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.
271 Comments on “Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers (Thin & Crispy)”
EXCELLENT! My favorite sour dough discard recipe!
Great to hear, Nan!
OH MY!!! I found this recipe after starting to make sour dough bread. Now I skip the bread and make the crackers. Thank you to whoever suggested using the pasta sheet attachment — it’s a g ame changer!
Now if I could only figure out how to get lots of “discard” in a hurry.
Thank you so much!
Lisa
So great to hear this, Lisa! Thanks so much for writing. I’ll have to try my pasta roller soon… so many people are loving the results!
I love these crackers and so do my kids, they’re usually gone in 10 mins! They’re so easy to make and my 6 year old loves helping. This recipe encouraged me to continue my sourdough making – thank you!
Great to hear, Orly! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I make this recipe multiple times a week lol have you mixed in cheese? Would love a cheesy everything bagel cracker!
I have not but I’m sure cheese would be delicious!!! Go for it.
They are great if you add cheese to the mix. I tend to use parmigiano and the crackers are eaten so fast I now make double.
We love this recipe of crackers. It’s easy and delicious.
Great to hear, Meril!
Oh wow these were banging. I have two sourdough starters going so i have waaay too much discard. Googled some recipes today and found this one. Just made these just now, they’re sooo good! Can’t wait to try different toppings!
Great to hear, Steff! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi there!
This recipe looks amazing, I am new to sourdough-ing 🙂 i have a stiff italian starter dough, will I need to add some water in to make the starter more liquidy?
Thanks!
Yes, I think so. I’d reference the photos in the post… the cracker dough is on the stiff side, but I still think you’ll need to add a small amount of water.
I prepared my dough yesterday and baked these up today. The recipe and directions were easy to follow. On the first batch, I followed the directions for brushing the dough with oil and then sprinkling on the seasoning before baking. However, when the crackers were done, all of the seasoning came off. So, on the second batch, I just sprinkled the seasoning onto the dough, replaced the plastic wrap and rolled the seasoning into the dough. Worked like a charm and no extra oil needed.
Great tip, Debra! Thank you for writing and sharing these notes. So helpful for others!
Thx for sharing the recipe! They were delicious – took the crackers to a party and everyone LOVED them! My only issue was when baking, the outside edges darkened so much faster than the middle (I used spelt & rye flour). So I took it out, removed the outer “ring” of pieces, then baked longer till everything was golden brown. Any tips for avoiding this step? (I don’t have a convection oven right now.) I guess I could use a pie crust ring around the edges for half of the baking time?
Jillian, I did the same thing. I took out the edges and then spread all the other pieces out and put them back in the oven to finish cooking. I also made sure to rotate the pan. The crackers are amazing! No more store bought…ever!
Hi Jillian! Great to hear. Regarding the browning, what type of baking sheet did you use? As in what material and brand if possible?
Hi Ali. I used one of those flat, double-walled baking sheets. I’m sure it’s aluminum based. I do not have the brand — received as a gift a few decades ago! 🙂 And I did rotate it.
OK, great to hear… I think this is just an unfortunate reality of the process and so many others — I often find even when I’m roasting vegetables that the outer vegetables brown first, and so I do have to do some tossing mid-way through the baking process. I asked about the pan only because if it were nonstick or insulated, I would have suggested getting a very a basic/aluminum/commercial sheet pan. If you have a convection setting that might help, too!
Thanks. Yes, the one I used is insulated, but I do have the basic commercial sheet pan like Costco sells, so I’ll try that next time. And there will be PLENTY of next times! 🙂 Thx again, Jillian
Great to hear! Yeah, see if the non-insulated one gives you better results 🙂
I’ve tried several sourdough cracker recipes-this one is the BEST. Just finished my first batch and they are sooo good and crunchy. I also love that they use rye flour. I topped with sea salt and rosemary.
So nice to hear this! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I make these crackers all the time but have slightly modified the original recipe. I use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour then cut in (like for pie dough) the 1/2 butter ( I use cold salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe. To this mixture I add 2 tbsp of everything bagel spice, 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese and the discard. I mix this together to form a ball then shape it into a block and store in the fridge overnight. I take out the dough about an hour before I want to make the crackers. Dividing the dough into four equal portions I roll them out as thin as i can on a slightly floured surface. Once thin I brush with olive oil and cut into desired shapes. I don’t add any toppings as I have already put them in the cracker.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing and sharing all of these notes 🙂
This is the best recipe and method for crackers. It’s also great for different additions. I added everything seasoning and some cheddar cheese. WOW!!
Great to hear, Teresa! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can you freeze the dough after shaping into the rectangle?
Yes!
I love this recipe! The first time I made it, I made the mistake of making half the recipe. Never did that again. I make the recipe as written, but I add fresh rosemary on top before baking. My favorite way to eat them is with some balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and mozzarella. Yum!
Yum! Love this idea. Thanks for writing and sharing 🙂
can i use oil instead of butter for dairy free option?
Yes! I have not but others have with success.
Would it be equal amount oil to butter?
Yes!
Tried several recipes with sourdough discard, this is absolutely the best and so easy. Made it thin and crispy and topped with black and white sesame seeds. Sprinkled a little coarse salt over. Next round, I’ll omit the salt in the dough and roll-press the sesame seeds in a little deeper into the dough cos they pop up during baking.
