This Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe is so simple, you'll wonder why you haven't made them before.
An easy and delicious way to use up your sourdough discard ... or you might love them so much you'll find yourself feeding your starter extra. Just so you can make another batch.
Don't say I didn't warn you!
Need a vegan version? Try these vegan sourdough crackers. Or maybe these sourdough fruit and seed crackers are more your style.
Using Sourdough Discard To Make Crackers
As probably already know, you must discard your starter before you feed it. Discarding helps your starter to thrive and stops it from becoming too acidic (you can read more about this here).
It's advisable not to use your discard until at least day 7. Before this, the bacteria in your starter is fighting a battle of good vs evil.
And you don't want to ingest the bad bacteria.
Using your discard once your starter is over 7 days old makes it much less wasteful. Plus when you can make it taste as good as these sourdough discard crackers, why would you throw it away?
You'll get the best results from this recipe if your starter is 100% hydration. If it's less hydrated, you might find you need to add some water to the dough.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe with Parmesan + Rosemary
This sourdough discard crackers recipe doesn't get any easier. It's a cinch to mix by hand too (although you could use a stand mixer if you want to).
It uses 220g of sourdough discard.
Here's how to make sourdough discard crackers with rosemary + parmesan:
- Add sourdough discard, flour, salt, butter and cheese to a mixing bowl.
- Bring the ingredients together until it forms a smooth, pliable dough. You might need to work the dough around the bowl to ensure all the flour is incorporated.
- Roll out the dough to a thin layer.
- Cut into crackers.
- Top with olive oil, rosemary and salt.
- Bake!
- Serve alongside this epic whipped ricotta dip!
Sourdough Discard Crackers Using a Cracker Roller
The easiest and fastest way to get professional looking crackers is to use a cracker rolling tool.
Honestly, I had no idea how good this was til I actually used it. You will have 2 trays of crackers cut in a matter of seconds!
It not only cuts the crackers, but pricks them too - so you don't have to use a skewer or a fork.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with hand cut or rustic crackers. If you don't have one of these, you can simply use a knife or even a small cookie cutter. You'll also have to pierce each cracker with a skewer or the tines of a fork.
But if you are looking for a useful tool - and you make a lot of crackers - I highly recommend this one. It will allow you cut large and small square crackers in seconds.
Storing & Freezing Sourdough Crackers
There are a few things you can do to store your crackers or even prolong the baking timeline for sourdough crackers.
You can place the rolled dough into the fridge for up to 12 hours before baking. This is handy if you want to prepare them in advance.
You can store sourdough starter crackers in an air tight container or tin for 3 days. Any longer and they can lose their crunch. You could pop them in the oven for a few minutes to refresh them.
I prefer to store them in glass jars with tight fitting lids. I love reusing old coffee jars for this purpose. These are the same jars that I built my sourdough starter in!
You can freeze baked crackers. Make sure they are completely cool before placing into a ziploc bag. They will freeze for around 2 months without losing any of their texture.
Other Sourdough Cracker Flavors to Try
If you want to try some different flavors - you could try these suggestions:
- Sesame + Olive Oil - add 20g of black sesame seeds to the dough and top with 20g of white sesame seeds instead of rosemary.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning - instead of the rosemary and salt, top these crackers with a few spoons of homemade Everything Bagel seasoning.
- Seeded Sourdough Discard Crackers - find the recipe for these here.
- Cheddar + Pepper - substitute the parmesan cheese with cheddar and use black or pink pepper instead of rosemary.
- Spicy Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Crackers are perfect for something a little different.
- Cinnamon Sugar - Try these sweet sourdough crackers with cinnamon sugar for a twist on a savory cracker.
You'll find all the best sourdough cracker recipes in one place here.
Tips for Burnt Crackers
If you find you have some burned crackers or ones that are a little hard to use - don't throw them away.
Pop them into a food processor and turn them into bread crumbs! Because they have yummy rosemary and parmesan in the them they will be the most amazing bread crumbs ever!
Use these bread crumbs for breading chicken or fish (you can mix them in with other plain bread crumbs too). They also make a delicious topping on cheesy bakes like lasagne and tuna mornay.
Further Reading
If you love this sourdough discard crackers recipe, you will love these ideas:
- Love Parmesan & Rosemary? Why not try this Parmesan and Rosemary Sourdough Bread.
- Pumpkin sourdough crackers are thin, crispy and delicious!
- Find out why you must discard your sourdough starter for it to thrive.
- Try making this sourdough discard sandwich bread - just like these crackers, it's a cinch!
- You'll love these seeded sourdough discard crackers - with honey, oats and all the seeds - they are some crunchy goodness!
