Cheese Sourdough Discard Crackers (Made with Fresh Milled Flour)

Are you tired of throwing away your sourdough discard? Don’t want yet another pancake recipe? Do you keep saving and saving your discard so that you are practically swimming in it? Then you need to make these cheese sourdough discard crackers stat! They are easy to make using only four ingredients, and taste amazing!

These sourdough discard crackers are made with fresh milled flour for extra flavor and a wholesome texture. They bake up crispy, cheesy, and slightly tangy — and they’re ready in under 30 minutes.

What are cheese sourdough discard crackers?

Cheese sourdough discard crackers are crackers you can make using the discard from when you feed your sourdough starter. This means it does not have to be active starter that was recently fed. If you are like me, you save your discard in a jar in the fridge. This is a great recipe to use for that since you can use the discard straight from the fridge. The sourdough discard combined with the cheese makes a tasty, tangy cracker that will soon be a favorite.

These crackers taste similar to homemade Cheez-Its, but with a richer flavor thanks to the sourdough discard and fresh milled flour.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Uses up all that extra discard you’ve been storing up
• Simple ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry
• If you have kids that like to help out, this is a great recipe for that
• No long fermentation required
• Feel free to customize
• Great for school snacks and lunchboxes (for kids and adults alike)

Why Use Fresh Milled Flour For Crackers?

• It will give your crackers a slightly nutty flavor
• More nutritious than all purpose flour
• A better texture as the oils and bran are fresh
• You can try different types of flour for different flavor profiles

How to Make Cheese Sourdough Discard Crackers

Ingredients

What I love about this recipe is how few ingredients it uses.

• Sourdough Discard: remember this is unfed sourdough starter
• Cheddar Cheese: I use sharp cheddar for the flavor. I also highly suggest shredding a block of your own cheese, as pre shredded cheese has anticaking agents added . These make it harder for the cheese to melt
• Hard White Wheat: I use hard white wheat berries. Hard red and soft white would work as well. If you don’t mill your own flour you can totally use all purpose flour. You may need to adjust the amount and use a little less
• Melted Butter: a little fat to help hold everything together
• Salt: sprinkled on the crackers before baking

Step by Step Directions for Cheese Sourdough Discard Crackers

Mix your ingredients

First you need to mix the discard, cheese, flour, and melted butter together until it forms a soft dough. Think playdough like consistency. If it is too sticky you can add flour a tablespoon at a time.

Roll it thin

Next divide the dough into three or four parts. You are going to roll one part at a time. Sprinkle a little flour on a piece of parchment paper (or baking mat). Place the dough on top, sprinkle with a little more flour, then put another piece of parchment paper on top. Then start rolling.

Keep rolling

As you are rolling, you may need to occasionally lift the dough up and sprinkle some more flour on top if you find it sticking. Sometimes I flip everything over and roll from the other side. You really need to roll this as thin as you can (1/8th-1/16th of an inch). The key to crispy crackers is rolling it thin enough. Roll, roll, roll. You should almost be able to see the parchment paper through the dough.

Cut the dough

Next up you need to cut the dough into crackers. There are two options to doing this. You can either use a pizza cutter (or knife) like below:

There is no need to be precise. Mine always end up all different sizes.

Or, you can use a cookie cutter

I have this one which is from a set (similar to this), and it works perfectly for a cheese-it style cracker.

Place on cookie sheet and dock

After cutting the crackers you need to transfer them to a cookie sheet. It is important to leave some space between the crackers. If you don’t they just won’t crisp up.

You also need to make a hole (aka dock) in each cracker. This isn’t just for looks. Once again the hole helps the crackers crisp up. Without the hole the crackers will be too puffy, and end up soft. You can simply use a toothpick to create these holes. After sprinkle with some kosher salt.

Bake them

Finally it’s time to bake them. Depending on just how thin you rolled them they will be ready in 15-25 minutes. Start checking on them at the 15 minute mark. They can go from done to burnt pretty quick (been there, done that). You wan’t them to be lightly golden (or if you like them a little extra cripsy you can bake them for longer).

They will be slightly puffy and soft when they first come out. Then as they dry they will crisp up.

Cool and enjoy the cheese sourdough discard crackers

After they come out of the oven transfer them to a cooling rack. I move the entire parchment paper onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely for maximum crispness- if you can wait that long. I do think they are so tasty while they are still a little warm.

Tips and Tricks

• Roll them thin. I know I sound like a broken record but thinner dough=crispy crackers.
• Shred your own cheese. Pre shredded cheese has anticaking agents to prevent it from clumping up. This makes the cheese not melt properly, and become grainy.
• Be sure to keep a close eye during baking. You want them to be a golden brown when you pull them out of the oven. If you like extra crispy crackers let them get a little darker.
• Try with different cheeses and see how the flavor turns out.
• Roll out and cut the crackers first, then transfer them to the cookie sheet. Once on the cookie sheet dock the crackers. I found this way much quicker.
• If they are still a little underdone when you take them out of the oven let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5-10 more minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

Common Questions About Cheese Sourdough Discard Crackers

Why are my crackers soft?

More than likely you didn’t roll them thin enough. It took me multiple tries to realize just how thin you need to roll them. Sometimes I will be cutting the dough and realize I need to re-roll the center portion since it’s still too thick.

It is also possible that you didn’t cook them for long enough. Pulling them out of the oven before they are ready will result in soft crackers. This is why it is important to keep an eye on them starting at the 15 minute mark.

How do I store sourdough discard crackers?

Storing discard crackers is simple. For the first day store them uncovered at room temperature. This ensures they are all the way cooled and reduces the chance of moisture making them soft. After that story them in an air tight container, and they will last 3-5 days.

Do I have to refrigerate the dough?

Not at all. That’s what I love about this recipe. Just make the dough, roll it out, bake, and try not to eat everything in one sitting.

Can I make these cheese free?

I have not yet tried to make these cheese free (I am in the process of developing a recipe), but I am sure you would have to make some adjustments.

Can I use other cheeses?

I have not tried other cheeses yet, but I don’t see why you couldn’t swap. I personally want to try a parmesan one.

My edges are burnt. What happened??

If your edges are burnt the dough didn’t get rolled evenly. This tends to happen more often on the crackers you cut from the edge of the dough. The dough on the edges always tends to be thinner than that in the middle.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of fresh milled?

Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead, but you will need to use a little less.

Looking for Other Discard Recipes?

If you have an access of discard you can check out some of my other recipes such as these bagels, a recipe that is easy to customize, or this granola. Still looking for more ideas? You can see all my discard recipes here. I love using discard and have more discard recipes than actually sourdough.