Who would’ve thought that the painstaking process of making sourdough could be a gateway into homemade crackers? Not me.
Using up leftover sourdough starter isn’t that hard when you plug in a quick google search. Crumpets, English muffins, pancakes and waffles are all popular items but if you don’t want to introduce more fresh bread products into your diet (hey, it happens) the cracker is a great long-storing option.
Making them is so simple, you barely need a recipe. Just make sure you’re feeding your sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio of water to flour measured in grams. That way you’ll have the right amount of water already present in the starter to make crackers.
How to make sourdough crackers
What you do is, mix 1 cup of starter with 1 cup plain flour. You could use wholemeal, spelt or any blend you like. Add ¼ cup of olive oil (garlic or chilli oil also would work well), and a good pinch of salt.
Now is the time to add some aromatics if so desired; a grind of pepper, some sesame seeds or in my case, a few sprigs of dried rosemary go in the bowl.
A friend of mine supplies me with ultra fragrant rosemary which was a welcomed addition. Source: Camellia Aebischer
Mix it all up until you have a smooth dough. It should be a bit oily which helps it not stick to anything.
Roll the dough out in between two sheets of baking paper to your desired thinness. I recommend going as thin as possible as they will shrink and thicken a little when you cut/bake them.
Peel off the top sheet of baking paper, then with a sharp knife slice into cracker-sized pieces and prick the centre of each cracker with a fork. Slice the paper sheet of crackers onto a tray and bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
I’ve kept these for a few weeks in the past with no trouble, just make sure they’re nice and dry and stored in an airtight container.
Look at those flaky, crunchy layers. Source: Camellia Aebischer
