These homemade sourdough crackers make excellent use of discard. Mix it with a few basic pantry staples, roll, cut, and bake! No rising time required. Top with anything you'd like – we have a list of suggestions below.
If you have plenty of discard on hand and want to use it up, try our sourdough tortillas, morning glory muffins, and flaky sourdough biscuits, all made with leftover discard.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Flour: we use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour. If you want a lower gluten recipe, try Alex's sourdough rye and spelt crackers.
- Unfed Sourdough Starter: if you don't have unfed starter, also called discard, feel free to use active, bubbly starter.
- Za'atar Spice Blend: Za’atar is best known as a Middle Eastern spice blend. It's our favourite topping for crackers but you can use any of the toppings listed below, or anything else you think would be good.
Method
Step 1: add all ingredients (except toppings) to a large bowl and mix.
Step 2: knead into a ball of dough and divide into two pieces.
Step 3: roll the dough out and brush with olive oil.
Step 4: top with salt and any other toppings, cut into squares, and bake.
Top Tips
- Roll in the toppings: add the toppings and then roll once more between parchment for the best sticking power.
- Rest the dough: if the dough seems a bit shaggy and doesn't want to be kneaded into a ball, let it rest (covered) for 10 minutes. The whole wheat flour will absorb some of the liquid the gluten will relax.
- Make it even: if your dough is really thin around the edges and not evenly rolled out, the outer crackers will burn. Try to make it all one even thickness.
Recipe Notes
If you don't have unfed sourdough discard, you can use bubbly active starter. Weighed is best for this as discard and active starter have very different volumes.
For ultra thin crackers, try rolling the dough through a pasta roller. Divide the dough into four rather than two, then roll it out as you would pasta dough, getting progressively thinner. Transfer to parchment paper and proceed with the recipe as written. Keep in mind thinner crackers will take less time to bake!
A pizza cutter is fantastic for cutting crackers, but a sharp knife does the trick if you don't have one.
If you don't have discard (for example, if you use the levain method to bake your bread) you can also make this recipe with active starter. It will work the same and add delicious tangy flavour, but be sure to weigh it for accuracy.
How to Store
Storage: place into an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing: freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
FAQ
Are sourdough crackers healthy?
Depends how you define healthy! Whole wheat flour is a good source of whole grains, and some people might find these easier to digest because of the addition of sourdough.
How long can you keep discarded sourdough starter?
Store it in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks. It might form hooch (liquid at the top), which can be poured off or stirred in, depending on what you're using it for. We recommend a slightly fresher discard for these crackers to avoid an overwhelming sour flavour.
What do you eat with sourdough crackers?
Whatever you like! We think that the stronger flavour of the crackers stands up really well to sharp cheeses and spicy toppings, so feel free to add to a fancy cheeseboard.
Flavour Variations
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Sesame seeds
- Add a couple tablespoons of chopped herbs directly to the dough
- Try adding cheese to the dough (see these cheddar crackers for inspiration)
- Poppy seeds
- Cumin seeds and black pepper
- Caraway seeds with lemon zest mixed into the dough
- Nigella seeds
- Seaweed powder
- Smoked paprika
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
If you make this Sourdough Cracker recipe or any other sourdough recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Sourdough Crackers
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Cutter or sharp knife
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter unfed
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for brushing
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Za'atar optional, for topping
- Flaky salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Have two baking sheets and two sheets of parchment paper ready.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the unfed starter, olive oil, both flours, and salt until all of the flour is just mixed in.
- Dump the dough out onto a work surface.
- Knead it by hand for about 30 seconds, or until smooth and pliable, then shape it into a ball.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough ball lightly with flour then slice it in half.
- Place each half of dough onto a sheet of parchment paper.
- Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough quite thin, about 1/16-inch (2-mm) thick. The dough will have misshapen edges. This is normal.
- Brush the rolled dough lightly with olive oil.
- Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to slice the crackers into 1 ½-inch (4-cm) squares.
- Top the crackers with flaky salt and za’atar (or any other seasonings or small seeds you like).
- Transfer the crackers, on the parchment paper, to the two baking sheets.
- Place the crackers in the preheated oven and bake them for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the squares are beginning to brown around the edges, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- Move the crackers to a wire rack and cool them on the baking sheets.
- Once cool, the crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- If you don’t have unfed sourdough discard, you can use bubbly active starter. Weighed is best for this as discard and active starter have very different volumes.