Salt and pepper sourdough discard crackers

Sourdough crackers recipe to use up discard

My family and I love these sourdough discard crackers! I make a big batch a couple times each week to refill a large jar on our counter. All day long, you can hear the sounds of the jar lid being opened by someone in the Wise House. They’re toddler approved, super satisfying, and easy to whip up with sourdough discard… Even on a busy day.

Some sourdough recipes can be intimidating, but I promise that these are fool proof. So if you’re looking for a quick sourdough discard crackers recipe, this is it.

Sourdough discard crackers are easy to make

I am a busy person. My whole family is busy! Between both my husband and I working, plus 2 littles 2 and under, there’s a lot going on in our house on a typical day.

One thing that I recently committed to and we’re all loving lately is making as many of our bread products as possible from scratch. Not only does this save us money, but it saves us from unnecessary additives in store bought alternatives.

Honestly, we were sick of paying so much for crackers that don’t even taste great… Since when did they become $3-6 per box?! My sourdough discard crackers are way more satisfying and filling than what you’d buy at the store. While we snack on them all day long, it’s not the same as accidentally crushing a box of Ritz’s and feeling gross after. These are filling and feel good.

The satisfaction of these crackers probably relates to the health benefits of sourdough. In general though, homemade is always better than store bought in my opinion.

What to pair with sourdough discard crackers

We’re big cheese and crackers kind of people in the Wise House. We also love dips. Anything dip. My 2 year old is always asking for “more dip” at meal times. Spinach dip, hummus, tzatziki, bruschetta… If it’s a dip, we’re here for it.

This is why I keep a constant rotation of crackers going. There’s always some discard ready to turn into dough, some dough chilling in the fridge, or some crackers in the big jar on the counter.

We like a salt and pepper flavour of crackers. It’s fairly simple and subtle, so the sourdough tang comes through. We’ve also done an italian herb mix for these and they turned out great. You can swap out your seasoning of choice to replace the pepper.

How I settled on my sourdough discard crackers

I tried a handful of different cracker recipes over the last few months, and after getting the gist of the basic ingredients, this is what I’ve settled on. Some people just make sourdough discard crackers with the sourdough discard and some spices—they don’t even add more flour, butter, or anything.

We like our sourdough discard crackers to be a bit softer. They’re almost like a pita in the center of the pan, while the outside pieces get a little crunchier. This comes from rolling out the dough a bit thicker, and baking for a few minutes less.

For a crunchier cracker, you can use the same recipe just roll it out extremely thin and bake a few more minutes until the crackers are golden brown. I pull mine out of the oven when the edges are browning, but not the middle of the pan.

Easy sourdough discard crackers recipe

As I mentioned, I’m a busy person. That means I like recipes that are easy to make while wearing a baby and entertaining a toddler! These sourdough discard crackers check every box in the ease department.

I also like minimal recipes. Don’t come at me with a 20-step, 20-ingredient recipe.

These sourdough discard crackers are just 6 ingredients:

• Sourdough discard or bubbly sourdough if you want. If I’m making a big batch and haven’t collected enough discard in the days prior to baking these, I’ll set aside the discard in the morning, feed my starter however much I want for the crackers, and add that to my discard supply. They’re just a bit fluffier if you use the bubbly starter, but there’s no rise time so they won’t puff up too much.
• Melted butter, cooled. Don’t put hot butter directly into the sourdough! Let it cool a bit first.
• Flour. All purpose works. I just look for unbleached, but otherwise am not picky.
• Salt and pepper. Or whatever flavoring you like, but we love the salt and pepper style cracker! Fresh cracked black pepper plus grainy salt. Yum!
• Olive oil. Lightly brush your crackers with about a tablespoon of olive oil for each tray before putting them in the oven.

Sourdough discard crackers recipe

Makes: 2 cookie sheets of crackers

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Chill: 30 minutes

Bake: 18 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sourdough discard
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Recipe

1. Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the microwave in 30-second bursts. Set this aside to cool a bit.
2. Add the sourdough discard, pepper, and salt to the butter. Mix well with a spatula.
3. Add half the flour to the other ingredients. You may need to use your hands at this point to create a dough ball. Sprinkle in the remaining flour to form a doughy ball. It shouldn’t crumble, but also not too sticky.
4. Cut the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll these into a ball and set in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes..
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Roll the dough with a rolling pin on a clean surface. The dough shouldn’t stick if the consistency is right, although you can dust your work area with a bit of flour if you’d like.
7. Move the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Brush the dough with olive oil, score the lines of each cracker with a knife, and sprinkle more salt and pepper on top to taste.
9. Bake the crackers for 18 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the middle feels firm when you tap it.

Notes and tips for sourdough discard crackers

Here’s a few extra things to keep in mind when baking these sourdough discard crackers!

• You can easily bake these in ratios versus a set amount. This is helpful when I have lots of sourdough discard to use up. Think of the sourdough to flour as a 1:1 ratio. This will make a sticky dough. Then for every 1 part flour or sourdough starter, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Start with 1 teaspoon of salt for the above, then add more salt and pepper to taste.
• You can bake the dough immediately after chilling. However, I often make the dough as I have time, then roll them out and bake when our cracker jar needs a refill. The dough will keep in the fridge for a few days, but I always bake within 3-4 days.
• If baking the crackers immediately after they chill, they can go directly in the fridge uncovered. If you plan to wait longer than 30 minutes to bake, put the dough balls in an airtight container so a crust doesn’t form.
• This recipe makes sourdough discard crackers that resemble pita texture and thickness. For a crunchier version, roll the dough to be even more thin and bake a couple minutes longer until golden brown.
• How much flour you need to add will depend on the ripeness of your sourdough discard. If your dough is stickier, you may need a bit more flour. If your dough is dry, add a little less than suggested.
• For different cracker flavours, swap the cracked black pepper for another seasoning. Italian herbs are another favourite.

How to store your crackers

These crackers can stay fresh on the counter at room temperature for up to 7 days… Although they never last more than a few days in our house! I like to keep them in a large glass jar. They look as great as they taste on the counter.