Sourdough Crackers From Starter Discard

Many people ask what they can do with the discarded starter from the feedings. I does seem like a shame to throw starter away but there are times it is just the thing to do. If you didn't discard some of the starter or use it, you would continue to double the amount you have and before you know it, you would have a monster on your hands. I can remember not wanting to waste any and at one point I ended up with so much starter I was baking all day and into the night because I had so many loaves and other bread goods going, thinking I would just use all the extra. As one loaf would be ready for kneading, resting, fermenting, on it's final rise or baking, another was ready for one of those steps. It was a nonstop day of baking I will never forget. I learned my lesson. If you find yourself in the situation with too much starter, no time to bake with it, no room to store it, and can't give any away, then by all means toss the extra. As good as fresh sourdough breads are, the sore arms from all that kneading and blood shot eyes from staying up until morning, is just not worth it. Trust me.

There are many things you can make with the discard from a healthy starter rather than tossing it in the trash, crackers are one of them. They are simple to make and very tasty. I think the sourdough gives them a little bit of a cheese flavor. You can get very creative with seasonings and even make sweet crackers with cinnamon and other similar spices. I made a couple different kinds today. We really liked them and they are already almost half gone. The first couple batches went fast.

Sourdough Spelt Rye Crackers
1 cup rye stater discard
1 1/4 organic spelt flour
1/4 cup organic rye flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp organic palm shortening, melted
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp caraway seeds

Toppings:
Butter and/or olive oil
Himalayan Sea Salt

In a bowl, combine the starter, sea salt, caraway seeds, and the melted butter and palm shortening that has been cooled. Stir to combine. Add the spelt and rye flours knead until all the flour is worked into the dough. It will make a stiff dough. If your starter is on the wetter side, then you may need to add a little more flour. Likewise, if your starter is on the thicker side, you may need a little more water. You want it to be stiff and you may think it a bit on the dry side but it will be fine. See the picture below for what my dough looked like after kneading in all the flour.

Cover the the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment at room temperature for 12 or more hours. I let mine go about 17 hours.

Once the dough has fermented, preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a cast iron griddle or baking sheet. The cast iron gives excellent results for perfectly crisp crackers. Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Take one of the pieces and squeeze it in your hands to warm the dough a little and make it easier to roll out. Place the dough on the greased baking griddle or pan and roll it evenly and very thin. Brush with a little melted butter or olive oil. You can even make a mixture of the two if you wish. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Use a dough cutter or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into the desired size crackers.

Bake for 18 to 23 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the baking pan and allow to cool. They will crisp more as they cool. Depending on how thin you roll your dough and what you use for a baking pan will determine how long they take to bake. For myself I rolled them very thin and baked them on a cast iron griddle for 23 to 24 minutes and they were nice and crisp.

Repeat the process with the remaining three pieces of dough or you can freeze the remaining dough in freezer bags for later use. It is best to double bag your dough when you freeze it. I put the dough in freezer bags, getting out as much air as possible and then place those bags in a larger freezer bag. When you are ready to use the dough, simply take out a bag and allow it to defrost in the bag for a couple of hours and you should be ready to go.