Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers (Thin & Crispy)
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After a long summer snooze, my sourdough starter, Pepita, is back in action. A few weeks ago, I pulled her from the fridge, poured off the “hooch”, the layer of murky grey liquid that rises to the top of starters upon being neglected, and began the feeding process: discard nearly all of it, feed with equal parts flour and water, wait for it to double, then repeat.
Within a day, Pepita was back to her old self, as bubbly and vibrant as ever. I am always amazed by the resiliency of sourdough starters, how they can spring back to life from what appears a very unpromising state. Nothing about a hooch signals: “Everything is fine!”
I have yet to make a loaf of sourdough bread, but I have been keeping Pepita on my countertop with the intention of doing so soon. In the meantime, I’ve been using the discard to make these sourdough crackers, from Melina Hammer’s new book, A Year At Catbird Cottage.
If you are unfamiliar with Melina, she is a recipe developer, photographer, food stylist, and Food52 resident. She lives in the Hudson Valley, and she and her husband own the Catbird Cottage, a bed and breakfast run out of their home. Her cookbook is filled with recipes made with ingredients from her garden or foraged from the nearby woods and includes recipes for pickling, fermenting, preserving, and more.
What I love about these crackers is their simplicity. They’re essentially made with 4 ingredients — flour, water, salt, and butter — but they can be gussied up in countless ways by using various flours or by adding herbs or spices to the dough itself or by topping them with various seeds or seed mixes: sesame, everything bagel, dukkah.
I also love that they call for a lot of sourdough discard — 1 cup (200 grams) — which has drastically reduced how much discard I actually have to discard. And did I mention the flavor? I think Melina says it best: “The tang of the sourdough evokes a subtle, sharp cheesiness (in the best possible way).”
The dough, moreover, can be frozen! How nice would it be, come winter, the season of grazing boards and cheese plates, to pull out dough from the freezer and bake off thin and crispy, craggy-edged, seed-speckled crackers? I think these crackers would make a wonderful holiday gift, too.
PS: Three Seed Crackers (Raincoast Crisps Copycat Recipe)
3 Other Favorite Sourdough Discard Recipes
Also: If you’re interested in sourdough bread baking and aren’t sure where to begin, I have a free email course that demystifies the process. Sign up here: Sourdough Demystified.
Finally: If you need help maintaining your sourdough starter, I have a guide: How to Feed, Maintain, and Store a Sourdough Starter.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Crackers, Step by Step
Place 200 grams of sourdough discard in a large bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of rye flour, 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, butter, and salt. (You can use any mix of flours you like.)
Mix until you have a cohesive dough ball.
Cut the dough in half and pat it into two rectangles.
Wrap each in plastic wrap (or place in an airtight vessel) and chill for 30 minutes or longer.
Unwrap and roll the portion out as thinly as possible on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. Use the plastic wrap, too, to prevent sticking.
It’s OK if the finished shape is amoeba-shaped.
The key is to roll the dough thin.
Cut into cracker shapes — squares, rectangles, whatever you like. Brush with olive oil.
Season as you wish: everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or simply flaky sea salt.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until evenly golden — you do not want to underbake these.
Store them in an airtight vessel at room temperature for 1 week or freeze for longer storage.
Such a treat to have on hand! And so simple!
Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers (Thin & Crispy)
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 48
Description
These sourdough discard crackers are incredibly easy to make and are such a treat to have on hand.
This recipe is from Melina Hammer’s new book A Year at Catbird Cottage, which she adapted from King Arthur Flour. Melina’s recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary, and King Arthur Flour’s recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of dried herbs, so feel free to add those if you have them.
Having made these several times now, I think there are two places where things can go wrong:
- Not rolling them out thinly enough.
- Not baking them long enough.
Once I made both mistakes, and the crackers were too thick and not crisp. That said, looking at the photos both on the KAF website and in Melina’s book, I think if you want to make them slightly thicker, though no thicker than 1/16-inch thick, you can as long as you bake them long enough — an even golden brown color is the visual cue you are looking for.
