12+ Sourdough Cracker Recipes: Use Up Discard!
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Looking for the best sourdough cracker recipes on the internet? Look no further. Here, you'll find a range of delicious sourdough discard cracker recipes to satisfy even the fussiest of cracker eaters. These sourdough cracker recipes are so good, you'll never have to buy store-bought crackers again! Seriously.
I've tried to create a list of the best sourdough discard crackers with some variety - so there's different flavors, textures and flours included, as well as lots of tips and tricks to ensure your crackers always bake up perfectly. There's both savory sourdough crackers and a sweet version too. The best part is they all use simple ingredients to create something truly special.
Sourdough crackers are a fantastic way to use up a lot of sourdough discard in one recipe, or excess sourdough starter left over from baking sourdough bread.
Many of these sourdough cracker recipes use 200g of starter or more - which is great for ensuring your starter discard doesn't go to waste. And we know that reducing food waste is so important in the world we currently live in.
And if you're looking for even more sourdough discard recipes, you'll find 70+ sourdough discard recipes here.
So grab your sourdough starter and let's get baking!
Why You'll Love Making Sourdough Cracker Recipes with Sourdough Starter
Using your sourdough starter to make flaky, delicious sourdough crackers is so rewarding ... and did I mention tasty? But here are some other reasons you'll love making sourdough crackers!
- Enhanced Flavor: Sourdough starter brings a distinctive tangy and complex flavor profile to the crackers. The natural fermentation process in sourdough develops unique flavors, imparting a delightful sourness that enhances the overall taste of the crackers.
- Increased Nutritional Value: The inclusion of sourdough starter or sourdough discard increases the nutritional value of homemade crackers. Even if you're not further fermenting your cracker dough, including a fermented product like sourdough starter instantly boosts the nutritional profile of your crackers.
- You Know What's In Them - This is one of the reasons I love sourdough cracker the most. I know what's in the crackers and what I'm feeding my family. There's no hidden artificial flavors and preservatives like store-bought crackers. As a mom, that's definitely a win!
- Reduced Food Waste - Most sourdough cracker recipes use around 200g plus of excess sourdough starter or discard. This is a definite benefit when it comes to reducing your food waste.
- Artisanal Appeal - Sourdough crackers have a rustic and artisanal charm. They possess a unique texture and appearance that sets them apart from store-bought crackers, making them an attractive option for serving at gatherings or as a homemade gift.
Best Tips for Making Sourdough Cracker Recipes
When making sourdough crackers, there are a few things that you can do to ensure that you get the best possible crackers.
Here are some tips to ensure you get the tastiest sourdough crackers ever!
- Don't use discard that is too old, particularly if the recipe you use includes a large amount. You don't want crackers that are too sour and old discard can taste really bad!
- You don't have to use discard to make crackers. You can just feed your starter for the purpose of making crackers. Using an active, bubbly starter is totally fine. See how many crackers you can make now!
- For super crispy crackers, roll the dough super thin. It can help to place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. A pasta maker can help to get the dough super thin if you have one.
- If your cracker dough is sticky when you first mix it, just add a little extra flour to help create a more dough like consistency. You want to be able to touch the dough without it sticking to your fingers.
- If your dough is sticking to the rolling pin - but you don't want to add more flour (you don't want to make the dough too dry) - place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll. It will ensure that the dough does not stick at all - and your rolling pin will stay clean.
- If the cracker dough contains a lot of butter, it can help to place the dough in the fridge after rolling just to firm up before cutting. This is especially important if you are baking in a warm environment.
- Get a cracker roller to make cutting super easy! A good cracker roller will cut a few trays of crackers in seconds with no fuss. You'll find a great cracker roller here. If you don't have a cracker roller, a pizza cutter or pizza wheel can be a good alternative.
- Low and slow is the best way to bake sourdough crackers. You don't want to burn them. While a baking temperature is always given in the recipe - you will need to make adjustments for your oven. Move the trays around until you find the best level where they don't burn too quickly.
Keeping Sourdough Crackers Fresh
It's best to store sourdough crackers in glass or tin. Storing them in plastic can cause them to go soft a lot sooner.
Remember sourdough crackers do not contain preservatives like the crackers you buy at the store - so they won't have a long shelf life.
Sourdough crackers look lovely stored in recycled glass jars. They make lovely gifts too (guess what the neighbors are getting this Christmas?!).
These parmesan + rosemary sourdough crackers look lovely stored in glass jars.
Crackers like grissini and lavosh can be stored for a quite a few weeks without losing their freshness - as long as they are in an air tight glass jar or tin.
If you have some crackers that have gone a little stale you can refresh them. Place them on a parchment lined baking tray. Lightly spray with water and place into a hot oven for just a few minutes to crisp up.
