Crispy, buttery sourdough discard crackers using only two ingredients. They have that tangy sourdough flavor! Plus options to mix in cheese and seasonings.
What is Sourdough Discard?
A sourdough starter needs to be fed with flour and water to stay alive. Each time you feed your starter it grows. You use a portion of the fed starter to bake bread, and you’ll hang on to a certain amount of starter to keep the starter going for years to come.
What inevitably happens, though, is that you’ll end up with more starter than you need, so you discard the extra. Thus, sourdough discard.
While it’s often considered waste, this tangy, nutrient-rich mixture can be repurposed in various recipes, adding depth of flavor to things like sourdough discard dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks, and bagels.
Using sourdough discard not only reduces food waste but also brings a delightful, subtle sourness to your baked goods.
Whenever I have sourdough discard, I add it to a large jar that I keep in my fridge. Once that jar gets full, it’s time to make some discard recipes, and this is a great one for using up a lot of discard at once.
Want to get started in sourdough? Check out this blog post.
Helpful Tools for Making Sourdough Discard Crackers
Half Sheet Pan – This pan from USA does a great job of evenly distributing heat and is my go to for cookies, roasted veggies and anything that calls for a regular sheet pan.
Silicone Baking Sheet – It’s important that your sheet pan be lined with parchment paper or a baking sheet like this so you can easily remove it from the pan and break up the crackers once they’re cooked.
Offset Spatula – I love using this offset spatula for smoothing out the cracker dough evenly on the sheet pan. Also works great for decorating cakes and smoothing batter!
Ravioli Cutter – You don’t need this tool, but it does make a fun fluted edge on the crackers when you score them. If you don’t have one of these, a knife works great instead!
Tips for Making Sourdough Discard Crackers
Use room temperature sourdough discard
I always keep my discard in the refrigerator. When I want to make these crackers, I pull it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. This helps to make it easier to pour and easier to mix, plus it will prevent the butter from getting to cold and getting firm again.
Have fun with mix-ins
You’ll see in the step by step photos below that I folded shredded cheddar cheese into this recipe. You’re welcome to try different cheeses for fun flavor combos! Swiss, parmesan with black pepper, gruyere and thyme. Get creative!
Consider the thickness of your crackers
You have total control in this recipe over how thick or thin you want to make your crackers. The thinner you spread the batter on the sheet pan, the thinner your crackers will turn out. They’ll also bake faster when they’re thinner.
I like a bit of thickness to mine personally. Kind of like Wheat Thins or Cheez-Its.
Some folks go for much thinner crisp style crackers.
Step by Step Making Sourdough Discard Crackers with Cheese
What to Serve with Sourdough Discard Crackers
My family eats these just as they are as a snack, but they also pair fabulously with dips and spreads.
Print
Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 104 crackers 1x
- Category: snacks
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crispy, buttery sourdough discard crackers with only two ingredients. Full of tangy flavor plus options to mix in cheese and seasonings.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) sourdough discard, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (2oz) cheddar cheese, shredded *optional
- 2 tsp flaky sea salt *optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a half sheet pan (12” x 18” or larger) with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet
- Combine the sourdough discard and melted butter into a mixing bowl and stir vigorously to combine until the butter is fully incorporated
- If adding cheese, fold it in to the discard mixture in the bowl
- Spread the batter into a thin layer onto the sheet pan. The thinner you spread the batter, the thinner your crackers will be
- Put your sheet pan into the oven at 325F and bake on the middle rack for 5 minutes
- After five minutes, take the sheet pan out of the oven and score the crackers using a knife, a pizza cutter or a ravioli cutter. Make the crackers as large or small as you like.
- Sprinkle salt evenly over the top of all the crackers. You can also sprinkle additional herbs on top at this point if you like.
- Put the sheet pan back into the oven and let it bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even doneness across the crackers.
- At 40 minutes, pull the tray out and check the texture of your crackers. If they’re soft, stick them back in the oven and continue to bake at 325F checking every 10 minutes. The thicker you spread them, the longer they’ll take to cook through. If you spread them rather thin, they’ll cook quickly. Cheese and other mix ins will also contribute to a longer bake time.
- You’ll know the crackers are done when they’re rather crisp and snap when you bend one. They also tend to crisp more as they cool.
- Once the crackers are done, let them cool for 10 minutes on the sheet pan. Then using a spatula and/or your hands, break them up into individual crackers.
- Enjoy right away or keep in a resealable airtight bag up to 1 week.
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