Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam
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These Sourdough Breakfast Bars made with oatmeal and a jam filling are soft and chewy with a delicious fruity flavor. They are easy to make and only have 7 simple ingredients. The honey and jam adds the perfect level of sweetness to these bars.

This recipe makes the perfect on the go breakfast. Featuring two layers of oat mixture with a sweet jam filling in between, these bars offer the perfect balance of flavors and textures. If you love my chewy sourdough granola bars you’ll love these too. A breakfast treat the whole family will adore!


Reasons you will love this recipe
- These Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam are naturally sweetened with honey and have other wholesome ingredients such as coconut oil and rolled oats.
- This recipe is great for breakfast, or also makes a great option for an after-school snack for your kids or even as a naturally sweetened dessert option.
- You can easily customize the taste of the bars by using different fruits and flavors for the jam.
- The prep time for the bars is super quick and they are made in one bowl so there is minimal cleanup.

What is sourdough discard?
You can think of sourdough discard as leftover sourdough starter. After your starter peaks it begins to fall back down and is no longer ideal for leavening breads and other baked goods, but don’t let the name deceive you! Although it is called “discard” it can be used for many different sourdough discard recipes. It adds moistness, depth of flavor and a slight tang that sourdough is known for. Plus, when the batter is fermented it makes it easier to digest. It can be used in any recipe that uses flour such as Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sourdough Pancakes, Sourdough Granola Bars, and Sourdough Muffins. You can learn more about Sourdough Discard in this post here.

Helpful tools to make this recipe
Square 8″ baking dish – This recipe is made in a square baking dish. I find the 8×8 size to be perfect for the thickness of the bars.
Parchment paper – Using parchment paper helps prevent the bars from sticking to the pan and makes it easier to remove them.
Kitchen scale or Measuring cups and spoons – The recipe has grams and cups written in it so you can use either form of measurement. However, using your kitchen scale will give more accurate measurements plus you will have less dishes!

Ingredients for Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam
- Oats – Either old-fashioned rolled oats or instant oats will work for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour – I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Sourdough discard – You can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
- Coconut oil- Melt the coconut oil before adding to the ingredients. To melt, you can simply add it to the microwave for a few seconds at a time.
- Honey – Honey is used as a natural sweetener. If you’d like, you could also use maple syrup.
- Salt – Any type of salt works for this recipe.
- Jam – You can use any type of jam flavor you’d like, such as raspberry or strawberry. If you would like to keep the bars naturally sweetened, look for a jam that does not use sugar. You can make homemade jam or find jams that only contain fruit and no added sugar at the grocery store. You can also have fun with the flavor of the jam and try other fruits such as apples, cranberries, or apricots.

How to make Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam
In a large mixing bowl, mix the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil, and honey together. Stir and then add the oats, flour, and salt. Mix until combined. The mixture will be slightly greasy which is to be expected.
Next, line the baking dish with parchment paper. Dump a little more than half of the mixture into an 8×8 square baking pan. Press the mix into the pan with a piece of parchment paper and your fingers. You want to really press this mixture into the pan so it holds together.

Spread the jam overtop keeping the jam away from the sides about ½ inch to prevent burning. I’ve made this recipe with 1/2 cup and 2/3 cup jam. If you prefer a thicker layer of jam use 2/3 cup.

Cover the jam with the remaining mixture. Lightly press the entire mixture into the pan with a piece of parchment paper. Do not press too hard to avoid the jam from squeezing out.
Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. Let the bars cool on the counter until room temperature and then put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Cut the Sourdough Breakfast Bars into 12 slices and enjoy!

Tips for success with this recipe
- Be sure to press the mixture into the baking dish firmly for the bottom layer. This helps the bars stay together better after you cut them.
- Don’t skip lining the pan with parchment paper. This helps the bars from sticking to the pan and then you can easily lift the bars out by pulling up on the side of the parchment paper. Using a piece of parchment paper in your hand to press the mixture into the pan will help prevent the mixture from sticking to your fingers and evenly press the mixture down.
- Let the bars cool before you slice them. Allowing them to cool and adding them to the fridge for 30 minutes helps the bars set and will help prevent them from falling apart.

