I’m not going to lie. These sourdough discard crackers are too good and too easy.
Way, way, way too easy. If you have an hour, some sourdough starter discard, olive oil and salt you can whip up a batch of the crispiest crunchiest crackers with incredibly big sourdough flavor. I apologize in advance if you get addicted to these crackers. But at least we can be addicted together.
100% Hydration Sourdough Starter
This recipe calls for a sourdough starter discard that is 100% hydration. For those of you not familiar with this term it means that the flour and water weight are equal. I keep my starter at 100% hydration so I can have a consistent starter for writing recipes. All my recipes now call for 100% hydration starter. While it’s not critical to the success of sourdough baking it keeps things much more organized and makes following my recipes a lot easier.
If you are new to sourdough or want to refresh your memory on some of the most used terms, health benefits and instructions you can visit my free sourdough guide, Demystifying Sourdough – Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Sourdough Starter – Why It’s Better For You – And How To Start One.
What Makes These Crackers So Easy?
No Extra Fermenting
One of the most exciting things about these delicious crackers is the fact that you don’t need to take the time to further ferment the dough. You will be using fully fermented sourdough discard, most likely the portion that you remove from your sourdough jar prior to feeding in the preparation for baking. Fully fermented = easy to digest and more nutritious!
No Rolling Needed
I’ve written other sourdough cracker recipes like my Rustic Sourdough Butter Crackers and my Sourdough Cheddar Crackers. They both start with a stiff dough that ferments overnight and and then needs to be rolled really thin the next day. I love those recipes but the ease of this no roll batter is astounding.
The lightest and crispiest sourdough discard crackers with the best flavor.
- 340 Grams Sourdough Starter Discard 1 1/3 Cup at 100% Hydration Starter (stirred down)
- 60 Grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 Cup
- 5-7 Grams Salt 1 Teaspoon
- 4 Grams Dried Rosemary 2 Tablespoons, Divided
Preheat oven to 325°.
In a large bowl combine the discard, olive oil, salt and half the rosemary. Whisk well to combine. The batter should be smooth without any visible oiliness.
Line a half sheet pan (18x13) with parchment paper. Spread the batter out to the edges of the pan in a smooth even layer.
Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining rosemary and some (2 grams) flaky salt if desired.
Place the sheet pan in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the pan and use a pizza cutter to score the batter into cracker sized squares. Or you can skip this step and break the crackers when fully cooked.
Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for 30 more minutes.
Remove the baked crackers from the oven and allow them to cool completely before breaking them along the scored lines. Store them in an air tight container.
Do have to calories, fat and carb info for these by any chance ?
Hi Lucy,
No, I’m sorry I do not. I personally don’t count calories, carbs, and especially fat! I try to eat healthy real food and not worry about counting anything (except the dollars I spend on local organic meat and produce 😉). Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Courtney
If you calculate based on 6 servings it’s 185 calories per serving; the total bake is 1107 calories:
– 567 calories from the flour (100 cal/ 30 g)
– 540 calories from the olive oil (9 cal/ g)
Hi Emmeline,
Thanks for the nutrition info!
I am SO excited to give these a try and have them in the oven as we speak! Thank you for this recipe—as a new to sourdough but not new to kitchen and garden adventures, I’m so happy to add this my repetoire!
As for the nutritional information for anyone who may be interested…..myfitnesspal is a GREAT resource to figure all of this out, per serving, per ‘recipe’ that you can manually add all of the ingredients to, as per whatever you put in the recipe. You can also enter in a link of a recipe that you found on a blog or pinterest, and it will automatically search for ingredients and match them. http://www.myfitnesspal.com (Ps. I am just a personal user of this website, not sponsored in any way)
I do not ‘count calories, carbs, fat, etc.’ either, however this information is VITAL to my own health as a type 1 diabetic, and to others for health reasons too! (For example, at breakfast time, I am required to dose insulin based on an insulin:carb ratio of 1:3 (net carbs, meaning carb Total carb minus fibre), and the fat and protein content of food consumed can also impact the absorption rate, timing of insulin dosage, etc, etc. And at lunch, the ratio for me is 1:4, dinner is 1:9….and this is very personal, as with any prescription medication. Knowing what is in food is so important for many people. While some online recipe content creators have a sensitivity to this, many (most) do not, which also ok and can’t really be expected. As the creator of this content, you are not super concerned with “counting”….some people just simply have to, which is also ok! Thanks again for this recipe and for your sensitivity to those who actually do need to “count”.
Thank you Sarah for the the great feedback and thoughtful note! Hope you love the crackers!
Thank you for the recipe. I have been looking for an easy and practical way to use up our sourdough discard and will look no further as the crackers are fantastic!
I cut back 10 grams on the olive oil and they came our really good. I will use the full amount in the next batch for comparison.
Cheers,
Hi John!
You are so welcome, I’m so happy you enjoyed them 😃 Notes like these make my day!
Please let us know which formula you like better.
Courtney
Courtney, these are AMAZING!!! Love how easy they are to make. I don’t mess with the parchment liner, just smear the pan with a thin coat of olive oil. EVERYONE loves these – even my 3-year-old grandson wouldn’t stop eating them! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Rebecca! This makes me smile from ear to ear! Thank you for the feedback!
Courtney
Way too much olive oil for me. My second batch I cut back to btwn 20 and 30 grams and they were so much better, texture and flavor-wise. I used herbs de Provence for my first batch and Everything but the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s for the second. This recipe is so much more simple than making the dough, letting it rest, and rolling out process I used to do. I also like the intense sourdough flavor of these. Definitely a keeper, especially with adjustment in amnt of oil.
Thank you for your feedback Erin. I think it’s great that you adjusted the recipe for your tastes!