Sourdough Discard Crackers with Rosemary + Parmesan Cheese
Equipment
- Digital Scales
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Cracker Roller
- Baking Trays
Ingredients
- 220 g Sourdough Discard unfed sourdough starter
- 80 g All Purpose Flour
- 50 g Whole Wheat Flour
- 5 g Salt
- 30 g Butter soft
- 30 g Parmesan Cheese shredded
- 20 g Olive Oil for brushing
- 10 g Sea Salt for topping
- Fresh Rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Add sourdough discard, flour, soft butter, salt and parmesan to a mixing bowl and bring the ingredients together to form a pliable dough (see notes).
- Divide the dough into two portions (this makes it easier to roll).
- Place each ball onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten out with your hands into a rough rectangle.
- Sprinkle on the rosemary and push it into the dough gently.
- Now roll out to a thin sheet of dough using a rolling pin. You want it around 1/16" or 1.5mm thick. The thinner you can get it the better because thick crackers won't cook properly and won't crisp up in the oven.The dough should not be sticky at all and easy to roll - however see notes below for some troubleshooting if your dough is sticky.
- Use a cracker roller to perforate dough. If you don't have a cracker roller you can use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into crackers and then pierce each one with the tines of a fork.
- Place each parchment paper with dough on top onto a baking sheet. This recipe will generally need two baking trays.
- Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake at 350F/180C for around 25 minutes or until crackers are golden and crisp.
- Let the crackers cool on a rack before breaking into individual pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Could you please clarify if it's hard whole wheat flour, or soft whole wheat? Also, are the rolled oats the large flake old-fashioned rolled oats, or regular rolled oats? I've tried several recipes for sourdough discard crackers but none have had rolled oats in the dough. Thanks!
Hi Sadie - I'm not sure the difference between soft and hard whole wheat? I just used regular whole wheat flour 🙂 And I'm sorry but there are no rolled oats in this recipe so not sure what you are referring to there 🙂
Just made these for the 2nd time as the 1st batch was demolished before properly cooled by the grandkids. They are so yummy
Hi Kate I've been travelling and I was terrified my starter would die, so I made a whole lot of plans, four sets at home with teenager having strict feeding instructions AND having one with me that I fed twice during the week. Nett result was about 500g of excess starter. I just made the cheddar version with cayenne pepper, with my starter 100% rye they are tangy and spicy and cheesy. Just delicious, thank you so much for your site, newsletters and wisdom. Karen in Johannesburg, South Africa.
YUM! Great recipe, makes more than it says and you are right, you need to roll as thin as possible because they puff up in the oven. Best crackers I've ever eaten! And they look just as good as they taste. I used fresh rosemary and it takes way more than you'd think... I augmented with dry rosemary and it worked quite well. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
These crackers are so delicious! I made them as written and will definitely be making them again!
The best sourdough cracker!! I love to use this recipe for using up a lot of discard. I usually make Rosemary Parmesan topped with flaky salt but the possibilities can be tailored to your preference. My advice…keep rolling and make as this as possible. I then use a pizza cutter to cut into squares. For sure satisfies my craving for crust crunchy munchies! Thank you Pantry Mama
Love it - gotta satifsy those crunchy munchies 🙂
Those turned out great! Thank you!!!
Just made my second batch, increased to 1.5 ratios as yesterday's batch was eaten so quickly. Made one tray with dukkah sprinkled on top. So delicious and moreish.
It's been hand written into my recipe book. Thankyou!
This recipe sounds really good, I can't wait to try it. I see tiny purple pieces on the crackers with rosemary, is that the rosemary flowers? I would never have thought to try that.
yes rosemary flowers 🙂 They look so pretty! xo
Hi, if I do not have whole wheat flour, can I substitute it with plain flour instead?
absolutely you can 🙂
are you able to make these without the cheese?
Yes you can omit the cheese if you prefer.
These crackers are fantastic! The recipe is one of the best I've found for sourdough discard crackers. The dough came together quickly by hand. The crackers were light and crisp in texture and tasted great. I used dried rosemary and added a pinch to the dough as well as sprinkling on the tops. Instead of cutting the rolled dough into individual crackers I divided the dough into 4 portions, rolled each paper thin, baked them whole, then broke into pieces once they were completely cooled for a rustic cracker. They baked for 55 minutes at 300° and were a lovely golden brown when done. I've never had burnt crackers when I bake them at a lower temperature.
Your recipes are spot-on! Thank you for the uncomplicated and nearly fool proof directions.
Love these crackers. I seem to make them every second day they are that popular. However I replace the cheese with nutritional yeast and they taste amazing.
SO delicious and EASY! I will make these with all of my discard so I can try lots of varieties!! Thank you Pantry Mama!
Did these need to be refrigerated after they’re made since they have Parmesan cheese in it? My concern is that refrigerating them will make them lose their crispiness.
It’s a great recipe! Thank you so much.
Definitely don't need to be refrigerated. I've kept them over a month with no problems. Storing in a cookie tin or glass jar is best so they stay crisp 🙂 Enjoy xo