Sourdough Treats for Dogs | The Bark

Too much sourdough starter? No problem! Expand your baking routine to include treats for the pups.

Like many of you, since mid-March, 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. But then came Covid-19 and shelter in place and social distancing, which made it the perfect time to do just that. (It’s heartening to know that this baking craze has taken the world by storm. Do listen to this podcast from the Washington Post to see why this might be.)

Once I got my starter to a robust, bubbly stage, I discovered that just about everything involved in using it—from flour to proofing baskets, even wheat berries—is almost impossible to purchase. Even nifty home appliances for grinding your own flour, or the super-cool Brod & Taylor folding proofer and slow cooker are in such high demand that they have flown off the shelves, and are now on many waiting lists, including my own.

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 muffins using a recipe from King Arthur Flour, and pancakes, banana bread and waffles using three delicious recipes from ThePerfectLoaf. Both of these sites also have recipes for assorted types of breads, as do the really helpful people at Breadtopia.

Sourdough Treats

As for my three dogs, they are loving this baking mania. Sometimes, I’ve made them super-easy starter-discard crumpets (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, the other day, since I hadn’t stumbled on any sourdough recipes specifically for dog treats, I decide to whip up my own, and made a batch of mini oat flour sourdough bread/biscuits just for them.

To make the oat flour, I followed directions from one of my favorite food bloggers, Kathryne Taylor of Cookie + Kate. (She once contributed a great doggie frittata recipe to the magazine.) 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 pumpkin—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.

Unbaked sourdough dog biscuits

If any of you sourdough-starter fans have your own treat recipes, I would love to hear about them!