Sourdough Crackers Are A Crispy And Tasty Treat!
These simple sourdough crackers answer the question, “What can you do with discarded sourdough starter?” Mix together your sourdough discard with a few basic pantry staples, roll, cut, and bake! No rising time required. Homemade za’atar spice takes the sourdough crackers to the next level.
What’s The Big Deal With Sourdough Bread?
You’ve probably heard the buzz about sourdough bread. This time of year it seems like everyone is jumping on the sourdough wagon and rightfully so. Sourdough bread is naturally leavened using a fermented culture called starter. To learn more about sourdough starter, including how to make your own, check out this post on How To Make A Sourdough Starter.
In addition to being exceptionally delicious, sourdough is also good for you! The fermented bacteria from sourdough starter adds to the probiotic flora in your gut, which is 100% a good thing. That being said, keep in mind sourdough is still bread. Everything in moderation right?
Setting A Goal For Less Waste
Here at BAKED we’re doing our best to reduce the amount of waste we incur in our households. Small things like ditching plastic bags, meal planning, composting, and switching from single-use plastic to reusable glass containers can add up!
As huge sourdough fans, we struggle with throwing away sourdough discard each time we feed our starters. For this reason, we are working on a series of easy sourdough discard recipes.
What Can You Do With Discarded Sourdough Starter?
Sourdough starter is a natural leavener. In bread-making, starter replaces traditional yeast. We’ve got a great recipe for New York-style Sourdough Bagels where we’ve used sourdough starter in place of yeast, and we’re now playing with using sourdough discard in recipes. Any recipe with baking powder or baking soda is fair game!
These sourdough crackers are a perfect sourdough discard recipe because you probably have most of the items already in your pantry, and with no rising required, they don’t take long to make.
Sourdough discard is usually deflated compared to a freshly fed starter. Recipes with little to no leavener – yeast, baking soda, or baking powder – are a natural fit.
What Is Za’Atar?
These days, za’atar is probably best known as a Middle Eastern spice blend. You can add za’atar to food while cooking, use it in or on top of baked goods, or as a condiment for finished dishes. We’ve made our za’atar with dried oregano, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, sumac, and kosher salt.
In a small pan over medium heat, toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. Place the toasted cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder and grind them to a fine powder. Mix with the other za’atar ingredients and keep in a small jar with an airtight lid.
Don’t like za’atar? No problem. Feel free to top your crackers simply with olive oil and a really nice flaky salt, everything bagel seasoning, or toasted sesame seeds. You can also incorporate up to 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs into your cracker dough before baking. Finish them off with olive oil and flaky salt, as well.
What Is Unfed Sourdough Starter? Why Would You Use It?
Active sourdough starter is generally frothy, bubbly, and light. Unfed starter is simply sourdough starter you haven’t given fresh flour or water to. Most times all of the bubbles and fermented gases have deflated in unfed starter. Sourdough discard adds tangy flavour, healthy bacteria, and light leavening to recipes that call for baking soda or baking powder.
Want More Sourdough Recipes? Check out:
25% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Overnight Sourdough Spelt Waffles
Sourdough Crackers With Homemade Za'atar
A simple rolled cracker recipe using discarded sourdough starter. A sprinkle of homemade za'atar spice takes the sourdough crackers to the next level.
Ingredients
Za’atar Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp sumac
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cracker Ingredients
- ½ cup (75g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60g) whole wheat flour
- ¾ tsp (3g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (250g) unfed sourdough starter
- ¼ cup (53g) olive oil, plus more for brushing
- Flaky salt, like Maldon, for topping
Instructions
- In a small pan over medium heat, toast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. Place in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. Combine this powder with the remaining za’atar ingredients and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, sourdough starter, and olive oil together to make a smooth dough. Knead for about 30 seconds, or until the dough looks consistent and feels pliable in your hands.
- Divide the dough in half and, on a piece of parchment paper or a silpat, flatten each piece into a small rectangle.
- Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough to about 1/16" thick. The dough will have misshapen edges; that's part of its charm! Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1 ½" squares.
- Transfer the dough and parchment or silpat together onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of the sourdough crackers with olive oil. Sprinkle the tops of the crackers generously with za’atar and some flaky salt.
- Bake crackers for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, or until the squares are starting to brown around the edges.
- Cool fully, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.
