Crackers
I have had issues with my starter lately (yes, that’s one reason why there haven’t been any new recipes here lately). Most of the time, it’s enough to discard most of it and feed the rest. But not this time. I had to repeat the discard and feeding process a couple of times before it was suitable for baking again.
That left me with plenty of discarded starter.
I didn’t want to waste it, so I started to make crackers, potato pancakes, popovers, and lots of other yummy things. It is amazing how much you can do with something that many pour out into the sink. There is so much taste in that discard, it feels almost criminal to waste it.
This time, I also made something I haven’t tried before.
Seed crackers
I have made seed crackers before, but never with sourdough discard. The idea was to add a tangy touch, so I used some of the discards that had been sitting in the fridge for almost a week. A thin layer of hooch had begun to form on the surface, and it had a very strong, acidic smell.
It also had a profound smell of alcohol.
It looked like something someone had brought home from the swamp.
Was it too much?
METHOD
The approach is simple. You heat up the water and pour it over all the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Now it is a good idea to preheat the oven to 320ºF/160ºC.
Spread the mixture on a sheet of parchment paper. Place another parchment paper on top and roll it out as thin as possible.
Remove the parchment paper on top, and let the rest slide into the oven.
Bake it for 60 minutes. You may have to lower the temperature at the end.
That’s it. Now you just have to let the big cracker cool a bit before you carefully break into sizes of your liking.
Was it too sour?
Not at all. The seeds could handle the acidity. There was just a hint of tanginess. This is, of course, dependent on your sourdough starter. If it smells acetone, you may have to be a bit careful.
I used oregano, but feel free to add whatever herbs or other flavorings you prefer.
Seed crackers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 3 tablespoon linseed (flaxseeds)
- 3 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 3 tablespoon sourdough starter discarded
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320ºF/160ºC.
- Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Pour the water over the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Spread the mixture on a sheet of parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll-out as thin as possible.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and place the seed mixture into the oven. Bake for an hour. You may have to lower the heat at the end.
- Let it cool on wire racks before breaking it into smaller pieces of preferred size.
29 Comments
I made these yesterday! They turned out great, exactly as you have pictured. And… they are delicious! Thanks for the post!
You’re most welcome, Lisle. I’m so glad you like them.
These are wonderful! I have started pre-scoring them before they go in the oven. They break easy and uniformly when they cool.
Great idea, Karen, I will try that next time.
Hi these crackers are delish but the mix was very wet and impossible to score as one baker did I also found them salty but still very yummy
I’m glad you liked them, Elizabeth. I think that we perhaps favor more salty crackers here in Sweden.
Sourdough starter receipe please?
Hi Maria,
perhaps you would like to sign up for my newsletter. You will get my ebook “How to make a sourdough starter” for free.
These were so delicious! Such a simple and tasty way to use up discard. I scored them too before baking. Thankfully, because I couldn’t quite wait for them to cool before breaking them up! Thank you!
I’m glad you liked them, Emily.
I’m a bit confused about this recipe.
So you mix ALL the ingredients together, like the seeds, the oil and the starter too and pour boiling water on it?
How does the boiling water not kill the starter?
Thank you for your help in advance!
Hi Bianka,
Yes, it will probably kill the starter. But the starter will only be used for flavoring in this recipe, not for fermentation, so it doesn’t matter.
Are these baked on parchment paper directly on the oven racks or is the parchment paper on a cookie sheet?
May I know how the boiling water helps in this recipe? Thanks in advance!
It will release more flavors from the seeds. You can toast them if you like that better.
I love this recipe! I find it easiest to score the cracker after baking for 15mins then they continue to shrink as they finish cooking and come out a uniform size and shape. I also love switching out the oregano for cumin seeds.
Hi Katie,
Thanks for the tip, I will try that next time. Cumin sounds interesting.
I’m obsessed with this incredible recipe! I’ve made it 4 times in the last 2 weeks!!!!
I’ve tried it with oregano, za’atar, and mild curry powder.
Also, I don’t recommend rolling it out as thinly as possible, mine became very fragile that way, instead I roll it out to slightly thicker and it holds together much more nicely.
Thank you deeply, Tomas, for sharing this astounding and addictive recipe, it wins the grand prize.
I know, they are quite addictive. I bake them very often myself. You are right about the thickness. It’s more important to get an even thickness ( to get an even baking) than to get them as thin as possible.
I’m so glad you liked them. Many thanks for your input.
Love love love this recipe, have made these crackers every week -totally addicted! Easy to substitute various seeds, nice to play with fennel seeds, cumin seeds , chopped rosemary , sumac etc for different flavours …Thanks ?
I know. They are addictive. I bake them every week myself. I’m so glad you liked them, Justine.
Are these baked on parchment paper directly on the oven racks or is the parchment paper on a cookie sheet?
You can bake them on parchment paper on whatever you have. A cookie sheet works fine.
Hi! Delicious cracker – when you say rolled oats, which cut do you use?
For this recipe, I used instant (or quick cook) rolled oats
Doubled the recipes so now have loads 😂How should these be stored? Can they be frozen?
I think an airtight container is the best choice.
I did not put the spice in and they are so good. I did make a mistake and threw a little salt on top making them too salty.
Simply love these crackers as do many of my friends who happily scoff their way through my stash when they come over. I know it’s supposed to be a sourdough discard recipe but has anyone tried without the discard? None of my friends bakes sourdough bread so no discard…..