Cheesy, crispy, and a great way to use up that extra sourdough discard, these sourdough discard cheese crackers are full of flavor and easy to make! You won't go back to the store bought stuff after you make your own at home!
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These sourdough crackers are based off the original King Arthur basic sourdough cracker.
My family loves cheese crackers. Whether it's those goldfish, cheesy bunnies, or cheez-its, they obsess over them. But if you ever look at those ingredients, they can be kind of crazy. So since I love making crackers, and I always have sourdough discard around, I decided to try and make my own! You'll be surprised how easy they are to make!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy to make! There are only a few ingredients in this recipe, and if you bake a lot with sourdough, you probably already have a bunch of them at home.
- The food processor does the hard work! Add all the ingredients to a food processor and let it do the "kneading" for you.
- It's a fun way to get the kids involved! These crackers would be really fun for a kid's birthday party. Use your favorite small kids cookie cutters and let the kids cut whatever shapes they would like into the dough.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Sourdough discard- one cup, unfed, meaning you probably just pulled it out of the refrigerator.
- Cheese- cheddar and parmesan
- Flour- a combination of whole wheat and all purpose flour
- Pepper- to give a little kick to the crackers
- Olive Oil- to add fat and texture. You can add melted butter instead.
What Is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make bread with, you feed it equal parts water, flour, and starter. You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out this post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.
Equipment You'll Need
Let's Make Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse 15 times until a cohesive dough forms into a ball.
Add the ingredients to the food processor 
Blend until a dough forms
Divide the dough into two discs and wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Place the discs in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
After one hour, take out one of the discs and roll it with a rolling pin between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough thin, about 1/16th of an inch thick or until the dough is 8 inches by 12 inches. Cut the dough into the shape of your crackers. Prick each cracker with a fork to prevent the cracker from puffing too much, and brush each cracker with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place the parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through the cooking process. The crackers are done when they are no longer soft and are slightly browned. Repeat the process for the second disc.
Roll the dough 
Cut into shapes 
Bake
Tips and Tricks
- It's important to turn the tray halfway through the baking process to avoid excess browning on one half of the tray and not the other.
- Refrigerating the dough relaxes the gluten in the crackers and keeps them from being tough.
- Roll out the dough as evenly as possible. This will ensure that all the crackers bake evenly.
- Use your favorite kind of cheese in these crackers.
- For added spice, use Monterey Jack or your favorite habanero cheese.
- Colby jack or yellow cheddar can be used instead of white cheddar.
- For a more Italian twist, use all parmesan cheese and add a tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
These crackers will stay fresh for up to 3 days if kept in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.
Yes! You can make the dough up to 24 hours in advance and let it hang out in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake them off, cut them into shapes and bake them.
Yes! You can add the ingredients to a stand mixer and mix them all together. If you would like, you can also mix everything by hand, but this dough does get very stiff. Once it comes together it will be difficult to mix with a wooden spoon, so it might be best to use your hands at that point.
Other Recipes To Try
Did you love these Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers? I'd so appreciate it if you would give this recipe a 5 star review! That will help other hungry readers find my recipes!
And don't forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- Herb and Olive Oil Sourdough Crackers
- Cinnamon and Sugar Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough Discard Scones
- Baked Sourdough Donuts
- Light and Crisp Sourdough Waffles
- Pumpkin Sourdough Waffles
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers
Ingredients
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 cup Starter Inactive/unfed
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Cheddar shredded
- ⅓ cup Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 15 times until the ingredients come together and form a sticky dough ball.
- Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Form each dough ball into a disc and place the disc in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- After at least 1 hour, take one disc out of the refrigerator. Unwrap it and place it between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a thin sheet. Add a little more flour if the dough is sticking to the parchment paper too much. Be sure to roll the dough as evenly as possible. I was able to get mine to 8 inch by 12 inches.
- Once the dough is rolled out, cut the dough into the shape crackers you would like. Move the parchment paper to the baking sheet. Prick each cracker with a fork to prevent puffing. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with more salt.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking process. The crackers are done when they are slightly browned and are no longer soft. Allow them to cool and serve. Repeat the same process for the other dough disc.
Notes
- Rotating the dough halfway through the cooking process prevents burning and ensures that the crackers all cook at the same time and that they cook evenly.
- Use your favorite type of cheese. Yellow cheddar, white cheddar, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack are all delicious options.
- Roll the dough as evenly as possible. That will ensure the crackers bake evenly and at the same time.
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