Notes
Toasting and grinding the seeds yourself will yield the freshest, most vibrant flavour, however you can use pre-ground cumin and coriander in a pinch.
Don't like za'atar? No problem. Feel free to top your crackers simply with olive oil and a really nice flaky salt, everything bagel seasoning, or toasted sesame seeds and salt. You can also incorporate up to 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs into your cracker dough before baking. Don't forget to top with olive oil and flaky salt.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 176Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 388mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 0gProtein: 5g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
Natalia Zamora says
I made them and they are soooo good. Definitely next time will double or triple the recipe. Thank you!!
Erin B says
Thank you for this discard recipe. It is truly wonderful and also so forgiving. I’ve been making them since I started my starter a couple of weeks ago and now my family might love these even more than sourdough bread. They are addictive. I’ve made this variety you’ve posted here which is really great, but have also made them with different oils and additions. Yesterday’s was coconut oil, black pepper, curry, turmeric and cumin seed. Today’s is brown butter, rosemary, lemon zest and chopped pecans. The possibilities are endless!! I’ve been sharing the recipe with all the people to whom I’ve given starter so they can have fun with it too!
Kris Osborne says
Love this! And love these suggestions! Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Whitney B says
This was too easy. Thank you so much for sharing. I used recently fed starter which caused the crackers to puff a bit and required more time in the oven. A garlic-onion seasoning on top. I’m inspired by Erin B’s comment above and look forward to playing around with variations.
Katherine says
Excellent! And love that they’re vegan with simple ingredients! Instead of cumin & coriander, I used caraway seeds. I could eat the whole bowl of these!
Taylor says
Thanks for this amazing recipe! Super easy and turned out so good! Instead of Zaatar, I added thyme to the dough and then sprinkled with dried sage! Glad I have a go to recipe for my sourdough discard now! :)
Deb says
Made these for the first time today and they were outstanding and a great use of the starter discard.
I have been using my discard mostly for pretzels so nice to have an alternate recipe for discard.
I thought rolling the dough so thin would be hard to do but dough was very easy to work with… will try them again next week as I am sure like noted earlier they will be addictive…..
Next time will try a little more olive oil on them as I wasn’t sure how much to use for the first time and the za’atar falls off a bit but still tastes great with a side of hummus.
Thank you so much
Sujata says
These are SO delicious, halved the recipe and topped ‘everything Bagel’ seasoning and they’re such a delicious snack!
Beau says
Wow! Made these first time today as a lunchbox snack for the kids and I’m so impressed. So simple and enjoyable to make and bake and the flavour is delightful! We had a zatar mix in the pantry so added that on top of some olive oil, but I cannot wait to experiment with lots of other flavours. Thanks so much for sharing!
Ingrid says
Hello! I made these using my homemade sourdough. I’m not a newbie with baking but I am with sourdough. When I put this together the dough came out on the wet side. Is this normal? I assumed that this recipe is forgiving so I just added more flour taking care not to add too much.
It came out well and yummy nonetheless. Thank you.
Kris Osborne says
Hi Ingrid, Not sure if you used the weight or volume measurements or if our flours are different, but the dough definitely shouldn’t be wet. That said, you’re right that the dough is very forgiving. Just add until it’s malleable and rollable. :) Glad to hear that you liked them!
Erin B says
I commented earlier in the stream but I also wanted to mention another fun thing I’ve been doing with this dough to get it SUPER thin. I divide the dough ball into quarters and then crank each quarter through my pasta roller, making it consecutively thinner each time I pass it through. If I’m gentle with it it doesn’t tear. It comes out in paper thin, wide strips, with nicely rustic edges. I like to score them before baking so they break easily into long triangular shaped wedges after baking. I haven’t found a flavor combination I don’t like yet! These are excellent no matter what!
Kelly Neil says
This is SUCH a great idea and we are trying it immediately! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing!
Pat says
So I ordered the attachment for my kitchen aid, because your crackers sounded delicious!
Kris Osborne says
Pat, you can make them without the attachment. A reader was suggesting that you could get the dough super thin if you used the pasta attachment I’ve tried this with a different cracker dough recipe and it worked really well. I assume it would work beautifully here, as well, if you want that ultra-thin texture. Otherwise, just roll and bake! :)
Mal says
Amazing crackers! Have made these several times and they’re awesome!