I have been making these Fig & Rosemary Sourdough Crackers on repeat for a couple months now. And I think it’s time to just admit the truth. These might be more for me than for the kids. I kept saying I make them for the littles but who am I kidding. Yes, having quick and easy wholesome snacks on hand for those in between online class “I’m starving” moments has been key to survival these days. But while I like to think that I keep making these crackers to satisfy that need, while it is partially true, I might be the one enjoying them most. They are so good. And addicting. And having them in a little glass jar on the counter may or may not be a good thing.
Like some of my other sourdough recipes such as the Sourdough Pancakes or Discard Crackers, they use just that, the starter discard. And you may remember how I didn’t at first didn’t love the process of having to regularly remember to feed something else while already having two little constantly hungry mouths at home. But, and this is a big but, the discard recipes alone make it all worth it. And once your starter is active and happy, you can store it in the fridge, feeding it only once a week. And the added bonus of a delicious loaf of sourdough bread fresh out of the oven is a wonderful thing too.
So, let’s get back to these crackers. I’ve slightly adapted the King Arthur recipe, that at first I didn’t try since it had more added flour to the discard. And at that point it felt like I was going through so much flour and the frugal side of me just wanted a recipe that would keep the discard from being wasted at not much additional ingredient cost. But my brother sold me on how good they are and I finally tried then. So here I am now, with two awesome discard cracker recipes that I go back and forth between. The first being mostly just discard and herbs and no added gluten and then these. They have the same amount of flour added as you would for a feed, 113 grams, a little butter, a little olive oil, some chopped dried figs, rosemary and a little sea salt. It all comes together so fast and the marbled color of the dough from the rosemary and figs is so beautiful before you even bake it.
Then that smell while it’s baking is what really gets me. These crackers bring me right back to Brooklyn about 12 years ago. Before leaving a career in the fashion industry and heading to culinary school, I took a holiday job with a small Italian specialty foods company out in Redhook just to be sure that was the path I wanted to take. Fast forward to now and I think it’s safe to say it was.
But one of the items we made in that small production kitchen was some amazing rosemary and fig crackers. And while they were quite different than these, and slightly more on the sweet side, that signature scent of this power combo is something I loved about working there. It would permeate throughout the kitchen while baking hundreds of crackers and often I would go home and bring that scent with me. This recipe is an ode to those days and while I wish I could remember exactly what else was in that recipe, I’m very happy to have these to be able to reminisce about the days that marked the beginning of my professional culinary journey.
I hope you’ll give these a try and take a trip down memory lane with me to Brooklyn, New york. I promise just a couple days of nurturing a starter (literally just a mixture of water and flour) will be worth it. And this is a recipe you can make all your own. Don’t love dried figs, leave them out. Prefer a different herb, swap it. Or try the simple fab combos of rosemary and sea salt or any herb really with some EBTB seasoning. You’ll be hooked. And your snack game and cheese board moments will be forever changed.
Have a wonderful start to your week!
Fig & Rosemary Sourdough Crackers
Ingredients
- 200-220 grams (3/4c-1c) sourdough starter discard (I find the discard can vary when you feed the starter so it's fine if you have a little more or less here)
- 113 grams (1 c) whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsps (28g) unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped dried figs
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp dried
- 1 tsp coarse sea or kosher salt
Instructions
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In a medium bowl mix together the starter discard, flour, melted butter, olive oil, chopped dried figs, rosemary and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until it starts to come together, then use your hands to bring it together into a smooth (not sticky), cohesive dough.
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Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a small rectangular slab. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a couple of hours, until the dough is firm.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180C.
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Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/16″ thick. The dough will have ragged, uneven edges; that’s OK. Use a rolling pizza wheel or knife to cut the dough into small cracker-sized squares. You can piece together some of the smaller edge pieces to make a full cracker that will bake evenly with the others if you want.
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Transfer the parchment onto a baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle a little more salt over the top of the crackers. Prick each square once with the tines of a fork.
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Bake the crackers for 20 to 25 minutes, until the squares are starting to brown slightly around the edges. Check them every 15 minutes or so and rotate the pan. You want them just slightly golden brown, if you over-bake them the figs will taste bitter. (When you remove one from the oven and let it cool a bit it should be crispy and snap rather than bend.)
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Once out of the oven, cool on the sheet pan 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 or more.
*Slightly adapted from King Arthur Baking Company
