Herby Sourdough Discard Crackers

Sourdough discard crackers are a great way to avoid waste in your kitchen. The tangy, cheesy flavor profile of the natural lactic acid found in sourdough discard pairs perfectly with olive oil, parmesan, and herbs of your choice. Feel free to leave out the cheese for a vegan snack that will still taste a lot like a Cheez-It! 

I recommend storing a container of sourdough discard in your freezer and adding to it after each discard and feeding of your starter. When your container is full, it's time to make these crackers.

Yield: ~40 crackers

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 cup (227 g) sourdough starter discard
• 1⁄4 cup (50 g) olive oil
• 1 cup (120 g) Janie's Mill flour 
• I typically make these crackers with Turkey Red flour, but they will work with any Janie's Mill flour you have on hand.
• 3 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons cheese powder (optional)

For the olive oil topping:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Your choice of thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano
• Finely grated parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. Thoroughly mix your sourdough starter discard and olive oil. Add your flour, salt, nutritional yeast, spices, herbs, and cheese powder.
2. Mix with your hands until the dough comes together, and no dry spots remain. Add olive oil or flour until you find the right consistency. The dough should be malleable and soft, but not sticky to the touch.
3. Divide your dough into 2 balls. Preheat the oven to 375F.
4. Roll each ball out onto a silicone baking mat or onto parchment paper that fits the size of your baking sheet. Roll the dough out as thin as possible so that it covers the entirety of your baking mat or parchment paper.
5. Score the dough into ~3 inch squares using a pizza cutter or knife and slide onto a baking sheet.
6. Brush the dough with your favorite combination of olive oil, herbs, and spices.
7. Top with cheese, if desired, and bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges of the crackers are just turning brown. These crackers can go from underbaked to overbaked very quickly, so watch them closely!
8. Let the crackers cool on the tray, separate, and enjoy. The crackers will lose their crispiness over time but can be stored in a dry, airtight container for 1 week.

Note: After baking, the edge pieces of your cracker sheet will be crispy but the center crackers may be a bit chewy. They are fine to eat as is, but you can also further dehydrate your crackers to crisp them all up! To do so, separate your crackers and spread them evenly on a baking sheet. I bake them for around 20 minutes on my oven's lowest setting of 170F. If your oven has a dehydrate setting, this is a good time to put that to use! Check frequently to be sure you don't overdry the crackers.