I’m continuing the sourdough theme, celebrating my character Mother in my book A House Between Sea and Sky out on October 1st. This is one of my very favorite sourdough discard recipes: Super Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers.
This is a five ingredient recipe. These crackers are what I make when I need to revive my starter, also named Mother, but don’t have time to make a loaf of bread or other more-involved recipe. I can make these crackers, feed my starter, and then stash her in the fridge again to idle for a week or two.
These crackers can be modified in myriad ways depending on the seasonings you use. The possibilities are endless. Penzey’s Justice seasoning is my very favorite, but I’ve also used BBQ seasoning and basic Italian herbs.
My next book is out October 1st, and it’s something new and different! It’s fantasy with a literary edge, depicting a new kind of found family–one that includes two unique sentient characters: an anxious murder house and an ancient sourdough starter named Mother. I maintained my own “Mother” for book research (and still do), and therefore have tried a lot of new sourdough recipes over the past while.
Click the book cover below to preorder A House Between Sea and Sky via my affiliate link.
Bready or Not: Super Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- uneven spatula
- pizza wheel or other rolling cutter
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard (227 to 241 grams)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (half stick) melted
- 1/2 teaspoon to 3 teaspoons seasoning or seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flaked sea salt or pretzel salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking pan.
- Combine the discard, butter, seasoning, and salt in a bowl. It will be sticky–beat well to make sure the melted butter is incorporated.
- Dump batter into the middle of the parchment. Use an uneven spatula to create an even, thin layer about 11×15 inches. Sprinkle on the desired topping.
- Bake crackers for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven to use a pizza wheel or other device to form the bitesize cracker shapes. Don’t separate the pieces.
- Continue to bake for another 35 to 45 minutes. The crackers should not only be brown, but the very middle needs to be firm to the touch. If it is soft, bake a little longer, even if the edge pieces become a deeper brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before breaking apart crackers. Store in a container at room temperature. They keep at least 3 days, but they are so tasty, they may not make it past one.
