Sourdough Discard Crackers

Have you ever made sourdough discard crackers? They’re simple, crunchy, and have a delightful tang that you’ll love!

Most of what I do with my sourdough starter is make sourdough sandwich bread for the family every week, but I’m always looking for more easy sourdough recipes to make as well. Especially if I can incorporate them as snacks.

This recipe is honestly the easiest.

I’ve said a lot about how I’m not the biggest fan of sourdough discard and recipes that use discard without proofing the dough after fermenting the additional fours in the recipe.

But this is an exception because the recipe is almost entirely made with sourdough discard.

That said, because I typically bake in such a way that I don’t have leftover discarded starter, I do have to make extra starter/discard on purpose just for this recipe.

I’m happy to do that, though, for a tasty cracker my kids love, and they’re so easy to make, it’s usually my ten-year-old who makes them.

These are handy for picnics, charcuterie boards, snacks, and whatever else you use crackers for.

Ingredients for making sourdough discard crackers

As I said, the main ingredient is sourdough discard or starter. A starter fed at a 1:1:1 ratio is perfect. A thicker starter may negate the need for additional flour, which is fine – you can eyeball it.

The other ingredients are salt for flavor, butter for texture, and flour to achieve the consistency needed to make thin and crispy sourdough discard crackers.

Another ingredient you may need is patience because I won’t lie: spreading sourdough starter out is not the easiest. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but sourdough has a lot of viscosity. When you’re rolling out your dough for cinnamon rolls or spreading the tarter out to make a dehydrated starter, it wants to bounce back.

These crackers are no different, which can make them difficult to spread at an even thickness. For me – and especially for my daughter when she’s making them – I choose to just not be that picky about it.

Additions and substitutions

There aren’t a lot of substitutions to make in this recipe – it’s very basic. You could use oil instead of butter or whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour to feed your starter. This will change the texture of your starter, as you probably already know if you’re experienced with baking sourdough bread with different flours, but different doesn’t mean bad. Whole wheat will lend itself to more of a chewy cracker – different, not bad.

Additions, on the other hand, are nearly endless. I like to add a little rosemary to my crackers. You could also use everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds,  pepper, dill, or other fresh or dried herbs or spices to make a variety of different flavored crackers. Your imagination is the limit with this.

A favorite way to modify crackers is with cheese. You can use a number of different cheeses. I like to mix either parmesan or cheddar cheese into the batter before spreading it to make a delicious cheese snack cracker.

How to make sourdough discard crackers

Preheat oven to 325º

In a mixing bowl, combine sourdough and discard with melted butter, salt, and flour.

Spread over a parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheet to about 1/8 inch thickness. It gets tricky because sourdough likes to rebound when you try to spread it. An oiled rubber spatula will be used to help with this part. Your crackers may not end up being the most evenly spread, but that’s okay! It adds some interest to them.

Sprinkle crackers with coarse sea salt and any other seasonings you want, and bake them in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove crackers from the oven, and cut them into squares with a pizza cutter or knife.

Place back in the oven, and let bake for another 15 minutes,  until the edges are crispy.

Turn off the oven, and leave crackers in to dry out for another 15-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve as desired.

How to store sourdough discard crackers

When crackers are completely cooled, store them in a ziplock baggie or other airtight container. If the crackers are completely dry, they should last almost indefinitely at room temperature. If there’s moisture left in them, use them up within a day or two or store them in the freezer for several weeks.

What to serve with your sourdough crackers

I’m a huge fan of cheese and crackers, and I’m also a big fan of dips. Here are some favorites: 

• Homemade French Onion Dip
• Homemade Dill Dip
• Easy Hummus Recipe
• Roasted Beet Hummus

Homemade summer sausage is also a perfect pairing for cheese and crackers. 

Trouble Shooting Sourdough Crackers

This is a simple and straightforward recipe, but not everything goes according to plan every time. Here are some of the most common problems and how to troubleshoot them. 

• Crackers are soft and rubbery. There can be two reasons for this: You need to be baked longer, or you forgot the butter. In the first case, remove any thin, crispy crackers and put the soft ones back in the oven. Try ten minutes, and check again. Next time, try to spread them thinner. For the butter, just remember the butter next time. 😉 
• Crackers stuck to baking sheet. For this recipe, you need to use a silpat or parchment paper. Greasing the pan is helpful, but it makes the crackers hard to spread out. 
• Crackers are flavorless. Perhaps you forgot the salt. If you’re looking for more of a sourdough flavor, proof your dough for 20 minutes up to several hours to ferment the grains and bring some flavor to the crackers. You can also add an assortment of herbs like oregano or basil, nutritional yeast, or parmesan cheese to the batter. 

More Sourdough Recipes to Try

You can never have too many sourdough recipes! Here are some to try: 

• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Easy Sourdough Tortillas
• Sourdough Waffles (using discard or active starter)
• Sourdough Hamburger Buns

 

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