Storage for the Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam
To store the Sourdough Breakfast Bars, add them to an airtight container and store them on the counter for 3-5 days or in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Add-in ideas for the Sourdough Breakfast Bars
What is great about these bars is that they are easy to customize! Use whatever type of jam you’d like and you can also add other add-ins such as a few swirls of peanut butter or a nut butter such as almond butter for more of a PB&J vibe, or you can add nuts in the mixture with the oats, such as walnuts or pecans for crunch.
More sourdough breakfast recipes

Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 75 grams sourdough discard ⅓ cup
- 120 grams coconut oil, melted ½ cup
- 80 grams honey ⅓ cup
- 180 grams oats, old-fashioned or instant oats work 2 cups
- 140 grams all-purpose flour 1 cup
- 5 grams salt 1 teaspoon
- 160-215 grams jam of choice (see notes) ½ cup- ⅔ cup
Instructions
- Mix together the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil, and honey.75 grams sourdough discard, 120 grams coconut oil, melted, 80 grams honey
- Add in the oats, flour and salt. Mix until combined.180 grams oats, old-fashioned or instant oats work, 140 grams all-purpose flour, 5 grams salt
- Press a little more than half of the mixture into an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Press the mix into the pan well with a piece of parchment paper.
- Spread the jam overtop keeping the jam away from the sides about ½ inch.160-215 grams jam of choice (see notes)
- Cover with the remaining mixture. Lightly press the entire mixture into the pan with a piece of parchment paper. Do not press too hard that the jam squeezes out.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes until the edges are browning.
- Let cool on the counter until room temperature and then place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Cut into 12 slices.
- Store on the counter for 3-5 days in an airtight container or in the fridge 1-2 weeks.
Notes
- Note on jam measurement– For a thinner layer of jam use a 1/2 cup. If you prefer a thicker layer or a sweeter bar use 2/3 cup.
- Really press the mixture into the pan to help the bars stay together after baking.
- You can use any type of jam for this. We like to use strawberry or raspberry.
- You can swap coconut oil for butter in this recipe.
My entire family loves these! Great way to use up extra discard!
So glad your family liked them. Thanks for sharing!
These are great. I made my own jam with honey so there was no cane sugar in it at all, which I think is a plus.
Tried it with redcurrant jelly (as the jam) – absolutely delicious
These are so delicious!! I was obsessed with them all week..made them with raspberry jam (perfect combo) and cut into brownie size servings to have as a family dessert…well pretty sure I ate most of the batch myself!! Already planning on making another double batch today and taking half of them to a friends house as a dessert…not just for breakfast people…these are fantastic!!!
Sorry missed where you could rate it!
Doubled it and I have ZERO regrets! SO YUMMY!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these this week and they were delicious! Was wondering if you think they would freeze well?
While I haven’t personally tried it I feel pretty confident they would freeze well.
I made these bars and they were wonderful. For the top layer I found it worked well to press out an 8×8 square on a piece of parchment paper and then flip it over on top of the jam so that I wasn’t worried about pressing it flat and squishing out the jam. It worked very well.
Tried these bars,they were very good. My husband even liked them. They are so easy to make. I will be making them again.
Made these with strawberry preserves and another with lemon curd, both were delicious but the lemon curd adds an amazing lemon bar twist!! So easy to make, they’ll be a staple in the house
Can sub 1 more cup of oats instead of the flour? Can stomach fermented wheat discard but not wheat
I haven’t tried it but someone said they used almond flour in place of all purpose and it worked well so blending up the oats into oat flour may work too.
These bars are so delicious! And so easy to make😋
Subbed Maple syrup for honey and used Fig Jam. Delicious!!!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Second time backing them went a lot better than the first! First time, I had a hard time adding the second layer of oats. This time, I made a second layer in a different dish which made it 1000x easier and a lot neater looking. Will absolutely make again 👍
Can I use sprouted rolled oats?
Yes I don’t think it will be a problem.
I used almond flour instead of AP. They came out great
Ooh I’m going to try this!
Thanks that’s good to know!
Made this quick and easy recipe and it it seriously delicious and such a great nourishing snack for my kiddos to have during the week!
Can you sub maple syrup for honey?
Yes!
these were SO good and so easy!!! love how they weren’t overly sweet.
What about using applesauce instead of coconut oil?
I’m not sure I haven’t tried it but my gut says probably not. My biggest concern would be that applesauce, unlike coconut oil or butter, does not harden as it cools so I don’t think your bars will stay together. But if you try it let us know! Thanks
I’d like to swap out the coconut oil will evoo work or melted butter?
Melted butter works well
I just made these with butter. They turned out fantastic.
I used butter instead of coconut oil- they turned out great
These are so good! I used an all natural blueberry jam and peanut butter. Tasted like pb&j granola bars, but way better!
I don’t have sourdough discard, is there something else I can use in place of that!
Since starter is just flour and water, you could use 37.5 grams flour and 37.5 grams of flour to equal 75 grams
Haha how does that even happen..lol…i have jars everywhere ..i always save it snd have so much extra i am always searching for discard recipes 🙂
Made these and they taste just bland. Probably won’t make again.
Will another neutral oil work?
I would recommend going with an oil that solidifies as it cools as that can help it hold shape. Melted butter would be a good option.
Should I leave the parchment paper over the top while baking?
No you can remove that it’s just for pressing it into the pan.
Can you sub butter for coconut oil in this?
Wondering the same! I don’t keep coconut oil on had.
Yes you could use melted butter.
Yes shouldn’t be a problem.