Gingerbread Crackers (Sourdough Discard)

This is a great recipe for the holidays and fun to make big batches if you have enough sourdough discard on hand!

You can increase recipe based on how much sourdough discard you have. I usually weight out the sourdough discard I’ve saved in the fridge then adjust the amounts based on that. See step 2 of the recipe for how to change the amounts to fit the amount of discard you add.

This is a great baking activity for kids! A lot of room for error and they love cutting out the crackers themselves.

My son even tried using cookie cutter shapes and they worked really well. To use cookie cutters, firmly cut dough with as many shapes that you can fit on the dough. Then, carefully peel away the extra dough between the shapes and bake 16-18 minutes.

Have fun making these!!

Print Recipe

Gingerbread Crackers (Sourdough Discard)

Sweet, spicy, and crunchy like a gingerbread version of your favorite graham crackers. Fun for cutting into shapes or gingerbread houses!

Prep Time20 mins

Course: Snack

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Jenny Prior

Equipment

• Food Scale
• Mixing Bowl
• Spoon
• Saucepan or Small Pot
• Rolling Pin
• Rolling Pizza Cutter or Large Knife
• Flat Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Cookie cutters, optional

Ingredients

• 100 g Sourdough Discard
• 15 g Brown Sugar
• 30 g Molasses not blackstrap
• 35 g Unsalted Butter, melted
• 120 g Flour All-Purpose, Whole Wheat, or a blend
• 1/2 tsp Ginger ground
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, ground
• 1/8 tsp Cloves, ground
• 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

• Measure out sourdough discard in a mixing bowl. If using only 100g, go to step 3.
• Divide total amount of sourdough discard used (if more than 100g) by 100. For example, if using 200g sourdough discard, 200 divided by 100 equals 2. Multiply the other ingredients by the number to increase the recipe in proportion to the amount of sourdough discard used.
• Melt butter. Let cool before adding.
• Add molasses, butter, and brown sugar to the bowl with sourdough discard. Mix ingredients together.
• Add flour, spices, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix until a dough forms.
• The dough can be covered and left to ferment or it can be rolled out and baked right away. Both versions taste great! If you are letting the dough rest and ferment, proceed to step 7 after 1-2 hours (or overnight).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut a large piece of parchment paper (about the size of a cookie sheet). Place about a softball size portion of dough on the parchment paper. Roll out evenly until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick.
• Use a rolling pizza cutter or knife to cut the rough edges off dough so it becomes a large square or rectangle. Scraps can be put aside and rolled into another batch. Cut the large piece of dough into 1-inch strips. Turn the dough and cut the strips into small 2-3 inch long rectangles. (Or cut into other unique shapes)
• Use a fork to poke the rectangles twice.
• Bake crackers for 18-24 minutes until they are beginning to harden around edges and tops are matte and not glossy. Don’t overbake, these can go from perfectly baked in just a few minutes.
• Allow to cool on cookie sheet.
• Repeat steps 8-12 if there is any remaining dough.

Video

Notes

The dough becomes more stretchy and doesn't hold special shapes as well after fermentation. So if you'd like to ferment your dough for better digestibility AND have special shapes, right after the dough is mixed, roll it on the parchment, cut special shapes then cover with plastic wrap until ready to bake.