Notes:
- If you don’t have rye flour, you can simply use all all-purpose flour or you can use any other flour you have on hand, such as spelt, or any variety of freshly milled flour, etc.
- If you don’t have a starter but want to make these, stir together 100 grams water with 100 grams flour in a small bowl the night before you want to bake these. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest at room temperature. Use the entire mix as your starter the following day.
- If you want help getting started with sourdough bread baking, I have a free email course: Sourdough Demystified.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) sourdough discard (unfed sourdough starter)
- 1/2 cup (56 g) rye flour, see notes
- 1/2 cup (56 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon if you are sensitive to salt)
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- olive oil, for brushing
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling or sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Mix together the sourdough starter, flours, salt, and butter until you have a cohesive dough. It’s OK if it’s a little sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide into two portions, pat each into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap (or place in an airtight vessel), and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or longer — I’ve done this 24 hours in advance — until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, unwrap the plastic wrap and reserve it. Very lightly flour a piece of parchment, a rolling pin, and the top of the dough.
- Place the dough onto the floured parchment paper, and place the sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough. Roll the dough as thinly as possible (see notes above), using your rolling pin to disperse it as evenly as possible over the parchment paper. It’s OK if the edges are ragged, but do try to make the dough as thin as possible — if it’s too thick, the crackers won’t be crisp.
- Transfer the dough-topped parchment sheet onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil and then sprinkle the salt (and/or other toppings) over the top of the dough.
- Cut the dough as you wish. I like to do long strips, about 1.25 to 1.5 inches wide. I use my bench scraper, but a pizza wheel works well here, too.
- Bake the crackers for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until they’re starting to brown around the edges. Depending on how thinly you’ve rolled them, they may be done closer to 25 minutes, so do check at the 20-minute mark.
- When fully browned, remove the crackers from the oven and place the pan on a rack to cool. I like to let the crackers cool completely on the sheet pan, which ensures they will be crisp ultimately.
- Repeat with the remaining portion of dough or keep it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to use it.
- Store crackers in an airtight vessel at room temperature for up to a week. Freeze for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Sourdough
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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295 Comments on “Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers (Thin & Crispy)”
Do you think it would work to replace the butter with olive oil or 50/50?
I need to reduce animal fats in my diet.
I do! Go for it. You may need to adjust with flour to feel, but it should work.
I made these with rye and inborn
Soooo good .
Great to hear!
I made these with unbleached whole wheat flour …superb taste ❤️
Great to hear, Tanvi! Thanks for writing 🙂
These were so easy I made them with my toddler and she had a blast brushing on the oil and sprinkling the topping over them. The taste was great too! Almost ate them all with my toddler too! We have to make this again with doubling the recipe so we can be sure to have enough to share with her dad when he gets home from work hahaha
Awww so sweet, Lauren! So nice to read all of this. Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I used a vegan butter substitute and topped with a store-bought “everything bagel” seasoning and these turned out delicious. This is a great way to use my sourdough discard. Thank you.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
Made these crackers for the first time. Thank you so much for the recipe. They came out so delicious!!! I added ground rosemary to the dough and used flake salt to the top.
Can’t wait to make them again.
YUM! That all sounds outstanding. Thanks for writing and sharing 🙂
This has been my “go to” cracker recipie since I found the recipe here. I’ve mixed and matched flours, but prefer it exactly the way it is written.
Question: I always have a great deal of almond pulp left over from making almond milk. Aside from drying it and using it as almond flour, I am wondering if you have suggestions on how to incorporate the wet pulp into this recipie. Increase flour? Add more butter? Any suggestions would help or – if you have a recipie somewhere that uses both discard and almond pulp, I’d love to know.
Love your site and have loved all the recipies I’ve tried!!
Suzanne, thank you for your kind words… means a lot. And apologies for the delay here!
