Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers With Herbs
If you keep a sourdough starter, you know how quickly the discard jar fills up. Confession: I’m much better at keeping a starter alive than I am at baking actual sourdough bread. Luckily, discard doesn’t care. Pancakes and muffins are great, but when I want something savory, these crackers are what I make.
They take one bowl and a few pantry staples. The dough rolls out thin, bakes up golden and shatteringly crisp, and takes on any seasoning you like. The discard adds a gentle tang that store-bought crackers just don’t have.
Why You’ll Love Them
- They use up a full cup of discard at once.
- You only need flour, olive oil, salt, and herbs.
- They’re easy to customize with whatever seasonings you have.
- They keep for a week, so you can bake a batch for snacking all week.
Ingredient Notes
- Sourdough discard: Use unfed discard at room temperature. Discard that has sat in the fridge for up to about two weeks works well and actually adds more tang. If yours has a layer of liquid on top, stir it back in. This recipe assumes a 100% hydration starter (equal weights of flour and water).
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the crispest result. You can swap in up to half whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor. You may need an extra splash of water.
- Olive oil: Oil in the dough adds richness, and a light brush on top helps the herbs stick and the surface brown.
- Herbs: An Italian blend is easy, but dried oregano, thyme, or rosemary all work alone.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Crackers
1. Mix the dough. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, stir together the sourdough discard, flour, olive oil, and salt until a soft dough forms. It should feel smooth and pliable, like play dough, but not sticky. If it’s dry or crumbly, add water a tablespoon at a time.
2. Divide and roll. Split the dough in half. Place one half between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/16 inch thick. Work from the center outward and turn the parchment as you go so the thickness stays even. Don’t worry about perfect edges; the rough ones are the best part.
3. Move it to the pan. Peel off the top sheet of parchment and slide the bottom sheet, dough and all, onto a baking sheet.
4. Add the topping. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with herbs and a pinch of flaky salt. Press the toppings in gently with your fingers so they stick after baking.
5. Score and dock. Use a pizza cutter or knife to score the dough into squares, cutting almost all the way through. Then prick each square with a fork to keep the crackers from puffing up in the oven.
6. Bake. Repeat with the second half of the dough, then bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The crackers are done when they’re golden brown all over, not just at the edges. If the edges finish first, break them off and return the rest to the oven for a few more minutes.
7. Cool and break apart. Let the crackers cool completely on the pan; they’ll keep crisping as they cool. Then break them apart along the scored lines.
Tips for the Crispiest Crackers
- Divide the dough. Rolling half at a time is much easier than wrestling one large sheet, and you’ll get it thinner.
- Aim for about 1/16 inch thick. You should almost be able to see the parchment through the dough.
- Roll evenly. Thick spots stay chewy while thin edges brown first. If the edges finish early, break them off and return the rest to the oven for a few minutes.
- Dock the dough. Pricking it all over with a fork keeps it from puffing.
- Cool completely. The crackers finish crisping as they cool, so a slightly soft center straight out of the oven is normal.
Flavor Variations
- Garlic powder and finely grated Parmesan
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Cracked black pepper and flaky sea salt
- Smoked paprika
- Sesame seeds
- Rosemary and flaky salt
How to Serve Them
Serve them with pimento cheese, baked spinach dip, or creamy jalapeño cream cheese dip. Add them to a charcuterie board, or set them next to a bowl of Southern stovetop potato soup instead of bread.
Storage
Store the cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. If they soften, re-crisp them in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes.
FAQ
Discard up to about two weeks old in the fridge works well. Older discard is fine as long as it smells sour but not off, and shows no pink or orange streaks or fuzzy mold.
Yes, but discard gives a flatter, crisper cracker. Active starter can make them slightly puffy.
Yes. Chop them very finely and press them firmly into the dough so they don’t scorch. Hardy herbs like rosemary and thyme hold up best.
Yes. Wrap it and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling.
Usually the dough was rolled too thick or pulled from the oven too soon. Bake until they’re golden all over, not just at the edges, and let them cool completely.
Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a bowl, stir together the discard, flour, olive oil, and salt until a soft dough forms. It should be smooth and pliable but not sticky. If it’s dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Place one half between two sheets of parchment and roll it to about 1/16 inch thick, as evenly as possible.
- Peel off the top sheet of parchment and slide the bottom sheet, with the dough on it, onto a baking sheet.
- Brush the dough lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with half the herbs and a pinch of flaky salt, if using, and press them gently into the dough.
- Score the dough into squares with a pizza cutter or knife, then prick each square once or twice with a fork.
- Repeat steps 4–7 with the second half of the dough.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the crackers are golden brown all over. Remove any pieces that finish early.
- Cool completely on the pan, then break the crackers apart along the scored lines.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Did you make these crackers? I’d love to hear how they turned out! Leave a comment and star rating below, and let me know which flavor variation you tried. And if your starter is thriving like mine (even if your loaves aren’t quite there yet 😉), save this recipe to Pinterest so it’s ready the next time your discard jar fills up.
Want more ways to season your crackers? Grab my free Craft Your Own Spice Blends eBook and mix up your own custom toppings.
Such a clever way to use sourdough discard! I love that these crackers require only a handful of ingredients and can be seasoned so many different ways. The hardest part is not eating the whole batch straight from the baking sheet.