Sourdough “Cheez-It” Crackers Recipe With Discard
Do you love a crispy, crunchy, cheesy snack? Who doesn’t! This delicious sourdough discard cracker recipe is easy to make, and is a delicious way to use up all of your extra sourdough discard. Kids and adults will both love these crackers!
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Why You Should Make Sourdough Discard Crackers At Home
Clean, Nourishing Ingredients
I used to love cheez-it crackers growing up. They are the perfect combination of cheesy and crunchy in one little irrisistable square. Not to be the bearer of bad news… but have you ever paused to look at the ingredients?
Take a look at what is in a box of white cheddar cheez-its:
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Vitamin B1 [Thiamin Mononitrate], Vitamin B2 [Riboflavin], Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Soybean And Palm Oil With Tbhq For Freshness), White Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes). Contains 2% Or Less Of Salt, Whey, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Monosodium Glutamate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Butter (Cream, Salt), Baking Soda, Yeast, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Lactic Acid, Calcium Lactate, Disodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Turmeric Extract Color, Annatto Extract Color, Soy Lecithin.
In contrast, this homemade delicious cheez-it sourdough discard recipe has only four ingredients! Butter, cheese, sourdough discard, and salt. All of which you probably have right in your kitchen, so you can whip up a batch in no time. Crackers are just one example of processed snacks in the grocery store that have a lot of junk. I think the more food (and snacks) you can make at home, the better! My kids love crackers, so I like to make one or two batches of these crackers every week.
Delicious, Tangy & Cheesy Flavor
These crackers have a delicious tangy flavor that is hard to resist. There is something about the combination of the sour discard and the cheese that give them a nice sharp flavor. Yum! These homemade sourdough crackers are perfect for your next charcuterie board, or even just a regular old snack time with some cheese or your favorite dip.
Varieties of Sourdough Crackers
There are so many different ways to flavor your sourdough crackers. Get creative with seasonings, fresh or dried herbs, or seeds mixed in.
What Is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough Discard is essentially sourdough starter that hasn’t been fed. It is not active and bubbly like fed sourdough starter, and some of it is usually “discarded” or thrown out to make room in the jar for more flour and water. But after trying this easy and delicious recipe, you will never want to throw away your sourdough starter discard ever again!
Tip: Make a delicious loaf of beginner sourdough bread, and then use the discard for crackers the next day!
Is Sourdough Discard Good For You?
Yes! Sourdough discard is very healthy and good for you. It’s filled with good bacteria and fermented grains. The grains are also easier to digest due to fermentation. In fact, some people with gluten intolerance can handle sourdough. Overall, sourdough discard crackers are a great healthy swap to store-bought crackers.
Ingredients You Need For Sourdough Discard Cheez-It Crackers
Four simple ingredients are all you need for this cracker recipe.
1 Cup Sourdough Starter Discard
2 Tb Butter – grass-fed butter or homemade raw butter is best
1/2 Cup finely grated cheese – My favorite is grass-fed raw cheese, but you can use any cheese that you like! Parmesan cheese or cheddar would be delicious.
1/4 Tsp Salt (plus more to sprinkle on top) – My favorite in this recipe is redmonds unrefined mineral salt.
Other Seasoning Ideas:
- Nutritional yeast
- Everything but the bagel seasoning
- Onion or Garlic Powder
- Fresh herbs
- Flaky sea salt
Other Tools You Will Need
- Medium or large bowl
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pizza Cutter or Sharp Knife
How To Make Sourdough Discard Crackers
This easy recipe only takes about 40 minutes to make, start to finish. And most of it is hands off!
1.Preheat the oven to 325.
2. On the stove or in the microwave, melt 2 Tb of butter.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix sourdough starter, cheese, salt, and melted butter together into a smooth mixture.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet or sheet pan, covering the whole thing.
5. Spread the cracker mixture out on the parchment paper into a thin layer. You want it to be really thinly spread, and as even as you can get it. Sprinkle additional salt, and any extra seasonings or herbs that you would like on top of the crackers.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes.
7. Remove the pan, and using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, roughly score the crackers into squares. It doesn’t have to be perfect, the crackers will separate as they cook.
8. Put the crackers back in the oven, and cook for 20-30 minutes, rotating once in the middle. You will need to keep an eye on them! Depending on the size of pan you used, how thick the crackers are, and oven temperature they may cook a little faster or slower. You want them to be nice and golden brown for crunchy crackers.
9. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely on the pan.
10. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. I like to use a glass Tupperware, or a glass jar. You can also freeze for longer!
Tips For Success
- For best results, use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This will ensure that the crackers don’t stick to the pan. Since there is no flour in this recipe, the “dough” is pretty thin before it bakes and more liquid than actually dough.
- Stick to a basic rectangular shape or squares for this recipe. Because the dough is soft and runny, cookie cutters won’t work very well. For more fun cracker shapes, try a recipe like this sourdough butter cracker recipe and use cookie cutter.
- For a more rustic cracker, skip the scoring step and let them bake all the way. At the end after they have cooled, you can break them apart with your hands.
- You can use your leftover sourdough starter right out of the fridge, or at room temperature. Either will work just fine.
Sourdough Discard “Cheez-It” Crackers
Equipment
- 1 Medium / Large Glass Bowl
- 1 Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper unbleached
- 1 Pizza Cutter or Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sourdough starter discard
- 1/2 cup Finely grated cheese
- 2 tb Butter
- 1/4 tsp Salt Plus more, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325
- On the stove or in the microwave, melt the butter.
- In your mixing bowl, stir together the sourdough starter, cheese, salt, and melted butter until smooth.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet, making sure to cover the whole thing.
- Spread the cracker mixture out on the parchment paper into a thin layer. You want it to be really thin, and as even as you can get it. Sprinkle additional salt, and any extra seasonings or herbs that you would like on top of the crackers.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes.
- Remove the pan, and using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, roughly score the crackers into squares. It doesn't have to be perfect, the crackers will separate as they cook.
- Put the crackers back in the oven, and cook for 20-30 minutes, rotating once in the middle. You will need to keep an eye on them! Depending on the size of pan you used, how thick the crackers are, and oven temperature they may cook a little faster or slower. You want them to be nice and golden brown for crunchy crackers.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely on the pan.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. I like to use a glass Tupperware, or a glass jar. You can also freeze for longer!
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Need to use up some excess starter discard? Here are a couple easy recipes to try next time:
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