Unfortunately, I have never used almond pulp, so any advice I offer on this matter is just a guess. My hunch is that adding wet pulp would definitely require more flour, and I think you could add flour until it feels right… it’s a forgiving recipe in this regard, so I say go for it! Good luck with your experiments 🙂
Great recipe! I added italian herbs to dough. I also used a tortilla press to make super thin crackers. They were done in 15 mins.
Love it! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
I made these today and they are DELICIOUS. The only deviation from your recipe was that I gave them a couple extra minutes in the oven. I can’t believe that I just made crackers and they are a savory masterpiece. Thanks so much for all the knowledge and techniques you share here. My very best to you and your family for 2025.
So nice to read this Tim! Thank you for your kind words. It’s my pleasure. Happy New Year to you and your family as well 🎉🎉
Loved this recipe! Worked perfectly and MMM do they ever taste great! I put rosemary and Mrs dash..and sometimes garlic salt..or dried onion bits..so good.. today I put cinnamon, nutmeg and sprinkles of sugar on the dough for a dessert cracker..
YUM to all of the above! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I use it for ALL of my sourdough discard because its, well, epic! I have a few suggestions to make it a snap. My first suggestion is to use non-stick foil on the bottom instead of parchment. Dampen the surface first and the foil will stick beautifully to simplify the rolling process. Roll super thin then sprinkle with flaked salt or your preferred seasoning. Place the cling wrap (I use Press’N Seal as its what I have) over the seasoning and gently roll lightly to press it into the dough. Dock the entire surface by pricking with a fork, then cut the strips. I recently forgot to use the olive oil and found I prefer the crackers without it. Rosemary with flaked salt is our favorite (using 2T fresh rosemary.) The last batch I made was roasted garlic and parmesan. So good!
Thanks so much, Julie! These tips are so helpful. Love the sound of roasted garlic and parmesan, and I’ll try no oil next time around 🙂
I’ve been using your sourdough focaccia recipe and it’s been perfect! I’m making these sourdough crackers from my discard for the first time right now. My dough is very dry and crumbly. I’ve put it in the fridge for now but nervous about how I will roll it out super thin. Any suggestions or advice on what I should do for a wetter/stickier dough? Thanks!
Hi! Are you using a scale to measure?
Yes using a scale. Followed all the amounts exactly. Half AP half Rye.
Hmmm… OK, it sounds as though next time you may need to reduce the amount of flour. But I’d wait to see how they bake before making adjustments.
Another great recipe and such a good use for discard! I always feel so guilty throwing it away.
What would your instructions be for frozen dough. I made a few batches but only baked off one yesterday. They flew and my kids are asking for more. Thanks!
Great to hear, Cristy! Can you clarify your question: did you freeze the dough or the baked loaves? I actually don’t have great success freezing the dough — I just find that the bread never has as much oomph after it’s been frozen. If that’s what you did, I hope your experience is different — some commenters over the years have noted that they have no problem freezing sourdough. If you did freeze the dough, I would thaw it in the fridge overnight; then proceed with the recipe. If you froze the baked loaves, simply remove from the freezer and let thaw at room temperature 🙂
Hi Ali – sorry for the confusion. I froze the cracker dough. I wasn’t sure if it should be thawed at room temp or in the fridge and for how long? Thanks!!
Oops! My bad… the frozen cracker dough should freeze just fine! I would thaw it in the fridge overnight if possible; then proceed with the recipe. If you are pressed for time, you could thaw at room temp for a couple of hours… I’m not exactly sure how long it will take to thaw.
I think my starter was ready for baking. My dough seems a little dry. I wrapped in wrap and placed in fridge. When I roll it out should I add some oil or water??? Thank you
I think it will be hard to incorporate oil or water at this phase. I would just leave it and try to proceed with the recipe. Are you using a scale to measure?
Thank you. I did not add water but did wet my hands when I rolled out the dough. I did use a scale to measure the starter and measuring cups to measure the flower. I baked them and they came out pretty good. Just a few in the middle were a little thicker but all and all I was pleasantly surprised they came out so good. Thank you for replying
I think using a scale to measure the flour will help you get the dough to be closer to the proper texture the next time around.