Your Sourdough Discards Can Be The Base For Tasty Crackers

If you're into making sourdough, you know firsthand it requires feeding and discarding the starter daily. However, during this process, you're essentially throwing away perfectly viable and active sourdough starter that could be used to make other items. Instead of wasting your precious starter, use it to make tasty crackers that you can snack on all day. 

Whenever you are ready to get baking your next loaf of bread, you have to take out some of the mixture, then mix in more flour and water to allow the starter to activate so that it is ready and full of naturally fermented yeast that helps the bread rise. Instead of tossing it, grab a bowl and use up to 1 cup of discard. Then, depending on the recipe you follow, you'll incorporate around one cup total of dry ingredients like flour, cornmeal, or almond flour with either 5 tablespoons of oil or butter. Typically, you'll add between ¾ and 1 teaspoon of salt to the mixture. Stir up these ingredients until mostly combined, then roll them into a rectangular shape before cutting them into shapes of your liking. Poke them with a fork and toss them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet for up to 24 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you've had the homemade kind, you'll understand just how craveable these sourdough discard crackers are.

You can customize your sourdough crackers in many ways. Save your sourdough to make these crunchy bites, which get even more flavor from cornmeal and your choice of toppings. For a yummy take, you can add your favorite herbs, like rosemary or dill. Shake your desired amount of these dried herbs into the dough, and don't forget to brush the tops with oil and sprinkle them with the spices of choice plus some flaky sea salt for the ideal bite. 

Take inspiration from these salty-sweet onion poppyseed crackers by adding dried minced onions, black poppyseed, and a sprinkle of sugar and flaky salt to the top of the crackers before baking. Try swapping some regular flour for rye flour and adding caraway seeds to make up Swedish caraway rye crisps to ramp up the hearty, seedy, nutty, earthy flavors. This variety pairs well with spinach artichoke dip, where the taste of the rye cuts through the creamy, cheesy appetizer. To impress your guests for your next party, you'll want to know which cheese pairs well with these crunchy, slightly tangy crackers and how to arrange them for the perfect look by using some easy tips for arranging better cheese boards. For example, olive oil-based sourdough crackers pair well with sharp, nutty parmesan, so you get the ideal bite with your homemade crackers every single time.