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. Rolling/pressing the seeds into the dough should help 🙂
These are delicious! I just used sesame seeds and Maldon salt this time. The first batch I cooked a bit long I think so the edges were quite dark. The next batch cooked just to 25 minutes and they are perfect, still crispy. I also rolled the salt and seeds into the dough so they “stuck”. I didn’t even bother with the plastic because the rolling pin worked fine. These are a hit with the family and will be a weekly bake for sure. I can’t wait to try other seasonings.
Great to hear, Kristi! Thanks for sharing your notes 🙂
You really can’t buy crackers that are this good! I’ve been making them often for months. I use olive oil instead of butter and use either all spelt flour and or all whole wheat pastry flour. I usually put in 2 heaping tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Another thing I just started doing is to need/fold the balls for a few seconds before I roll them. I top them with anything bagel mix or rosemary/sea salt. I have left the dough in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
I commented once before and asked you to stop recommending using plastic wrap. It just isn’t needed at all and we should all really try to move away from plastic, especially plastic that touches food and is single use. There have been many recent studies about how much microscopic plastics we have in our bodies. I use a small retangular glass container or a round bowl with a cover. Cut the dough in half when you are ready to use it. I can’t understand why you would need plastic. Please consider changing the directions.
Wow! Just made these for the first time. Delicious!!!
I did a mix of toppings, including a black pepper and garlic mix along with some Parmesan. Better than any shop bought stuff 🙂
Great to hear, Andrew! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
I’m in the process of making these crackers and have kind of a technical questions. I’ve made the dough with 200 g of sourdough discard as instructed. I have since noticed that another recipe I have says that 1 cup of sourdough discard weighs 285 grams and another says 1 cup of starter weighs 227 grams. I realize that people’s sourdough starter might be more wet than others, thus perhaps weighing more? But it sure makes it confusing to know exactly how much starter to use. Makes me want to go back to volume measurements which I really don’t want to do. How do you deal with these discrepancies?
Hi! I always follow the gram measurements of whatever recipe I am following. If you made it with 200 grams of starter and were happy, then you’re good! If you made it with 200 grams of starter and were unhappy, you can adjust the recipe with more or less starter by weight — just take notes, and adjust accordingly. There is no standard for what 1 cup of flour weighs, 1 cup of starter, etc. So, there definitely is a little bit of art/practice to any kind of baking, particularly bread baking.
Great recipe! Any tips on getting the crackers flat? Mine curve on the edges while baking
I’m so glad I found this recipe. It was very easy to follow and it is so delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Great to hear, Cristina! Thanks for writing 🙂
If you were going to add shredded cheese, how much would you add?
Maybe start with 3/4 cup of grated cheese? Take notes and add more or less next time around depending on how you like them.
I just made these, being new to sourdough and having lots of discard as I have been feeding my very first starter Lucy twice a day for almost 3 weeks, she’s so active and smells divine now, I feel confident to create my first loaf now! I love finding quick and easy ways to use the discard, as I quickly end up with a couple of small bowls in the fridge! I almost feel I could just bake with discard alone, the flavour is incredible! I made one piece of the dough with dukkah and the other with cracked pepper and salt. They’re SO AMAZING I will definitely make them for our next gathering for a cheese board.
Great to read all of this! Thanks so much for writing. And good luck as you embark on your first sourdough loaf… exciting!!
Can we sub the kosher salt with sea salt? Thanks!
Yes!
On my umpteenth go around with these, love ’em. But….
1 cup of discard = 200g
1/2 cup of flour = 56g
Something still not adding up there.
A cup of water is about 236 grams and a cup of flour is usually around 120, so a 50/50 flour/water starter would be 178, but I think 200 seems like a more round number. It’s definitely not a recipe that needs to be super exact.
Thank you for this, Patrick.
I’m so excited to say that I made my first sourdough discard recipe and first cracker today. They were very delicious! Thank you!
Great to hear, Serenity! Thanks for writing 🙂
Made these with a little extra flour to make the dough a little stiffer and used my pasta roller attachment to roll them perfectly thin!
I would love to make crackers. I have brown rice starter discard can I use this for making these crackers
Is it gluten free? I think you could… I worry about the crackers potentially being very crumbly, though rice flour usually works well in these applications.
I think this recipe has been over-complicated. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. It does NOT need to be refrigerated before rolling out. Don’t wrap it in plastic, either. Just mix it up good with your hands and make a long log of it, placing it between two pieces of Parchment paper. Roll it out thin, and the parchment paper doesn’t stick to it. Remove the top layer of parchment, lift up the bottom edges of the remaining parchment paper and place on your baking pan. Score it using your pastry dough cutter, no need to let it bake any first (it will easily break apart when baked). Put your seasonings on and bake it about 20-25 minutes, watching the outer edges and you may need to remove those outer edges part way through so they don’t over bake. I didn’t care for the addition of whole wheat or rye. Bread flour gave it a crispier cracker mixed with the starter. I used Einstein Bagel seasoning and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese- which keeps topping from falling off. No brushing with oil is needed. NOTE: Alternatively, you can roll thin between two sheets of parchment paper, remove the parchment top sheet and season, then put the parchment back on top and give it one more last roll with the rolling pin. Place on baking pan, score with the pastry dough cutter, put the cheese on if you’re using that and bake!
New to discard recipes. Is the discard used straight from the fridge? Is it used a stage when it is still bubbly or once it has been sitting a while and has flattened out and fermented a bit?
Looking forward to trying this some time soon.
Thank you.
You can use it straight from the fridge! The beauty of using discard recipes is that you can really use the discard in its various phases. I would caution against using discard if it’s been in the fridge for a very long time (when a murky layer of liquid, the “hooch”, has begun to pool at the surface).