Delicious sourdough crackers made simply and easily with sourdough discard or unfed starter and seasoned with your favorite herbs!
Who doesn’t love crackers? I think we can all agree that crackers are essential when enjoying cheese. Or, for eating next to hummus, and even just for snacking.
They are also pretty commonly picked up at the grocery store, for most anyways. You’ll be excited to know that you can make your own crackers at home quite easily. Especially if you have a sourdough starter that you feed daily.
I have a pet sourdough starter I’ve nicknamed “Sid” — he’s great. I feed him daily. If we have to go out of town, I simply throw him in the fridge. Then I feed him when we return. He makes the most amazing sourdough bagels. Even better is his ability to make delicious sourdough english muffins.
Yum yum. 🥰
Slather with a little butter.. and you have a delicious breakfast!
Sourdough Starter Discard
If you don’t have a starter, it’s relatively easy to get one going (see our tutorial here). I like to do a 100% hydration — which means equal parts of flour and water for several days. To give myself ample room for the starter to expand, I use a gallon size kombucha jar ($10 on Amazon). It works incredibly well and gives me plenty of space to stir and add flour.
You may need to feed your starter 1-2 times a day for the first few days to get it going. Equal parts flour + water, stir well, and place a loose cloth over the top. Within an hour or two, you will see the mixture bubble. After a few days, you’ll notice prolific bubbles by looking at the side of the jar.
After 3 days, I dump out 2 cups of starter (this is known as “discard”) and continue to feed for 2 more days before making more sourdough bread. The discard makes these incredible crackers, which you can season ’till your heart is content.
Sourdough Crackers Recipe
Mixing up these sourdough crackers is simple. The recipe for sourdough crackers, below, makes a whopping 6 cookie sheets. Though if you don’t need that many you can halve the recipe.
Add the ingredients to your KitchenAid. Make sure the butter is softened (not melted). It is helpful to cut it into small pieces that way it warms to room temp a bit faster.
Mix the dough just until combined, adding additional flour if needed (one spoon at a time). The dough should be sticky, but not too wet.
Dump the dough out on a floured surface, and shape it into a thick log. Cut the log into six sections.
Cut six cookie-sheet size pieces of parchment paper… one for each section of dough. Flour liberally. Then roll out each section on its own parchment. Keep the others covered with a damp rag while you do this.
Spray, Season & Bake
Spray with oil, season with herbs and/or sea salt, then slice into squares (a pizza cutter works great). Plop the parchment on a cookie sheet and toss in the oven.
(I haven’t always done it with parchment, obviously — but every time I make them I learn little tips that help me work faster!)
I have two cookie sheets — so I roll out two sections of dough on two pieces of parchment. Throw in the oven, then as they cook, I prepare two more sections on two more pieces of parchment. As the first batch comes out of the oven, I merely lift the parchment off, and “plop” the other parchment on the tray, and continue on.
You can collect the uneven “trim” and re-roll at the end. Or simply bake the uneven ends and snack on those too. I like to gather them together and roll them out at the end for an additional 7th tray.
Once you cut your sourdough crackers, bake them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 12-13 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
If you are baking two sheets at a time, you will want to ensure there is ample space between the racks to allow even baking.
Can’t you just buy crackers?
Before you ask “well.. can’t you get them at the store?” I could.. and I have, in a pinch. But being able to make something that others would normally buy (and do it with simple ingredients I would have tossed) – like discard, makes it so rewarding.
Delicious sourdough crackers made simply and easily with sourdough discard or unfed starter and seasoned with your favorite herbs!
Ingredients
- 2 C. sourdough starter (discard - can be unfed)
- 2 C. all purpose, unbleached flour + additional for rolling out
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 C. butter, softened (not melted)
- 2 pinch baking soda
- 2 tsp salt
- herbs, seasonings of choice
- additional: sea salt for seasoning, olive oil for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine sourdough starter discard, flour, honey, butter, baking soda and salt in the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer.
- Mix until combined - add additional flour as needed (1 Tbsp at a time). Dough should be sticky but not too wet.
- Dump the dough out on a floured counter. Shape it into a log.
- Cut the dough into six even sections. Roll out one section at a time, covering the others with a damp rag. It's best to roll out each section on a new piece of parchment paper.
- Roll to 1/8 inch thick (thinner is better). Brush with olive oil or spray with a mister. Season with sea salt and your herbs of choice. Cut into squares (cracker-size).
- Lift the parchment and set it on a cookie sheet. Repeat with with each section.
- Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned; rotate trays halfway through baking.
- Allow to cool, and store in a tightly covered jar or container. Should keep for 3-4 days (though they probably won't last that long!)
If you give these a whirl, will you let us know how you enjoy them? Please, we’d love it if you shared your crackers on IG and tag us at @RebootedMom. I hope you love these as much as we do! And I certainly hope they become a regular staple in your household!
Looking for more ways to use your sourdough starter? Try our favorites below:
Hello!! This was so much fun!! I sprinkled mine with garlic salt and parsley and Parmesan cheese. Yummy!! Thanks for this idea!!
you bet! This is my favorite way to use discard!