If you're like me and have been making a lot of sourdough bread, and HATE wasting your discard after feedings. This is a super simple cracker recipe that takes no time to make and is a major crowd pleaser. More on that later, BUT FIRST, THE RECIPE! More tips and tricks in my post AFTER the recipe!
Ever since I started baking sourdough at the beginning of this year I've hated how much discard I would dump down the drain during feeds. This recipe is great whether your starter is young or old this recipe will definitely be a hit while cutting down on kitchen waste. Best part is you really only need 3 ingredients. Sourdough discard, olive oil, and flour.
Now for your sourdough discard there are some things you can do to really optimize the flavor. I like my crackers to be SUPER sour so I collect all my discard from a few feedings in a bowl in the fridge and let it ferment for a few days until a "hooch" develops. A hooch is just a thin clear(ish) grey alcohol that develops from the fermentation of the starter. If you stir that into the starter before using it you will get a really well defined sour flavor.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees
Then you'll want to mix 2/3 cup of your starter discard with 3 tablespoons of olive oil until its well combined and smooth.
Mix in your flour. I like to use a spatula at the beginning to really scrape down the sides. A ball will begin to form and you'll want to use your hands to knead the dough to break up any flour pockets until a smooth ball forms. You'll want to let the dough rest for about 15-30 minutes.
After your dough rests you'll want to divide your dough into two pieces. You'll only be able to fit 1/2 of the dough onto a baking sheet at a time and you can prep two different seasonings at a time. I like to flatten each ball out a little bit and slowly fold and knead more seasoning into the dough until the taste is right and is well mixed. This is great time to sample the dough to make sure its seasoned to your liking.
Set one of the dough balls aside and begin to roll the other one out. You shouldn't need to flour your work surface or your rolling pin. I've never had the dough stick due to the oil content. Keep rolling your dough until its about 1/8 inch thick. You can pull your dough off your work surface and flip and rotate it to help keep a regular shape. You'll want to keep it even and pretty thin so that your crackers crisp up in the oven.
I like to use a rolling biscuit cutter to give my crackers an even shape with nice edges. No worries if you don't have one of these. You can just cut the dough with a sharp knife into approximately 1 inch by 1 inch squares.
Lift the crackers from your work surface gently and place onto a baking sheet. Don't worry too much about the placement. These crackers do not spread in the oven so you can place them pretty close together to get them to fit on your baking sheet. If you're having trouble lifting the crackers from your surface I've used a sharp knife to lift the corner of the cracker to pull it off the counter.
I like to put more of the seasoning that I used in the dough on top of the crackers as well, for flavor and for looks. To help the seasoning stick and to help the crackers crisp up I've found that a spray olive oil provides just enough coverage for the spices to stick without over oiling the crackers. If you're using a larger spice mix like bagel seasoning I recommend lightly pressing the seasoning into the cracker to help the seasoning stick as well.
Now your final step! Pop that sheet in the oven for 9 minutes. After 9 minutes give the tray a bit of a jiggle to see if the crackers are separating from the tray (It's good if they move around! It means they're drying out). Rotate the tray and pop them back in the oven for another 9 minutes. Check your crackers after the second timer and if they are turning a golden brown on the edges they're done! Repeat all these steps with your second batch of dough and you're done.
These crackers are great on their own, or you can serve them with hummus or place them on your next cheeseboard. We usually finish off a batch of these in one sitting, maybe 2 ;)
Enjoy and get cooking!
xoxo Emily
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