Crunchy Sourdough Crackers – Easy Discard Recipe

Sourdough crackers are a great way to use up discard from feeding your starter. They back up nice and crisp!

If you keep a sourdough starter, you have discard!! Maybe lots of it if you are maintaining a large starter and feeding it daily.

Personally, I keep a small starter(you can read more about that here) so that I am not swimming in discard.

Even with keeping a small starter, I still have enough discard each week to make a batch of these sourdough crackers or some pancakes. Some weeks this is all I do with my starter, maintain it and make a discard recipe.

Great Pairings

These sourdough crackers are delicious enough to eat on their own but if you want to pair them with other food, where are my current favorites pairings.

Raw cheese – I am currently using Organic Valley for our raw cheese. You can find it in many grocery stores these days.

Cured meats – I am a big fan of Vopli Foods! They are a Missouri-based company, so local to me, and their practices of sourcing pork and fermenting their cured meats are right in line with my food values.

Butter – I mean, what doesn’t butter taste great with??!! I use Kerrygold or another grass-fed butter because it contains extra nutrients.

Sugar-free nut or seed butter – This is a snack I give my toddler from time to time and he enjoys it! Way better than those artificially colored crackers that are usually paired with peanut butter!

A warm bowl of soup, stew, or chili.

Tuna Salad – the crunch of the sourdough cracker goes perfectly with tuna salad.

What you need to make Sourdough Crackers

Sourdough Discard – this recipe is a great way to use up your sourdough discard. But you can use a fed starter if that is what you have on hand. Just keep in mind that if you use a fed starter your cracker dough will rise if you allow it to sit for 4-8 hours.

Flour – I use a mix of einkorn flour and sprouted whole wheat flour to make these crackers. The whole wheat adds a nice nutty-ness to the balance that tang, in my opinion. You can use just one flour, any all-purpose flour will work.

Butter or Ghee – Butter is my go-to when making crackers. But if you need to be dairy-free, ghee is a great option.

Sea Salt – all crackers should have salt! A good quality sea salt will not only give you that salty taste but will also provide you with added minerals that your body needs. I really like Redmond’s fine sea salt for this recipe.

How to Make Sourdough Crackers

In a medium bowl mix together sourdough starter, flour, melted butter, and salt.

Stir until well combined. Get in there with your hands to really get it mixed together.

Cover and allow to ferment for 4 to 8 hours.

After fermenting, divide the dough into 3 equal portions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Working one portion at a time, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it is about 1/8″ thick.

Cut into 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ cracker.

Peirce each cracker with a fork.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown

Allow to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Tips for great crackers

If you are short on time, you can make these sourdough crackers immediately instead of allowing them to ferment. The fermentation time helps to break down phytic acid and helps make digestion easier.

When rolling out your dough, it is best not to overwork it. Overworking will cause the cracker to be a little denser and not as flaky.

If baking two portions of crackers at one time, I find it helpful to swap the baking sheet position in the oven halfway through baking.

If you need a bigger cracker, you can cut them bigger. You will have to increase your baking time.

All oven temperatures vary, so if your cracker is not golden brown after 20 minutes continue baking them. Check them every minute until they are golden brown and feel crisp to the touch.