Have leftover sourdough discard? You’ll love this easy, homemade sourdough cracker recipe! Cold butter and chilled dough is my secret. You’ll get THE BEST thin and crispy layers. Recipe adapted from my bestselling book: Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
I’m a huge fan of sourdough discard recipes. It’s an easy, practical way to use leftover sourdough discard with very little effort. My favorite recipes include these fluffy sourdough pancakes, sourdough banana bread and this sleeper hit: sourdough Irish soda bread.
But if I’m being honest, initially, sourdough crackers were not at the top of my bucket list. It sounded like too much work! And let’s face it: could homemade crackers (of any kind) really replicate the unique flakiness of a good store-bought cracker?
Skepticism aside, I put sourdough crackers to the test. And I was pleasantly surprised. If you can roll out cookie dough, you can make these crackers! It’s the exact same process but with a savory (not sweet) taste. Speaking of taste, the thin, crisp, flaky layers combined with tangy sourdough discard, nutty Gruyere cheese and fresh, fragrant thyme boasts incredible flavor.
How to Make Sourdough Crackers
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Flour
- Fine sea salt
- Garlic powder
- Sourdough discard
- Cold unsalted butter
- Parmesan cheese
- Gruyere cheese (or cheddar cheese)
- Fresh thyme (or rosemary)
- Water
Make The Dough
Combine the above sourdough discard crackers ingredients, plus 1 tablespoon of water in a food processor (it can be made by hand too). Pulse until tiny crumbs form, adding more water as needed- the dough should hold together when squeezed. Shape into a flat disc, cover in plastic wrap (or a reusable wrap of your choice) and chill for 30 minutes, and up to 2 days.
TIP: Why Do You Have To Chill The Dough? This step allows the flour to hydrate, the gluten to relax and the crackers to puff up, with the help of cold butter, when baked.
Roll & Cut The Dough
Roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thick with a rolling pin. Thin dough = crispy crackers. I do this directly on a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Then cut the dough into shapes. I use a mini cookie cutter with pretty fluted edges. I think the fluted edges give these crackers a nice look. Alternatively, use a sharp knife. Dock the center with a toothpick or a chop stick. Place the sheet pan of dough into the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes. Gather the remaining scraps, re-roll and shape the rest of the dough.
TIP: What’s The Best Cookie Cutters To Buy? I absolutely LOVE this round cookie cutter set. I use it for crackers, cookies, scones etc. The set comes in a protective tin so they don’t bend or get wrecked overtime.
Bake The Crackers
Bake on the center rack @ 325 F for about 15-18 minutes, depending on size. They will puff up and turn light golden brown when ready.
If you happen to roll the dough thicker than 1/8-inch, please do not worry. I tend to do this sometimes when I’m rushing. The crackers will just puff up more and need additional bake time to fully cook through.
Cool the crackers directly on the baking sheet; they will continue to crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight container, up to 3 days.
TIP: Want Crispier Crackers? If the crackers are slightly soft in the center (this could be due to the thickness of the dough), bake them a bit more. Return the tray to a 250 F oven and bake until crispy, about 2-5 minutes. Doing so will extend their shelf life keeping them crispier for longer.
Recipe Variations
Over the years, I’ve made this sourdough cracker recipe with several different ways. You can swap fresh thyme for rosemary which I love, because it adds a complementary buttery note. Cheddar cheese can replace Gruyere cheese. A small portion of whole wheat flour or white spelt flour can be used instead of all purpose flour.
There are two variations I haven’t tried yet: adding dried herbs and spices like dried rosemary or oregano (this flavor combo reminds me of pizza Goldfish) and using olive oil instead of butter. Personally, I wouldn’t mess around with replacing the butter in this recipe. It creates the fabulous flaky, layers!
Anything else?
Read the comment section! Many bakers have made these sourdough crackers with gluten free flour and dairy free ingredients. Others have used the dough to make quiche and galettes! So, don’t let homemade sourdough crackers intimidate you. Serve at your next gathering with wine and cocktails, or as snacks with dips and cut up vegetables. Crackers make cute homemade gifts, too!
More Sourdough Discard Recipes You’ll Love!
- Sourdough Discard 101: Recipes & FAQS Answered (great resource!)
- Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Best Sourdough Pancakes
Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers with Gruyere and Thyme
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 40 minutes:
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 dozen (1 1/2-inch) crackers
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Cold butter and chilled dough are the secret to these easy, homemade sourdough crackers made with sourdough discard. So thin and crispy! Recipe adapted from my book: Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120–125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 cup (appx. 60 g) sourdough discard
- 4 tbsp. (56 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 8 oz. (227 g) Gruyere or cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp. (20 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked, plus extra to serve
- 1 to 4 tbsp. (45 to 60 g) cold water, plus more as needed
Notes
- You will need a mini cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes. I use this set (1 1/2-inch round).
- Swap 1 small sprig of fresh rosemary for thyme
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor, with only 1 tablespoon of water. Pulse until tiny crumbs form. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to bring the dough together if needed. Flatten the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap (or a reusable wrap of your choice), and chill for 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Note: you can make the dough by hand too, with a pastry cutter if you have one.
- Preheat your oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough in half. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out as thin as possible, about 1/8-inch thick. Do this on parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cut the dough using a 1 1/2-inch mini cookie cutter. Alternatively, use a sharp knife. Place onto the lined baking sheet spaced one finger-width apart. Dock the center with a toothpick or the tip of a skinny toothbrush, or leave undocked if you prefer. Chill for 5-10 minutes before baking. Gather the scarps, re-roll and shape again.
- Bake the sourdough crackers on the center rack until puffed and light golden brown, about 15-18 minutes or more, depending on thickness. Cool directly on the sheet pan; they will continue to crisp as they cool. If the crackers are slightly soft in the center due to the thickness of the dough, return to a low oven set to 250 F and bake until crisp.
- Sprinkle with extra thyme leaves to serve.
- Once completely cool, store the crackers in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Keywords: sourdough discard, sourdough starter, sourdough discard recipes, sourdough crackers, gruyere cheese, cheddar cheese, thyme, easy recipe, homemade
Comments
nana says
i made it
it was sOoOo gOoOoOd
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nana says
★★★★★
Andrew Robins says
Mad these by hand. Came out great.
Wondering if these can be made as a twist?
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Mauna Proctor says
I live at a high elevation in Colorado and have had trouble getting my starter to really puff the dough…..Then I remembered the warming oven over my auntie’s stove where she kept potatoes fermenting to make the next batch of bread. I now use the fermenting potato water, instead of plain water, to give my starter the extra lift it needs to make successful bread at high altitude.
Do you think I am in danger of poisoning anyone?
★★★★★
Anna says
Can this recipe be made without any cheese at all? How should it be adapted to ensure the consistency is right?
Asking because a family member can’t stand the taste of cheese (dairy-free cheese alternatives aren’t suitable as they still taste too “cheesy” to them). Thank you!
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Nancy says
All I can say is “Will someone please hide these from me?” They are totally delicious!!
I didn’t want to drive to the store so I used sharp cheddar and pepper jack. They are buttery, cheesy and puffy. This batch disappeared almost right out of the oven. Going out now to buy parmesan and gruyere, gotta try that next. Thank you for your awesome recipes! Oh yeah, gotta buy the book now too LOL
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Carolyn says
Not sure where I went wrong, but could not get these to turn out—possibly because I used shredded instead of grated cheese?
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Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Could be the case… shredded cheese usually contains anti-caking agents and other ingredients that could possible interfere. What exactly was the challenge? Did you make any other changes to the recipe? Thanks!
Carolyn says
No other changes except using the shredded cheese. Every other recipe I’ve tried from your cookbook has turned out great, though!
Lisa says
They turned out great! I used sharp cheddar, and my partner says they are better than Cheez-Its, a BIG seal of approval :)
★★★★★
Margaret says
Any thoughts on freezing the crackers? Would you cut them and freeze before baking or after?
Jane says
Made to accompany Hot Pepper Jelly from last vestiges of summer Jalapeños. Perfect together!
★★★★★
Ellen says
The crackers are fabulous! Is there any way to see the nutrition content?
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Lisa says
I don’t have a food processor; do you think I could make the dough by hand using a pastry cutter? Thank you!
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely! A pastry cutter will 100% work.
Kathryn says
Can’t wait to try this.
Do you think it would be okay to substitute the whole 247 g with grated Cheddar cheese?
8 oz. (227 g) Gruyere cheese, grated
2 tbsp. (20 g) grated Parmesan cheese
Also, wondering if it’d work to just use dried parsley instead of the other herbs?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Kathryn! Yes: I do believe using 247 g of cheddar cheese (instead of the Gruyere and Parmesan) will work. Just a heads up, the Parmesan adds a salty note to the dough so keep that in mind when making this. I wouldn’t use dried parsley- the flavor might be too strong. However, fresh chopped rosemary would be nice.
