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
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
267 Comments on “Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers (Thin & Crispy)”
I’ve been making the KAF recipe for awhile and they’re fantastic! I get requests for them all the time. I’m looking forward to trying this version. One thing I wanted to mention is that I tend to use olive oil vs butter as I’m too impatient to let it sit out to soften. It works just as well!
This is the best tip, Megan! Thank you so much. I am so looking forward to trying an olive oil version soon. I bet it’s so tasty too!
Looking forward to trying this, Ali. I’ve made the “Sourdough Crackers with Olive Oil & Herbs” recipe by Love & Olive Oil dozens of times throughout my sourdough journey (began in April 2020) to keep from discarding the pour-off. I want to try this butter version (the other uses olive oil). And your method of rolling/cutting is quicker. I add dry or fresh rosemary to the dough & a load of garlic powder to appeal to my garlic-loving taste 😀 Topping the crackers with various seeds looks amazing & no doubt ups the flavor profile too.
QUICK ASIDE QUESTION: What flour do you use to bring your sleeping starter back to life? I’ve been feeding my starter with 100% organic rye flour from a local mill. Mine starter looks darker and thicker than any others I’ve seen in videos/photos. It is also very active but takes longer to double than when I used organic bread flour to feed my starter in the early days. Thanks!
Hi Anthea! Great to hear from you. I definitely need to try an olive oil version as I love the idea of not having to let butter soften, and I need to try an herb version, too.
Regarding feeding my starter, I typically use KAF organic all purpose flour, Sometimes I’ll add a little bit of freshly milled flour — whatever I have on hand. The freshly milled stuff really helps get the starter going.
These are absolutely delicious 😋 the best sourdough discard recipe I have ever made! Thank you so much for sharing. Would love to know whether you have other recipes for discard, I always feel so guilty throwing it away!
Great to hear this, Mo! I have been so pleased with them as well, and it’s just nice to have a recipe that calls for a fair amount of discard. Here are three other favorites:
Sourdough Tortillas
Favorite Pancakes
Irish Soda Bread
I baked each piece of dough separately, using the bagel seasoning on each, but also adding salt on the first. The second batch w/o salt was better. I had to run out unexpectedly while they were in the oven so I asked my wife to take them out of the oven when they looked like the photo on my desktop (Ali’s site). When I returned half the crackers were gone, so this recipe is a new keeper. Good suggestions by others to use olive oil and add herbs to the dough. Thanks Ali !
Great to hear, Bob! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this. I do find that depending on the brand of everything bagel seasoning, the result can be a little too salty, which is a lot for me to say, because I am a serious salt fiend. Dying to try these with olive oil and herbs, too 🙂
What a fabulous recipe! I’ve tried several sourdough discard cracker recipes and this beat the other by a long shot. Thank you Ali!
Great to hear, Michelle! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
These are amazingly simple and delicious. I made these with Miyoko’s vegan butter. I was intimidated that it would be hard to get the crackers thin enough but it was a snap (no pun intended!). I also left my dough in the fridge for 8 days and they still came out beautifully when I baked them. (They may have been a little extra tangy!) I just did mine with everything bagel seasoning on top but will definitely try some with some herbs mixed in and maybe even some with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast added for a cheesy flavor.
Wonderful to hear this, Priscilla! And great to hear that Miyoko’s vegan butter worked … I love their products. Nutritional yeast sounds divine here!
My daughter and I made these this afternoon. They were easy and fabulous! We used 3/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of fine cornmeal, which added a nice bit of crunch and complemented the Curried Coconut Corn Soup (also fabulous!) which we served for dinner.
Oh yay! So wonderful to hear this, Linda! Love that you added cornmeal. I love the texture cornmeal adds to breads and baked goods of all kinds. Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
Instant classic in my house. These are so easy and delicious and I’m definitely going to be gifting them for the holidays. The first batch I used everything bagel seasoning which was great. The second batch I used a Tuscan spice mix that contained a little sugar, which burned. My bad. Live and learn.
Great to hear, Kate! Thanks for writing 🙂 I love the idea of gifting these at the holidays … I think people would be thrilled to receive something savory in the mix of ALL the cookies. Bummer about the spice mix… it happens!
