Easy Savory Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe
Savory Sourdough Discard Crackers is the best first discard recipe for new sourdough bakers.
It was so fun making these in the beginning of my sourdough journey and I always include this recipe in my Intro. to Sourdough classes.
This recipe is so easy to make, tastes delicious, and is very versatile.
What is Sourdough Starter Discard?
Sourdough starters go through cycles.
After refreshing a starter, also known as feeding, the sourdough starter ferments and becomes active.
Active refers to the ideal stage of bubbly sourdough starter full of lively wild yeast and thriving lactic acid bacteria which is ideal for baking traditional sourdough bread.
After a sourdough starter is active, it eventually falls into a stage that is often referred to as discard.
This leftover sourdough starter can be used in special recipes known as sourdough discard recipes and only a small portion carries over to be fed in the refreshing process to make the next healthy batch of sourdough starter.
Read more about what sourdough discard is in this post: What is sourdough discard?
Why use Sourdough Starter Discard?
You can discard the old sourdough starter, but you can also use it in a variety of sourdough recipes to create more flavor and texture.
Sourdough discard recipes are a good use of excess sourdough starter (also known as leftover sourdough discard) and reduce food waste.
Another benefit of using sourdough starter discard in sourdough recipes is that when used properly, it can make the recipe more digestible.
Since sourdough starter discard doesn’t have the rising power of active sourdough starter, it is commonly used in crackers, cookies, scones, pancakes, and other versions of quick breads when other leavening agents like baking soda, baking powder, eggs, or a combination are used.
Check out these other posts with videos:
- Why use Sourdough Discard?
- How to Store Sourdough Discard for Starter Discard Recipes
- How to use Sourdough Discard
How to get started in Sourdough Starter Discard recipes
If you aren’t saving your sourdough discard yet, start now. Any leftover starter that is not used during its active phase for bread making or starter that is used to simply refresh your starter on a regular basis, can be saved in a jar in your fridge.
I use ours frequently for crackers, waffles, muffins, and other discard recipes.
This sourdough discard recipe is the perfect one for your first time!
Ingredients for Sourdough Discard Crackers
- 100 g sourdough starter discard (about 1/2 cup)
- 60 g flour of choice (1/3 cup plus 1 T.)
- 20-30 g unsalted butter, melted or olive oil (2-3 T.), reserve some for after shaping to brush on top of the dough
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- Optional: 1-2 t. favorite seasoning, fresh herbs, or herb mix—rosemary, ranch seasoning, Mexican seasoning, etc. (may have to adjust salt if seasoning contains salt)
- Optional: add 10-20 g shredded pecorino or parmesan cheese if desired
- Topping options: sea salt, kosher salt, flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, bagel seasoning, or poppy seeds
*Flour notes: all-purpose flour is a great option, whole grain flour can be used, or my personal favorite, a blend of all-purpose and whole grain flour.
Mixing up Sourdough Discard Crackers
The dough for these homemade sourdough crackers comes together so easily.
You can mix the dough in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand with a large spoon and a rounded dough scraper in medium bowl.
The dough should be soft and smooth.
You can immediately move on to shaping or if you can let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 to 6 hours covered with plastic wrap.
If you give this cracker dough time to ferment, it will create a lighter, crispier texture and will be more digestible.
Shaping Sourdough Discard Crackers
If you are immediately baking these, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and place the dough onto the center (a single batch of dough will fill one sheet of parchment paper, so if you are doubling or tripling, you’ll need to use more sheets of parchment paper accordingly).
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is very thin, about 1-2 mm thick with an even thickness.
Try to roll out the dough so that it is a square or rectangle shape.
Use a rolling pizza cutter (pizza wheel) to trim off the uneven edges to have evenly shaped crackers. The excess dough that was cut off can be tossed or can be rerolled into the center of the dough.
Then, use the rolling pizza cutter to cut even cracker shapes.
Cut evenly spaced lines to create squares, rectangles, or diamonds.
Use the tines of a fork to poke the top of each cracker so that they will not puff up and burn.
Baking Sourdough Discard Crackers
Before your shaped crackers go into the oven, use a pastry brush to brush on melted butter or olive oil then sprinkle on some sea salt or finely grated parmesan.
Slide the parchment full of unbaked crackers onto a baking sheet.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 18-24 minutes until all crackers are baked with a light golden brown color.
An important tip is to remove any baked crackers when you check your batch so that the ones on the outside edges don’t become burnt or overdone while the ones in the middle of the batch need more time to bake.
Let the crackers cool for 10 to 20 minutes until they are completely cool.
Once they are cooled, they will be beautifully crisp homemade crackers.
