Sourdough discard crackers

Sourdough discard crackers turn unfed starter into thin, snappy crackers in about an hour of active work. Mix 200g discard with 60g flour, 40g oil, salt, and herbs, then rest the dough, roll it paper-thin, and bake at 175C/350F until deep gold and crisp. They keep for two weeks in a sealed tin and beat anything boxed.

Why discard works here

Discard is just flour and water that has fermented, so it already carries flavor and a little tang. You do not need it active or bubbly. Cold discard straight from the fridge is fine, even discard that has been sitting for a week. The bake kills any rise you might want, so a flat, sour starter is exactly what you want for crackers.

If your discard jar is overflowing, this recipe is the fastest way to clear it. For the basics of keeping a starter healthy, see feeding your starter.

Ingredients

This makes roughly two large baking sheets, about 60-80 crackers depending on how you cut them.

Ingredient	Weight
Sourdough discard (100% hydration)	200g
All-purpose or bread flour	60g
Olive oil or melted butter	40g
Fine salt	4g
Dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, or za’atar)	4g
Flaky salt for topping	to taste

A few notes on the amounts. The 40g of fat is what makes them snap instead of bend, so do not cut it. If your discard is thicker than pancake batter, add a splash of water. If it is thin and runny, add another 10-15g flour until the dough just holds together.

Steps

1. Combine the discard, flour, oil, fine salt, and dried herbs in a bowl. Stir with a spatula until it forms a shaggy, slightly sticky dough. It should pull away from the sides but still feel soft.
2. Knead gently in the bowl for 30 seconds, just enough to bring it together. Cover and rest 30 minutes at room temperature. This relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls thin without springing back.
3. Heat the oven to 175C/350F. Line two sheets with parchment.
4. Split the dough in half. Roll the first piece directly on a sheet of parchment to about 1.5-2mm thick, thinner than a coin. The thinner you go, the crisper the result.
5. Brush the surface lightly with oil or water, then scatter flaky salt and any extra herbs. Press them in with the rolling pin so they stick.
6. Cut into squares or strips with a pizza wheel or knife. Prick each one with a fork so they bake flat instead of puffing.
7. Bake 18-25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway. Pull them when the edges are deep gold and the centers feel dry and firm. The thin edges brown first, so watch the last few minutes closely.
8. Cool fully on the sheet. They crisp as they cool, so a cracker that feels slightly bendy when hot will set hard once cold.

Timings are estimates. Oven temperatures drift, and roll thickness changes everything, so judge by color and feel rather than the clock. If the centers are still leathery after cooling, return them to a 150C/300F oven for 5 minutes.

Flavor swaps

The base recipe takes well to changes. Try cracked black pepper and grated parmesan worked into the dough, or swap the herbs for 5g of everything-bagel seasoning on top. For a sweeter version, drop the herbs, cut the salt to 2g, and dust with cinnamon sugar after they come out.

Storage

Once fully cool, stack them in an airtight tin or jar. They stay crisp for around two weeks. If they soften from humidity, a quick 5-minute pass at 150C/300F brings the snap right back.

Want to scale a batch up or down? Run your discard weight through the hydration calculator to keep the dough consistent.