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.
181 Comments on “Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers (Thin & Crispy)”
I absolutely love this recipe and so does everyone who’s tasted it. Biggest problem is I eat waaay too many crackers. I just tried a sweet variation. I brushed the tips with water and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. They were delicious but next time I plan to substitute spelt for rye.
Spelt will be delicious! Love the sound of your sweet crackers, too. Thanks for writing 🙂
Great recipe. I used everything seasoning for one half and Tarrago and Chives seasoning for the 2nd half. I’m addicted to using my discard for crackers. It’s so easy and uses up so much discard! I bought a cracker roller on amazon and it’s fun!!
Thank you!!!
Great recipe. I used everything seasoning for one half and Tarragon and Chives seasoning for the 2nd half. I’m addicted to using my discard for crackers. It’s so easy and uses up so much discard! I bought a cracker roller on amazon and it’s fun!!
Thank you!!!
Fun! I think I need a cracker roller 🙂
Love, love, love. Best discard cracker recipe I have tried so far. When I was getting ready to make them today, could not find my large cookie sheet. Where did it go? So I used the 1/4 sheets I have. It worked out much better for me. I didn’t realize using a rolling pin was a skill I need to fine tune! Ended up needing to do in 6ths versus halves. I don’t have the urge to flavor these with anything but salt because they are tasty. And if I want s special spice I can put it in the toppings. Also last batch I made, I found if I brushed them with olive oil and they sat for a while, they were tougher. Now I make sure I don’t brush with olive oil until right before they go in the oven.
So nice to read all of this, Sara! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Love, love, love!!! By far the best discard cracker recipe I’ve made to date. Endless flavour options using this dough as your base. Thank you for posting, Ali 🙂
Great to hear, Christie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
My daughter and I ventured into sourdough recently and I stumbled across this recipe. I had made another cracker sourdough discard recipe but they did not compare with yours! I made the first half of the dough a couple weeks ago and froze the second. The frozen and thawed dough was a bit wet so I had to knead a bit of flour into it to make it manageable. They are in the oven now. I did a bagel seasoning the first time and learned I needed to push the seasonings into the dough to prevent them from falling off. Did course salt and garlic powder this time. My kids love them with hummus! Will be making again as we continue through the journey of sourdough life!
Absolutely love this recipe – as I do all your others! Hate waste so this is especially good. I have just made another batch and following other comments decided I would try with olive oil. However I took it up a level and used chilli oil – delicious. Flavours and combinations are endless, can’t wait to try some more!
Oh fun! I love this idea so much. I have chili oil on hand and will try this variation next. Thank you for writing and thank you for your kind words 🙂
Amazing crackers!!!! these are absolutely perfect. I’ve made them two days in a row now and we cant get enough. They are also great to package and gift to friends. I’m wondering if you have tried this with olive oil and if the ratios change at all. I would love to gift some crackers to my vegan friends. Thank you!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m dying to try this, but the most discard I have when I feed, my starter is about 2 tablespoons! . Good to know that you can freeze it which is probably what I’ll need to do in order to build up the amount. …worried about it being too wet upon thawing, tho. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi! I think it’s great that you only have 2 tablespoons — that means your feeding your starter very efficiently and not having to make something else to use up the discard. Regarding your question, if you don’t have enough discard 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. Then use it all in the recipe.
The crackers are so, so very good! Easy to make (once you have your sourdough starter!) and extremely tasty. I made half with everything bagel topping and half with flaky sea salt. Be very careful… they are addictive. We have friends coming this afternoon and the crackers will be enjoyed on a cheese board with Ali’s Simple Apple Chutney and cheese. Can’t get any better than that!
Awww so nice to read this Marilyn! Love reading about your starter adventure, too 🤣🤣🤣
This is by far the best I’ve tried – and I’ve tried a few. We actually create discard to make these (as we bake frequently and typically have very little). I accidentally melted butter trying to soften it, used it, and the crackers turned out fine. We make these plain, add onion/garlic powder, have tried every herb combo we can think of, and they are great every time. It is almost as good as your sourdough ciabatta recipe. 😁
So nice to read this, Suzanne 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this.
I have made these crackers twice and I’m about to make them a third time. Both times I substituted olive oil for butter and added 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. I also substituted spelt flour for the rye the second time. The only bad thing about these crackers is how addictive they are. It’s hard to stop eating them. My favorite topping has been crumbled rosemary and flaky salt but I made them with sesame seeds and also with everything mix.
I’ve made the King Arthur sourdough quite a few times and although this recipe is very similar, it’s so much better.
My only objection is the use of plastic wrap. We all know what a huge problem plastic waste is so why should we use it when there are adequate substitutes. I also don’t want my food to touch plastic. I put the dough in a small rectangular glass container with a top or even leave it in the glass bowl I mixed it in. When I remove it from the refrigerator I shape it.
Also, I use an old piece of parchment paper over the rolled out dough to press down the topping.
Finally, instead of parchment paper, I use silicon mats. They work perfectly.
I would love to see you remove the recommendation for using plastic from an otherwise perfect recipe.
Hi and thank you for all of this! I updated the recipe somewhat — storing the dough in an airtight vessel — but until I can experiment without using the plastic wrap for rolling, I’m leaving the recipe as is. But I will experiment soon. And agreed: plastic waste is a huge problem, and I’d love to provide a more eco-friendly solution. Thanks for the nudge!