Here's The List of Best Sourdough Cracker Recipes:
2 Ingredient Sourdough Discard Crackers
These 2 ingredient sourdough discard crackers are going to change your life! They're so easy to make, you can whip them up in a flash!
Sourdough Fruit & Seed Crackers
These beautiful sourdough fruit and seed crackers are brimming with dried fruit, nuts and seeds and will be the centrepiece of your next gourmet charcuterie board or cheese plate!
Sourdough Crackers with Rosemary + Parmesan Cheese
This is hands down the best sourdough cracker recipe. A classic flavor combination of fresh rosemary and aged parmesan give these crackers a place on any good cheese platter.
You can serve these for any occasion with compliments guaranteed. They not only earn their place as a family favorite cracker - they also make a delicious gift for friends and neighbors. These homemade sourdough crackers are my absolute favorite ... I love eating them as a snack straight from the jar (and even better when they're dipped in this whipped ricotta dip)!
And the best part is, if you don't have rosemary on hand, you can top them with Italian seasoning, other fresh herbs from your garden or even everything bagel seasoning. YUMMO!
Jalapeño Cheese Sourdough Crackers
These spicy sourdough crackers are not for the feint hearted. They combine the ever popular combination of jalapeño and cheddar cheese to create a match made in heaven. Delicious served with your favorite salsa or avocado dip!
Sourdough Goldfish Crackers
Sourdough Crostini
Sourdough crostini can bring an instant artisanal feel to your next platter or board. Slice them super thin for more of a cracker feel, or thicker for a heartier version. I love using leftover sourdough baguettes or French Bread to make these sourdough crostini. Serve with this delicious whipped ricotta dip.
Pumpkin Sourdough Crackers
These thin, crispy sourdough crackers get their delicious flavor and color from pumpkin puree! They are easy to make and will be a wonderful addition to your next charcuterie board. They also make a lovely autumn gift.
Sourdough Lavosh
Lavosh is a crisp, unleavened flat bread - the perfect way to use up sourdough discard. These sourdough lavosh are made with whole wheat flour and topped with black and white sesame seeds and good quality sea salt (but you can use other seeds like poppy seeds, pumpkins seeds etc). Their rustic appearance make them super simple to create. These sourdough lavosh are made using olive oil which makes them dairy free.
Vegan Sourdough Crackers
These vegan friendly, dairy free crackers are oh so tasty and have a savory, cheese flavor thanks to nutritional yeast. They use 220g of sourdough starter and are really easy to make! You could even add some garlic powder for an extra flavor boost. Serve them with your favorite dip.
Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Crackers
A sweet twist on a usually savory flavor. These sourdough crackers are sweetened with classic cinnamon sugar. You can dip them in chocolate or leave them plain. They make the perfect wafer in vanilla ice cream or a sweet treat served with a cup of tea.
Sourdough Grissini
Traditional sourdough bread sticks are a pantry staple. You can use them for so many things! Add them to a charcuterie platter, dip them in nutella or salted caramel, wrap them in pepperoni ... the list is really endless!
Seedy Sourdough Crackers
Crammed with seedy goodness, these crunchy crackers are a great way to get more seeds and nuts into your diet. A healthier alternative to sourdough discard crackers made with only white flour. You can choose the seeds to include - some favorites are sesame, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, caraway seeds, hemp seeds and pepitas. But the list really is endless. Seed crackers look incredible too and elevate a simple cheese plates to the next level.
Cranberry & Pistachio Sourdough Lavosh Crackers
These sourdough lavosh crackers remind me of Christmas with their red and green studded crunch! Flavored with cardamon and cinnamon they truly are delicious. You can make them sweet or more savory by using sugar and salt. Give them a try for your next dinner party!
Sourdough Pumpkin Grissini
This is a fun twist on traditional breadsticks with the inclusion of pumpkin puree. These elegant sourdough breadsticks have loads of flexibility and can be rolled in your favorite dukkah or even crushed pumpkin seeds.
I'd love to know your favorite flavor sourdough cracker! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can use sourdough starter in any form - it can be fed and active or it can be unfed, discard. If you're not sure of the difference, this will help explain further.
Tough sourdough crackers are a result of over mixing the dough. While you do need to ensure the wet and dry ingredients are well combined, you don't want to over work the dough.
It really depends on the type of cracker that you're making and the texture of cracker that you're aiming for. Butter and oil can be used interchangeably (and this is important if you are trying to make vegan crackers for example). However this change of ingredient will change the texture.
The easiest way to get super thin crackers is to run the dough through a pasta machine. This will give you the thinnest dough possible, while still being able to handle the dough.
Yes you can mix the ingredients in your sourdough cracker dough and then pop the dough in the fridge to ferment further. The dough will be fine in the fridge for around 2 days (I wouldn't leave it longer than this).