Inspiration for Delicious Crackers
These are so delicious and addictive. So you may want to plan on making a bigger batch to snack on or to serve on charcuterie board!
Here are some of my favorite combinations of different flavors for this recipe:
- Salt and fresh rosemary, finely minced
- Black pepper and pecorino cheese
- Parmesan or pecorino cheese with salt (reminds me of a fancier version of cheezits)
- Salt and homemade ranch seasoning (if your ranch seasoning has salt, you may need to adjust added salt or omit it)
Kid-Friendly Sourdough Snacks
Get more inspiration for snacktime or lunchtime that kids will love in this post: 30+ Easy Sourdough Recipes for Lunch that Kids Love!
More Sourdough Cracker Recipes
- Crispy Sourdough Baked “Tortilla Chips” Using Discard
- The Best Sourdough Discard Graham Crackers Recipe
- Seeded Raisin Gourmet Sourdough Crackers (Discard recipe)
- Gingerbread Crackers made with Sourdough Discard
- Gingersnap Cracker (Sourdough Discard)
Savor and Share
This is the best cracker recipe with incredible flavor. It’s also so fun to make with kids!
Make sure to share this recipe with a friend! And if you make it, I’d love to hear about it–you can comment on this post or tag me on instagram @livingbreadbaker!
Want more sourdough starter info?
You can get my free Quick Start Sourdough Guide to begin learning some of the key parts of the cycle of sourdough starter.
Learn the phases, the signs of an active, how to care for a sourdough starter to keep it alive and thriving, as well as how to make your own sourdough starter.
Get started or jump ahead in your sourdough journey!
If you haven’t started sourdough baking or this recipe feels daunting, I’d love to guide you from sourdough starter 101 through baking your first loaf to give you the foundational skills you need.
My Intro. to Sourdough course will give you the sourdough knowledge and skills to take on a recipe like this one.
You can skip the floundering and uncertainty in sourdough and get the confidence to discover something you’ll love and will be an invaluable skill to share and pass on!
Learn more about the course here: Living Bread Baker Intro. to Sourdough
Living Bread Baker posts mentioned
How to Store Sourdough Discard for Starter Discard Recipes
The Best Sourdough Discard Graham Crackers Recipe
Seeded Raisin Gourmet Sourdough Crackers (Discard recipe)
Gingerbread Crackers made with Sourdough Discard
Gingersnap Cracker (Sourdough Discard)
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free sourdough quick start guide
online Intro. to Sourdough course
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Easy Savory Sourdough Discard Crackers
Ingredients
- 100 g sourdough starter discard about 1/2 cup
- 60 g flour of choice 1/3 cup plus 1 T.
- 20-30 g unsalted butter melted or olive oil (2-3 T.), reserve some for after shaping to brush on top of the dough
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- Optional: 1-2 t. favorite seasoning fresh herbs, or herb mix—rosemary, ranch seasoning, Mexican seasoning, etc. (may have to adjust salt if seasoning contains salt)
- Optional: add 10-20 g shredded pecorino or parmesan cheese if desired
- Topping options: sea salt kosher salt, flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, bagel seasoning, or poppy seeds
Instructions
Mixing up Sourdough Discard Crackers
- You can mix the dough in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand with a large spoon and a rounded dough scraper in medium bowl. The dough should be soft and smooth.
- You can immediately move on to shaping or if you can let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 to 6 hours covered with plastic wrap.
Shaping Sourdough Discard Crackers
- If you are immediately baking these, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and place the dough onto the center (a single batch of dough will fill one sheet of parchment paper, so if you are doubling or tripling, you'll need to use more sheets of parchment paper accordingly).
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is very thin, about 1-2 mm thick with an even thickness. Try to roll out the dough so that it is a square or rectangle shape. Use a rolling pizza cutter (pizza wheel) to trim off the uneven edges to have evenly shaped crackers. The excess dough that was cut off can be tossed or can be rerolled into the center of the dough.
- Then, use the rolling pizza cutter to cut even cracker shapes. Cut evenly spaced lines to create squares, rectangles, or diamonds. Use the tines of a fork to poke the top of each cracker so that they will not puff up and burn.
Baking Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Before your shaped crackers go into the oven, use a pastry brush to brush on melted butter or olive oil then sprinkle on some sea salt or finely grated parmesan.
- Slide the parchment full of unbaked crackers onto a baking sheet.
- Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 18-24 minutes until all crackers are baked with a light golden brown color.
- An important tip is to remove any baked crackers when you check your batch so that the ones on the outside edges don't become burnt or overdone while the ones in the middle of the batch need more time to bake.
- Let the crackers cool for 10 to 20 minutes until they are completely cool.
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