Like so many others around the world right now, I have been drawn into making my own sourdough starter. And I’ll admit, for the first few days I was excited, but then that excitement turned to being annoyed that I had taken on another “living” thing that I needed to remember to feed at a certain time twice a day, every day. I’ve already got two hungry little mouths asking for a snack every five minutes, sometimes even while still in the high chair not having finished a meal. The last thing I needed was one more. After all, the other less high maintenance breads I have been making have been really good. But, I love a good loaf of sourdough, so here we are.
Well, I’m happy to report, that without even making said loaf yet (my starter is ready,) I already feel the “extra work” was so worth it. I have been using the tossed starter to make the most Delicious Sourdough Discard Crackers, as well as other yummy recipes, like amazing sourdough pancakes. That recipe is coming next.
These crackers are exactly what I was looking for in a recipe using the starter discard. So many other recipes I came across, and tried, called for more flour. And they weren’t that great. I wanted a recipe that only used the discard and maybe a few other ingredients like nuts or seeds for texture and herbs for flavor. This one fits that bill perfectly. A little butter is added but it goes a long way into making the crackers extra crispy and delicious. (I recommend butter over olive oil for the flavor and texture.)
While I’ve included whole flax seeds and poppy seeds, you can switch it up to use whatever you prefer or have on hand. They are also really good without the seeds. But I like to think I’m getting a bit of nutrition while I nosh away on these little yummies, so in they go. And while I have done them both with seeds and without, I always include rosemary. I love rosemary and think it lends such a tasty and sophisticated note to a cracker. Not to mention it pairs perfectly to the sourdough flavors that end up almost having a sort of cheesy kind of effect. In a really good kind of way.
If I haven’t convinced you yet to give these a try, I don’t what else to say. I might just have to make you a little goody bag sometime and bring it on over so you can taste what I’m talking about. And if you don’t have a sourdough starter at your disposal, then what are you waiting for? Get in on the fun. King Arthur has a great, easy starter recipe if you want to give it a go. Even if for the sole reason of using the discard for recipes like this. And previously mentioned pancakes. (yummmmmm)
I promise, whip up a batch of these, and your quarantined weekend wine and cheese night will really be taken up a few notches. Add in a some of my Homemade Oat, Rye & Seed Crackers and you just might have friends begging to be a part of your lockdown crew.
Delicious Sourdough Discard Crackers
Ingredients
- 300 grams (1 cup + 2 tbsps) sourdough starter discard (can be room temp or cold from the fridge)
- 3 tbsps (42g) butter, melted & cooled
- 3/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
- 3 tbsps whole flax seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsps poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsps chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsps dried
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 325F/ 162C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together until combined. Then using a rubber spatula or offset spatula spread the batter out onto the prepared baking sheet. It will look a bit like cake batter. Spread them thin but not so thin you can see the paper. Sprinkle with a little more sea salt if desired.
-
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove and score with a knife into squares or however you like. You can also opt not to score and break into pieces later, but I like to be able to remove the outer crackers when they turn brown before the ones in the middle. (*I find that pushing the knife down works better than dragging or sliding it to score them.)
-
Place back in the oven and bake for another 35-45 minutes. Check them every 15 minutes or so and rotate the pan. You want them just slightly golden brown. When you remove one from the oven and let it cool a bit it should be crispy and snap rather than bend.
-
Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. They should snap apart right where you scored them. Once cool, place in an airtight container or jar. They will keep for a week.
Recipe Notes
*You can use other seeds besides the flax and poppy seeds or opt to use no seeds at all, but they add nice texture and a little dose of nutrition.
*You can omit the rosemary or trade for another herb.
*You can swap the butter for olive oil, but I really do recommend the butter here. The flavor and texture difference is far better to me.
*There’s a fine line between not baked enough resulting in crackers that bend and being over-baked, so watch them in those final moments in the oven, testing one on a cool counter as soon as it turns a very light golden brown.
*Recipe slighlty adapted from Little Spoon Farm.
A truly delicious recipe and puts store bought crackers to shame. If you already have sourdough starter discard, the recipe is so easy and versatile. Since I didn’t have rosemary, I
substituted dill & it came out delicious! I will be making these on repeat:)
Yum, the dill sounds delicious! Definitely going to try that! SO happy to hear you enjoyed these, thank you!