I am so excited to taste these! I actually put the dough together this evening, and two hours later (now), I’m out of fumes and want to try putting these in the freezer. You mention at the top that the dough can be frozen, but can’t find specifics. How long can these be frozen?
Aside, one of my go-to for using up discard is KAF’s sourdough crumpets. 🙂
Oooohhhh thank you for the tip on the crumpets! Will try.
To freeze: wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the fridge and thaw at room temperature for 4 hours or in the fridge for 24 hours.
Good luck!
These crackers have the ability to sooth the soul AND the stomach! I hated tossing the starter. Now I have no guilt, and an endless supply of fabulous crackers! Everyone LOVES them!
Great to hear, Maureen! Thanks so much for writing. I love these, too 🙂
Dear Ali,
These discard crackers are absolutely delicious!! I have made discard crackers in the past, and they were good, but these are fantastic! I wasn’t sure how I would like the rye flour but I believe it really enhance the taste of these cracker. I topped with everything bagel seasoning and also used salted butter since I did not have unsalted. I’m excited for my husband to get home to put some of his DiBruno cheese spread on these. I’m confident you are familiar with DiBruno’s since you lived in Philly!
Thank you for another wonderful recipe Ali..
GO PHILLIES!! FLY EAGLES!!
GO PHILLIES IS RIGHT!!!
I’m so happy to hear all of this. And yes: love DiBruno brothers so much. Was just in the city early last week, in fact, and had to stroll through the shop just to browse. Therapy! Thanks for writing 🙂
THESE CRACKERS ARE FANTASTIC! I didn’t have rye flour on hand so I added all AP but also added some nutritional yeast. Almost like cheezits. I cannot believe how easy they are to make.
I have another batch with rosemary that I’m baking tonight.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, friend!
OMG I am definitely going to try with nutritional yeast next time… sounds amazing! I love cheezits. Thanks so much for writing!
Thank you Ali for another delicious recipe!
I only made half of the recipe to try them out and it was very easy to follow. However, they are very fragile, light texture and break easily.
Maybe I rolled them too thin?
Any suggestions for my next attempt?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Stacey! Yes, it’s possible you rolled them thin, though I also roll them very very thinly. What type of flour did you use?
Great recipe for a cracker but the topping falls off immediately after cooked. I used the olive oil and EBTB seasoning but it fell off which is disappointing. Any thoughts for keeping it on?
Bummer to hear this. I wonder if an eggwash might work better? Or you could try pressing the seeds into the dough using the back of a flat measuring cup or bench scraper or something that won’t stick.
Hi Ali,
I can’t wait to try these — may actually have to make some discard! About keeping the toppings on, there’s a trick I picked up from a pie-crust recipe: once your dough is pretty much as big as you want it, sprinkle toppings over it, cover with a sheet of parchment (or maybe the film would work) and do one last roll to embed the seeds/herbs! Works like a charm.
Happy holidays to all!
Carole!! You are amazing. This is a brilliant tip. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I make these often. They are so yummy. I add black & white sesame seed, poppy seed & pepitas. Love the texture
Great to hear, Michelle! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love this recipe!! Its the most sucessful cracker recipe I’ve tried, definitely roll them thin like recommended. Super easy and makes you wonder why they cost so much in the shops! Also wondering if I can replace the butter with same proportion of olive oil to make them vegan?
Great to hear! I think you can use olive oil … pretty sure someone commented (or emailed me) saying she always uses olive oil. I say go for it!
Hi Ali, I can’t send my usual rave review, as I haven’t yet tried these, but plan on gifting them this holiday season. Here’s a dopey question: would there be any advantage to baking these on their parchment directly on a (hot) baking steel? And another dopey question: silicone mat vs parchment? Thoughts? In any case, I’ve been having a blast doing a bunch of mash-ups of your recipes, just haven’t had the time to share notes. In the meantime, be well and have a very joyous holiday season.
Hi Carole! I worry a little bit that the Steel might cause them to brown/burn too quickly? But, of course, it’s worth a shot. I have to admit I have not used my silicone baking mat in years… no particular reason why, but likely because the pre-cut parchment sheets are just so convenient and easy.
So nice to hear about the recipes you’ve been making. Thanks for writing, Carole. Happy holidays to you as well!
