SOURDOUGH DISCARD CRACKERS RECIPES

The sourdough discard is any starter excess that you’ve got to remove when feeding your starter. Discard is necessary, otherwise you will end up with an unmanageable amount of starter. Not only this, but also the starter will start becoming more and more acidic. The discard should not be fed again.

I rarely have much discard, since I optimise the feeds in such a way to have little carryover (starter left) from one feed to another. Here is my sourdough starter maintenance routine, if you’re curious to understand how I’ve been maintaining my starter over the last 4 years.

The easiest & quickest way to use up any discard you might have is to make sourdough discard crackers. In this post, I am going to share 3 different recipes, one simpler than another, depending on how much time you’ve got on your hands.

The recipes are easily scalable up or down, use %. Do no stress too much about not being exact, the dough for the crackers is very forgiving, nothing like the one for bread.

[Don’t wait for too long to use the discard.The longer you left it in the fridge, the more sour/acidic it will become, which may affect the flavour of the bakes. I tend not to use discard older than a week, in fact I use it as quickly as I can. But of course, it’s up to you!]

[Any other flour would do. However if you have a whole grain flour in the cupboard, use that for an additional boost of flavour]

RECIPE 1

For a handful of crackers

INGREDIENTS

75g discard

50-55g emmer flour

10-15g poppy seeds (your choice of seeds, you can also add more of them too)

few drops of olive oil (make it 5g)

a pinch of salt (or more if you prefer things saltier, none if you bake for kids)

step by step

In a bowl, mix all ingredients and give it a light knead. You might want to remove the dough from the bowl on the counter to facilitate the kneading. If the dough feels too wet, add more flour. It will be a bit moist, but not overly wet

Let the dough rest on the counter for 30min or so. Cover it with a bowl (upside down), so that it doesn’t dry out. Or use a plastic film.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough in a thin sheet (2-3mm). Lightly dust the working surface so that the dough doesn’t stick

You can now cut the dough into pieces. You may use a knife or scraper or even a pasta tool if you have one, like I did.

Pre heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Depending on how crunchy you prefer the crackers, bake it for 15-20min

[You can also bake it as a one piece and break it in pieces once baked. If it’s one piece, might need an extra 5min]

recipe 2

INGREDIENTS

100g discard

50g of seeds (my favourites are chia, sesame & pumpkin)

a pinch of salt (or more if you prefer things saltier, none if you bake for kids)

step by step

In a bowl, mix all ingredients and stir well with a whisk, spoon or spatula.

Optional: Let the mixture rest for 30min or even longer if you have to.

Using a spatula, on a parchment paper spread the mixture in a thin layer (3-4mm). You can either spread it in small chunks or in a large sheet.

Pre heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Depending on how crunchy you prefer the crackers, bake it for 15-20min

Enjoy your sourdough discard crackers 🙂

recipe 3

INGREDIENTS

75g discard

120g flour (of your choice)

30-35g water (depending on the flour you use)

3g salt

10g olive oil

step by step

Mix everything together and give it a light knead. Leave the dough rest for 30minutes on the counter. I cover it with the bowl itself (upside down).

I’ve used the pasta machine to roll the dough into thin layers, but you can also use a rolling pin.

Cut in pieces and place on parchment paper. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt, sesame, poppy seeds or anything you’d fancy.

Pre heat the oven and bake for 10-12min at 200°C / 390°F (for a golden colour)