Whole Wheat Herb Sourdough Crackers

Here's another variation on the crackers you can make from the starter discard. If you missed the last post on using the discarded portion of your sourdough starter after feedings, you may want to check it out. That recipe rye and spelt. You can easily do that recipe if you prefer to use spelt and rye over whole wheat. You could even do a combination of all three if you wanted. You might just have to play around with the flour amounts. And there are so many variations you can do by changing what spices or herbs you add. These crackers make use of starter that would otherwise end up in the trash and make a nice snack to have on hand or pack as part of a lunch. Much healthier than the processed crackers in the store with all their additives but still very tasty. My brother-in-law tried some today and said they taste like cheese. I think they have a bit of a cheese flavor as well. Very yummy.

Whole Wheat Herb Sourdough Crackers

1 1/2 cup starter discard
6 Tbsp melted butter, cooled
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp chives
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 to 2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour

Toppings:
Butter and/or olive oil
Himalayan Sea Salt

In a bowl, combine the starter, melted butter, sea salt, parsley, dill, chives, basil, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to combine. Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour and knead until all the flour is worked into the dough. It should make a stiff dough. If needed, knead in up to half a cup more flour for a total of two and a half cups of flour. 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. I think it gives them more flavor.

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.