Olive Oil Sourdough Discard Crackers

Here is an easy recipe for homemade crackers that features sourdough starter discard and extra virgin olive oil. This recipe can be modified for different flavors and tastes and cuts down on waste.

Is it just me, or is everyone suddenly making sourdough bread? I recently received some sourdough starter from my sister and have turned out a couple of decent boules. But I have to admit, my favorite part is feeding the starter. I'm not alone. Many of my friends have even given their starters names. I haven't gotten that far but I am rather attached to my starter and hate discarding any of it. 

Sourdough starter is made from wild yeast in the air around us and in the flour that we feed it. Every few days, you need to feed your sourdough starter. King Arthur flour recommends putting 4 ounces starter in a container and adding 4 ounces by weight of flour (around 1 cup) and 4 ounces of water. The starter that is leftover from the previous batch is called discard and you are supposed to throw it away! 

If you are anything like me, you just can't throw away food, especially now when flour is so hard to obtain. The good news is that you can use this recipe to create delicious crackers that your whole family will love. Unlike other recipes, this recipe does not call for additional flour, rolling pins or scoring and cutting. 

The total time to prepare this recipe is 2 minutes plus 1 hour for baking.

SOURDOUGH DISCARD CRACKERS

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough discard (220g or 7.76 oz)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300°F (150ºC)
• Mix all ingredients together and pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Pour mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread it thinly.
• Bake for around 1 hour or until lightly browned.  Rotate the pan 1/2 way through. Depending on how wet your starter is, you may need slightly more or less baking time.   
• Allow crackers to cool in the oven and break apart into pieces.

The basic recipe above can be modified in so many exciting ways such as adding herbs, cheese and spices. Its also delicious spread with cheese or smashed avocado.

Here are some suggestions

BBQ FLAVOR SOURDOUGH DISCARD CRACKERS

Follow the basic recipe above but sprinkle on top:

• smoked paprika
• garlic powder
• sugar or brown sugar 

You don't need to measure out the above ingredients. Just add a shake or two from the jar. Its very forgiving.

CHILI FLAVOR SOURDOUGH DISCARD CRACKERS

Follow the basic recipe above by add a tablespoon of chili powder. 

PARMESAN SOURDOUGH DISCARD CRACKERS

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough discard (220g or 7.76 oz)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300°F (150ºC)
• Mix all ingredients together and pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Pour mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread it thinly and place in oven. 
• After 20 minutes sprinkle with sea salt or any course salt. 
• Rotate pan and bake for 30-40 more minutes. Depending on how wet your starter is, you may need slightly more or less baking time.   
• Allow crackers to cool in the oven and break apart into pieces.

In addition to the cracker recipes above, we recommend using olive oil to grease bowls for rising. You can even add olive oil to sourdough loaves, such as in this recipe for Sourdough with olive oil and rosemary.  

(Pictured above: Parmesan and Chili Flavor Sourdough Discard Crackers served with ricotta and grilled vegetable pesto).