Sourdough Discard Rosemary and Parmesan Shortbread
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If you’ve never had savory shortbread, this sourdough discard rosemary and parmesan shortbread is the perfect introduction. It's buttery, crumbly, and packed with sharp cheese and fresh herbs. With a subtle rosemary flavor and a buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture, these little biscuits are lovely with a cup of tea or as an addition to a cheeseboard.
The dough comes together quickly in a food processor, can be made ahead of time, and bakes into delicate, sliceable biscuits that are perfect for entertaining, gifting, or just nibbling with a cold drink.
I love recipes like this because they give sourdough discard a whole new purpose. This shortbread is savory, and works beautifully alongside cheeses, chutneys (like this tomato chutney!), olives, and cured meats.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Savory and Buttery - These shortbread biscuits are rich with butter, nutty Parmesan, and fragrant rosemary. They’re crisp at the edges, tender through the middle, and full of flavor in every bite.
Simple and Versatile - I love how this recipe only has 6 ingredients, so it’s super easy to throw together, especially when everything’s just going in the food processor. You can switch up the flavors too with lots of different variations, especially when it comes to herbs and spices.
Easy to Make Ahead - They will last a few days, so you can make them ahead of time to serve them to guests alongside a glass of wine or a cheese platter. Or keep the log of shortbread dough in the fridge for a few days and bake them right before your guests arrive!
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter - I use a good quality unsalted butter here because there are so few ingredients and the butter is important. I love using my own homemade butter to make these biscuits extra special. If all you have is salted butter, that’s okay too.
- Parmesan Cheese - Grating your own Parmesan is best because sometimes pre-grated cheese has extra additives to keep it from clumping (plus it’s more economical to do it yourself!).
- Sourdough Discard - If you have the time, stick your starter in the fridge for a little while before making this shortbread as it will help the dough be less sticky
- Rosemary - I love the rosemary and Parmesan together, but you could use another sturdy herb such as thyme if you'd like.
- Salt
How To Make Sourdough Discard Rosemary and Parmesan Shortbread
The process for this recipe is very similar to my simple sourdough shortbread, so if you’ve made those before, this will be a breeze.
Add the flour, cubed butter, grated Parmesan, sourdough discard, chopped rosemary, and salt to a food processor or Thermomix. You can use a stand mixer, but keep it at a low speed so you don’t overmix.
Pulse the food processor until the butter is cut in and the mixture forms a rough dough. At first it will seem very dry, but as you continue, you’ll see the dough clumping together. Stop mixing as soon as all the flour is incorporated into the dough.
Tip the dough onto your work surface and form it into a long log. As you can see in the photo, I used the parchment paper to roll tightly around the log and form a nice smooth surface.
Keep the parchment wrapped around the log and stick it in the refrigerator for at least two hours, and up to 2 days if you would like a stronger fermented flavor. You can also freeze it at this point, well-wrapped in a layer of parchment and then plastic wrap.
When you’re almost ready to bake, preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Take your shortbread log out of the refrigerator and use a sharp knife to slice it into rounds about ½ cm / ¼-inch thick. This is about half the thickness of the sweet shortbread version. I like the savory ones thinner, a bit more like a cracker, but you can adjust to your liking.
Lay the biscuits out on a sheet of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet and bake for about 18 minutes. You want them fairly pale, but with a touch more color than my sweet shortbread. This lets the Parmesan brown just a little, turning golden with a delicious nutty, toasty flavor.
If you’d like to keep yours quite pale, check the oven after 15 minutes. If you sliced your shortbreads thicker or you want a crunchier cracker with more browning, let them cook them a few minutes longer.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray before transferring to a cookie tin or glass jar to store. They will still be pretty soft when you take them out due to the high butter content.
Kate's Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the dough or the shortbread can end up chewy instead of crumbly. You want the dough to just come together in the food processor. It will come together even more as you shape it on the counter.
- Cold butter and sourdough discard are easiest to work with, so pop your discard in the fridge for a little while if you can. I love it when I don’t need to wait for butter to soften!
How To Store + Freeze
Once completely cool, store the baked shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze, wrap the unbaked dough log tightly in parchment and then foil or a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Slice and bake straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. I would stick to cheeses similar to Parmesan, like Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano, or even another hard cheese like Gruyere.
Yes. I recommend a sturdier herb such as thyme or a smaller amount of dried herbs. Soft fresh herbs like parsley or basil won’t work the same way. You could also consider spices like paprika or cayenne to give this shortbread a bit of a kick!
Unfortunately no. You really need the butter in to give it that luxurious melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Sourdough Discard Rosemary and Parmesan Shortbread
Equipment
- Pizza Peel
Ingredients
- 250 g All-purpose flour
- 185 g Cold butter (cubed)
- 150 g Parmesan Cheese
- 100 g Sourdough Discard (or active sourdough starter)
- 7 g Rosemary (chopped, fresh - approx. 2 tablespoons)
- 5 g Salt
Instructions
- Add the flour, butter, Parmesan, sourdough discard, rosemary, and salt to a food processor or Thermomix.
- Pulse the food processor until the butter is cut in and the mixture forms a rough dough. At first it will seem very dry, but as you continue, you’ll see the dough clumping together. Stop mixing as soon as all the flour is incorporated into the dough.
- Tip the dough onto your work surface and form it into a long log. Roll the log up in parchment paper and stick it in the refrigerator for at least two hours, and up to 2 days if you would like a stronger fermented flavor. You can also freeze it at this point.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Take your shortbread log out of the refrigerator and use a sharp knife to slice it into rounds about ½ cm / ¼ inch thick.
- Lay the biscuits out on a sheet of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet and bake for about 18 minutes. I like when the Parmesan is just starting to turn golden-brown, but the shortbread is still fairly pale. If you want yours fairly pale, start checking the oven at about 15 minutes. If you sliced your shortbreads quite thick or you want a crunchier cracker with more toasted flavors, bake for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray before transferring to a cookie tin or glass jar to store. They will still be pretty soft when you take them out due to the high butter content.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the dough or the shortbread can end up chewy instead of crumbly. You want the dough to just come together in the food processor. It will come together even more as you shape it on the counter.
- Cold butter and sourdough discard are easiest to work with, so pop your discard in the fridge for a little while if you can. I love it when I don’t need to wait for butter to soften!
Nutrition
