The Best Way to Use Your Sourdough Discard
If you maintain a sourdough starter, you are intimately familiar with "discard"—the portion of your starter you have to remove before each feeding. Throwing it away can feel incredibly wasteful. But what if that discard could be transformed into the most crisp, savory, and addictive crackers you've ever tasted?
This sourdough discard cracker recipe is one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to answer the question, "what to do with sourdough discard?" It requires minimal effort, comes together in minutes, and is a perfect example of zero waste baking.
The "No-Measure" Method (Flexible and Easy)
This easy cracker recipe is more of a method than a strict formula. You can easily scale it up or down depending on how much discard you have.
The Ingredients:
- Sourdough Discard: About 1 cup (straight from the fridge is fine; it doesn't need to be active).
- Fat: 2-3 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil (butter adds a richer flavor).
- Flour: About 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (you might need a little more or less).
- Herbs & Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, or an Italian blend work well).
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Topping: Flaky sea salt (like Maldon) for sprinkling.
The Method:
Preheat Your Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Combine the Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine your sourdough discard, melted butter or olive oil, flour, dried herbs, garlic powder, and salt.
Mix to Form a Dough: Mix with a spatula or your hands until a stiff, shaggy dough forms. It should not be overly sticky. If it feels too wet, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
Roll it Thin:
- Split the dough in half.
- Place one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out as thin as you possibly can. This is the secret to a crispy cracker. Aim for about 1/16 of an inch thick—almost translucent. The thinner, the better.
Score and Season:
- Remove the top layer of parchment paper.
- Lightly brush the surface of the dough with a little more melted butter or olive oil (optional, but adds flavor).
- Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.
- Using a pizza cutter or a knife, score the dough into cracker shapes (squares, diamonds, whatever you like). You don't need to cut all the way through; this just allows you to easily snap them apart after baking.
Bake:
- Slide the parchment paper with the dough onto a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on them! They are done when they are golden brown and crispy, especially around the edges. The crackers in the center may need a few extra minutes, so you can pull the browned crackers from the edges and return the sheet to the oven.
Cool: Let the crackers cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, they will crisp up even more, and you can snap them apart along your score lines.
Store your homemade sourdough discard crackers in an airtight container at room temperature. They are perfect on their own, with cheese, or for dipping in hummus. This simple act of turning "waste" into something delicious is one of the most rewarding parts of baking with sourdough starter.