cold batter into the pan completely effortless.
4. Slide the tray onto the middle rack and bake at 400°F (204°C) for 13 to 15 minutes until the outer edges turn a gorgeous, crispy golden brown.
5. Tip the hot cakes out of the mold immediately onto a wire rack. Let cool slightly, then optionally dust with powdered sugar or dip in melted chocolate before serving!

Nutrition

Calories2117kcalCarbohydrates229gProtein37gFat118gSaturated Fat68gPolyunsaturated Fat8gMonounsaturated Fat33gTrans Fat4gCholesterol977mgSodium1150mgPotassium489mgFiber8gSugar102gVitamin A4000IUVitamin C0.1mgCalcium629mgIron10mg

Notes

• Why the Overnight Refrigerator Stay is Mandatory: To secure that iconic, proud dome hump right in the center of your finished madeleine, the batter must go into the oven ice-cold. Bringing chilled starches straight into a blistering 400°F environment causes the baking powder to react violently, forcing the center of the cake to shoot upward before the outer edges set.
• No Madeleine Pan? No Problem: If you don’t own a specialized shell-shaped madeleine mold pan, you can still enjoy this wonderful recipe. Simply drop the chilled batter into a standard cupcake tin, small muffin pan, or vintage cast iron gem tray. Just rotate the pan halfway through the bake and check them right at the 15-minute mark.
• The Magic of Whole Wheat Flour: This formula incorporates a small 40g scoop of whole wheat flour alongside the standard all-purpose flour. The whole grains offer a subtle nutty depth that pairs beautifully with the sourdough discard, absorbing the heavy melted butter fats perfectly to ensure a remarkably tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Adjusting Sugar for Extra Sweetness: These pastries are traditionally styled with a balanced, classic European bakery sweetness profile. If you prefer a sweeter cake that matches commercial store-bought varieties, you can comfortably increase your main sugar weight in step 1 from 100g up to 125g without undermining the emulsion.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.