Pepper says
The recipe says ‘2 tbsp. (20 g) grateS Parmesan cheese’ instead of ‘grated’…
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Emilie Raffa says
Fixed! Thanks for catching that :)
Tinkerbell says
I used your recipe to make dough for a quiche and it came out so good I almost ate the whole thing before adding the eggs ha. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
This sounds SO GOOD! Thanks for sharing. I love a good quiche :)
Sarah says
Is the recipe flexible? Would love to know if it could be made dairy free? Any chance you could leave out cheese and replace cold butter with cold olive oil?
Emilie Raffa says
Great question, Sarah. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe without the cheese & butter so I’m unable to advise with specifics. I do have a sourdough cracker recipe with spelt flour + olive oil (dairy free) in my book as an alternative.
Sarah says
That’s great! I use spelt for my sourdough so that sounds like another reason to buy your book!
C says
I just tried this recipe with gluten free flour and used diary free cheese and butter… and… came out delicious… I am the only one at home eating gluten & dairy free and I sneaked them into my husband and son’s snacks and they didn’t even notice it :)…. that’s speaks loud of this recipe. Super quick to make and tasteful! Saved it in my archive of recipes :)
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
I can’t believe I missed this comment! What great tips! Thanks so much for sharing. It’s amazing what GF flour and dairy free products can do these days.
Vicki says
Made a double batch of these amazingly light and puffy crackers. One batch with gruyere & fresh thyme and the second batch with swiss cheese & thyme. Both were delicious.
Was pleasantly suprised at how light yet flavorful these crackers were. Will definitely be adding these to my sourdough discard rotation.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds incredible Vicki! Glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
Sheila Hughes says
Just found this recipe and so glad I did! Amazing, scrumptious crackers and can’t wait to try the dough for a galette as suggested. Any suggestions for delicious fillings?
★★★★★
SusanL says
Found this recipe recently and gave it a try. These are seriously good crackers!! Will be making these again with cheese and herb variations. Will also try as galette and expect it will be superb. Thank you for posting.
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Liz Summers says
I have been making crackers for maybe 6 years, sourdough discard crackers for 3 years … made these as a change-up and they are super-super-super delicious and the dough is a dream to work with. I had some other things going so made 1/2 the dough one day and the 2nd half the next … but as time was an issue, on the 2nd day, I made 1/2 (1/4 recipe) into crackers and used the rest for a ham and swiss hand pie. Holy Cow!! the crackers are great, but the dough is also usable for hand pie, savory galette … i think an apple galette/hand pie would be wonderful. GREAT recipe. FWIW, I was working from the book for this … a book I love in addition to this site. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Beth Y says
We had some sourdough discard to use and, having tried the thin and crispy style crackers, wanted to try a “puffy” one. These hit the spot! We eat gluten free, so used our gluten free sourdough starter and Sams choice gluten free all purpose flour. No gruyere, but used a little sharp cheddar, some pimento provolone, and some seriously sharp white cheddar in its place. 1/4 t dried thyme and 1 t fresh Rosemary replaced the thyme called for in the recipe. We had 3/4 c starter discard. Instead of using water to bring the dough together we simply included the whole amount of the discard in place of the 1/4 c. Super, super tasty, and definitely will be a staple when we have discard to use!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Oh my goodness, Beth, this sounds SO GOOD! I’m literally drooling. Thanks for sharing :)
sneha says
can we replace gruyere cheese with some other cheese?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Cheddar would be perfect.
Vera says
These were great. the whole family loved them.
Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Mike McGrane says
Great recipe, what kind of dip or spread, will work with these crackers.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Mike! These crackers are so yummy and flaky, I’d actually skip the dip and serve with cheese and fig jam instead. I’m actually doing this for Thanksgiving (with some prosciutto, nuts etc on a platter). Any kind of cheese would be nice: thin shards of comte or gruyere, or even soft thin sliced brie…
MARK BAIRD says
Would this dough freeze well?
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely. Wrap well and defrost in the fridge overnight; let sit at room temperature for easier rolling.
MARK BAIRD says
Perfect! Thanks so much; you do great work here!
Greta L says
Emilie, I made these and not only do I love them, but my kids LOOOOOve them too!! Super recipe!
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Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Thrilled to hear this :)