So, so delicious!! I made it with 1/4c Rye, 1/4c wholemeal spelt and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
and upped the salt to 12g (Celtic salt).
Chilled for 24 hrs and rolled out thinly, scattered zaatar and flakey sea salt over it and baked till deep golden. Yum, yum!! Perfectly tangy and salty….I was surprised they were nice considering that my discard was like 4 months old.
Great recipe!
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
Great EASY Recipe! Thanks so much!! I made my first batch tonight with my Medium rye sourdough starter discard. Oh my goodness. Delicious!! I lightly sprinkled rolled out dough with Himalayan salt and dried rosemary.
I am now making more so I can use up more of my discard. It’s almost midnight so the batch I make now will hold in the fridge until tomorrow.
Yay! Great to hear Pamela. Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
emkrause@telus.net
About to try these. They look great but, because you have us cutting them on the sheet pan, I’m a bit unclear on how to lay out the crackers for cooking. Do you just cut them and leave each cracker up against its neighbor, or do I put them on a larger sheet pan and space them out so they aren’t touching?
Thanks for what promises to be a great use of my discard.
Yes! Leave them in place after you cut them. Hope they turn out well for you!
wow – these are fantastic! I used a rye sourdough starter, so I added all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour as my two additional flours. I was out of Everything But the Bagel seasoning, so I used zatar and dried rosemary instead. Excellent!!
Yum!
Made this recipe using whole grain wheat flour instead of rye flour. the crackers turned out so good it will be hard to eat store bought crackers. Thanks, Ali for another great recipe!
Great to hear, Martha!! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m new to sourdough. I’ve been feeding and discarding once a week and keeping both jars in fridge till i get nerve up to bake lol. My discard isn’t thick like this. Is it messed up?
Are you using a scale to measure?
Ali, I have made this recipe many times to rave reviews. I am wondering if you have ever add cheese?
Great to hear, Julie! I have not, but I can’t imagine the addition being anything but delicious. I have been making these cheese sticks recently and I have forgotten how delicious they are.
Thanks for the suggestion…I made them today and they are delicious.
Great to hear!
Best cracker recipe I have tried. Super easy and quick to make, very tasty and crisp. Everyone loved them all gone in one sitting.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Ali,
I love all your recipes, but limit my use due to all the ads on your site. It takes forever to follow the instructions. What do you suggest so I can continue to use your site?
I have been making this recipe every few weeks for a couple of months and had great success. Today, I used the pasta attachment for my kitchenaid. WOW!! It was so much easier and made uniform thickness crackers. I started rolling at #1 setting and stepped down to #4. What used to be 50% of the pan is now 100%. What a game changer.
So fun! Love this idea, Jay. Thanks so much for writing and sharing. I don’t have that attachment but I have a hand crank pasta roller I can use.
Thanks for this tip, Jay! I am sure it will be a game changer.
This is my go to recipe for sourdough crackers. I have made them many times now and the recipe always works so well. The crackers are crisp, delicious and very moreish. The only issue I had was making the toppings stick. This time I egg washed (1 egg and a 1/4 cup milk) rather than oil. Sprinkled on the toppings then rolled them in with my rolling pin. It worked a treat 90% of the topping stuck to the crackers.
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes.
Best sourdough discard crackers! They have such a nice texture and I like that you can be creative with toppings. Thanks for the recipe!
Great to hear, Laura!
Hardest part was rolling them thin but only because it takes time and patience (and I’m not an experienced baker). They are delicious!
Great to hear, Robin! Thanks for writing 🙂
Just came back to make these a third time and wanted to say thanks! They’re EXACTLY what I was looking for. Best crackers I’ve ever had! Crispy light and buttery yummm. I’ve started feeding my starter extra so i have more discard to make these with hahah. Thank you.
Ps, my favourite herb to add is a bit of fresh rosemary, and I also did a batch with dried olives rolled into the mix! So yummy
Just adding to this. Instead of Rye + plain flour I just did 1 cup of freshly milled wheat flour. So yummmyyy
Yum! Love all of these ideas. I’ve never heard of dried olives?? So fun. Thanks for sharing.
We absolutely love these crackers. They are by far the tastiest crackers i have ever had, both store bought and home made. Our friends love them and i have made the dough up and shared it with them to cook up. They are easy to make and a great way to use up excess starter. I now keep a little starter going just for these crackers. Thanks Ali
Great to hear, Sharon! Thanks for writing 🙂
Thank you so very much for all of the lovely recipes and incredible instructions. It is like you are right here in my kitchen, giving advice. Your recipes are all so easy & straighforward.
I think this and your focaccia bread are my two favorite recipes, so far. The crackers are so tasty and versatile – mix different flours and seasonings and you get a completely different taste. I love variety and using up leftovers in a useful way. So far I have only made them with black garlic salt and avocado toast seasoning, but I have several infused salts, plus cinnamon sugar and nutritional yeast to try.
My husband got me a marble 24×24 tile for the kitchen counter, which makes rolling them out between silicone mats a snap.
I am adding the seasonings in just before the final roll, then spraying with olive oil. I think I will use melted butter for the sweet seasonings.
I am so excited!
So nice to read all of this, Marie! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of these notes — so helpful for others. The black garlic salt sounds so good!!
My husband won’t eat crackers but he loves these! I can’t make enough. I add flax, hemp, sesame seeds, and spices. Perfect cracker recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Brenda! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