I’m trying to reinvigorate a couple of starters from frozen and dried to see which came back better, so a fair amount of discard on my hands. I also cut the oil back by about a tablespoon, and had fresh rosemary and the result was delicious and it’s such a quick, easy recipe.
I also like the strong sourdough taste.
Winner! Thankyou!
Hi Laura!
You are so welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. It is definitely my favorite way to use extra sourdough starter!
Courtney
My crackers looked like a dry lake bed. Is this something to do with my starter’s hydration level?
Hi Marisa,
I’m so sorry to hear that. Is your starter at 100% hydration by weight? Can I see a photo? You can email me at courtney@butterforall.com
I’ll do my best to help you figure out the problem!
Looking forward to your email!
Courtney
Great recipe! Thank you!
Thanks Tonya!
I made these this morning. Love that the recipe doesn’t require storing dough in the fridge or rolling it out. This was my first sourdough recipe from my very new starter. I LOVE not wasting the discard when you feed the starter. Thank you for sharing. The video and this post were very helpful.
Hi Dawne!
I’m so glad you found them helpful. Thanks for the nice feedback!
Courtney
I would like to try this recipe, but need some help: the temperature 325, is it fahrenheit or celsius?
many thanks
Hi Jane,
That is Fahrenheit. Also watch them closely if you have a hot oven, it’s best to turn them off sooner rather than later and let them dry in a lower temp!
Hope that you enjoy them!
Courtney
I do not have enough starter to make these crackers. I have about 2 cups. How often can I feed it to get more than enough to make these crackers?
How much water and flour?
And do I leave it out of the fridge while I am feeding it?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Hi Carrie,
You want to feed it by weight, equal weights flour and water. One large feeding will be enough. I typically keep between 400-500 grams of starter on hand. This guideHow To Feed Your Sourdough Starter For Successful Baking outlines how I use, refresh, and keep my starter. Feel free to ask additional questions if needed!
Good luck,
Courtney
I will read that post. I see so many of your recipes I want to try.
Thank you Courtney
Thank you so much for this! The sourdough taste was fantastic. I thought the oil was going to be too much, but I really like the texture. Also, right after it came out of the oven I sprinkled on more flaky salt, and I drizzled honey all over it. So they were phenomenal.
Wow Becca!
You are blowing my mind by adding honey! That sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for the nice feedback!
Courtney
OMG!! Love these. My husband got on a sourdough bread making kick, and I hated to see the discard wasted. Problem solved! Delicious with carrot cashew pate. YUM!
Hi Cathy!
Thanks for the nice note! Your carrot cashew pate sounds incredible too. Great combo!
Courtney
Dear Courtney, thanks for this excellent recipe! It’s so quick and easy to use only the starter – without additional flour… We just ate the whole bunch and tomorrow I plan to give the cheddar-version a try…
Would you mind if I put a german version of this on my very tiny blog?
Thank you, Nanni
Hi Nanni!
Thank you so much for asking first! I really appreciate it! I’d be honored if you shared the recipe in German, I only ask that you link back to my recipe and website and use your own photos. I don’t usually say yes to this request but I checked out your blog and it is so lovely. I’m honestly hoping you will translate the cookie recipe for me! 😉 They look incredible!
I hope you enjoy the cheddar crackers!
Courtney
Hi Coutney, thank you so much! I’ll put it on top of my “to-write-list” and of course I will link back to you 🙂
Would you really like a translation of the cookie recipe? I made it up by myself and it is quite easy…
Btw, Cheddar Crackers are in the oven right now…
Nanni
I tried the recipe but unfortunately the crackers stuck to the paper! They were completely unusable and I had to toss them. Should I try it on a pan and oil it?
Hi Catherine,
I’m so sorry to hear that. Make sure you use parchment paper and not wax paper! Wax paper will stick to anything baked. I have had people say they cooked well on a pan even without oil so you could definitely do that!
Hope the next batch is a better success!
Courtney
My crackers came out hideously burned at the back! I followed the recipe and rotated the pan after I scored the crackers. Any ideas of what I could have done wrong?
Hi Katie,
I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s probably not anything you did. Your oven may just be calibrated hotter than mine. Reduce the heat by 25f next time you try them. Also make sure you use a very flat pan so the batter doesn’t get too thin in one area. And (I know this one from experience) make sure you turn the oven OFF to let the crackers cool completely with the door ajar.
Hope this helps,
Courtney
Hi Courtney, great and easy recipe for discard which I have always wanted to use up with minimum fuss. I reduced the oil too and found it was still crispy and delicious. Thanks for this recipe – appreciate it.
Hi Wendy,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave your experience and feedback. People will be happy to know it still works with a reduction in the oil!
Happy Baking!
Courtney
Hi Courtney, I’m going to make these tonight and wonder how to add Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast ? Also, I’m not a fan of strong sourdough. Can I add some baking soda to tame it some?
Hi Mary!
I have a Parmesan version of this cracker, find the recipe hereButtery Parmesan Sourdough Discard Crackers.
If you use a less mature starter you will avoid the strong flavor. Often I will purposely overfeed my starter to make enough for crackers the next day. I rarely use starter discard older than one week. But I wouldn’t add baking soda. I don’t know that it would do anything. I do have cracker recipes that use active starter and a stiffer dough, they will not be as sour as a discard cracker. Find them hereRustic Sourdough Butter Crackers.
Hope that helps!
Courtney
For some reason mine shrunk and curled a bit so they lifted off the paper. Not sure if the oven was too hot or if there is something wrong with the discarded sourdough.
Hi Vanessa,
I guess the question is, how do they taste? I can see why a flat cracker would be preferable, you can try docking each cracker with a fork at the halfway point when they are cut. Otherwise, if you feel they were too hot, turn the oven down 25º.
Hope that helps!
Courtney