Yeah, I know — those pre-cut sheets are too, too convenient, but I’ve been trying t wean myself off of using them without thinking, like I’m trying to be good now about heating up the oven for at least one other thing, even if it’s only nuts or veggies to roast and put aside for a soup or something. (Your focaccia usually is in the oven while red peppers are on the bottom shelf — I tell myself that it ‘flovors” the bread LOL).
This is a really good recipe Ali. I made it as written, then in the same day after feeding my starter again, made it with the swaps from some of your commenters: olive oil in place of butter, all AP flour, addition of nutritional yeast for a Cheez-it like flavor. I liked the second batch even better. They were thinner, crisper and baked up quicker (I think I pulled them at 17 min.). I used 2 tsp. of nutritional yeast but will increase to 1 Tbsp. for the next go around. Great use of “discard” and a much simpler recipe than the others I’ve tried. Also, I ran short of time and let the second dough sin in the fridge for a week before baking. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out but they impressed me. Impossible to eat just one.
So nice to read all of this! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. I prefer these on the this side as well, and I cannot wait to try them with nutritional yeast… so good!!
These were so tasty! I made them probably a week and a half ago, and they are still crispy, flaky, and delicious! The second batch got a little too brown but still tasted yummy at 18 minutes so I will watch them more closely next time. I was surprised by how intense the sourdough flavor was. Thanks Ali for another great recipe!
Great to hear, Lisa 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes.
Damn, these are so delicious that I now make them every time I feed my starter. The discard gets fed as well and is then turned into these crackers! So good with any topic or even as a sweet treat with some honey. Thanks for sharing!
Great to hear, Richard! Thanks for writing and sharing all of this 🙂
Love this recipe. They make up easily and taste divine. I didn’t roll mine out as thin but I did poke holes in them with a fork, similar to saltine crackers. A keeper for using up discard, thank you!
Rita
Great to hear, Rita! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
Amazing recipes, each one spot on!
After making these crackers several times, I created a sweet version, replacing salt with honey and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.
Perfect!
Thank you
Yum! Love this idea so much. Thanks for writing and sharing 🙂
Made a batch for a party and everyone loved it. So simple yet so delicious! A perfect recipe for my sourdough discard
Wonderful to hear, Mae! Thanks so much for writing!
Thank you for another wonderful recipe! I make a double batch and freeze the extras. They freeze beautifully and make a great and quick appetizer. Add the cheese, hummus, wine , etc. and you’re set.
Great to hear, Vicki! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Loved the crackers but my seeds fell off 😳
Advice?
Perfection at its best in every sense!
The dough comes together effortlessly and rolling them out couldn’t have been more flawless. Mine were done around 21 minutes. They are amazing!
I did add some dried herbs to the dough and a small speckling of fine grated fresh parmesan on top of the prebaked crackers.
The only change I made to the recipe ingredients was to reduce the butter to 25g and added 20g of olive oil.
Thank you for another recipe keeper ❤.
I finally have the best use for sourdough discard which means I will be making these time and time again. Be well 🙂
So nice to read all of this, Ang! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. I can’t wait to try an olive oil version. Dried herbs + parmesan sounds delicious, too.
Best crackers I’ve made. Best crackers I’ve ever eaten. Underscore your advice to roll thin (appreciated the helpful visuals). Used spelt instead of rye; fridged my dough for about 24 hours and not only is it handy (I made another batch for the fridge immediately upon tasting these today), I think the long rest might make them even better. Also added 1/8 tsp instant yeast b/c my discard was on the older side. These are perfectly crispy/flaky and almost cheesy-savory. Thanks for sharing Melina’s corker of a recipe.
Great to read all of this, Laurie! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of your notes 🙂
Can you use discard straight from fridge or room temperature?
I think straight from the fridge should work just fine. Room temp is fine, too.
These are the best of all the sourdough crackers I have made! The only problem was I couldn’t stop eating them! I put sesame seed, poppy seed and caraway seed on them. In the past I have either frozen or dehydrated my discard- now I will be making these crackers a lot. And my son loves them too!
Hooray! Great to hear, Julia 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
Could you repurpose this as pie dough and make a quiche?
I suppose you could try! I don’t think it will be quite the same, but I imagine it will still be tasty.