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This is one of the sourdough discard recipes my family often looks forward to. It’s hard to stop munching this thin and crispy sourdough discard crackers/chips. They are perfect for using up lots of sourdough discard.
First of all, I’m not sure if I should call these crackers or chips 🙂 They are so thin, my kids call them chips. But they do look like crackers too if you cut into little square shapes. Anyway, whatever you want to call them, these thin and crisp sourdough discard chips are so hard to stop eating!
Why we love these crackers/chips
1. Super easy to make
You must need to stir and mix and bake
2. Amazing taste and texture
They are super crunchy and they have that slightly tang from the sourdough starters that my kids crave (can you believe it, my kids love that tanginess LOL!)
3. You have control of the ingredients
You have control of what you want to put in the mixture. Whatever flavor profile and taste you want, you can adjust it
Thin and Crisp Sourdough Discard Crackers/Chips
Ingredients
- 200 g sourdough discard
- 45 g oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp everything bagel seasonings or you can use seeds or other seasoning of your choice
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F (160 C). Position the oven racks to 3rd from the top and 3rd from the bottom. Line 2 large rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have rimless baking sheets, use the back of your baking pans instead. It's easier to spread the batter thinly on rimless baking sheets
- Remove your unfed sourdough discard from the fridge to a mixing bowl. I like to let it sit for 30 minutes or so, at room temperature, because I find it a bit easier to loosen it up as my starter is quite thick when it's cold
Prepare the batter:
- Add oil, salt, and seasonings (or any spices you like) to the starter. Use a sturdy spatula or spoon to vigorously stir the mixture. They appear separate at first and you don't think they are going to combine, because of the oil.
- But just keep stirring. It will come to a point where the flour in the starter absorbs the oil and the mixture will turn sticky and pasty
- I highly recommend using an offset spatula to spread this batter as thinly as possible on top of the parchment paper. It gets the job done much better than using a spatula
- Spread starting from the center of the batter towards the edge, following the shape of your baking pan. Remember to spread it really thin. The middle part usually takes longer to cook. So make sure you spread them in an even thickness throughout so they cook evenly. This is one of the keys to that crispy texture
Baking (to shape into square shape):
- Put the baking pan in the positioned racks and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a pizza wheel to "cut" the crackers into about 1 x 1 inch, doesn't have to be exact. It won't really cut through the crackers because they are still soft and not crispy at this point. We are just creating some marks so you can easily break the crackers into smaller size later
- Return the pan back into the oven and bake for another 35-45 minutes or until the crackers are crispy all around and nicely golden brown. Rotate the pan front to back, top to bottom, halfway through baking during this time so both trays baked evenly
Cooling:
- Let the crackers cool down completely on the pan.
- Once the crackers have cooled down completely, separate the crackers into little pieces following the cut you make earlier. If you don't make any cut, simply break the giant piece into irregular snack-size pieces
Storage:
- Store them in an air-tight container for about a week (It never lasts that long in our house)
Marv’s Recipe Notes
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Can I make these crackers without sourdough discard ?
I have tried to make these crackers without sourdough discard using regular mixture of water and flour, my kids said that the taste is just not the same. There’s no depth of flavor from the tang! If you want to make your sourdough starter, I have written this How To Create and Maintain Small Batch Sourdough Starter. It really is not as intimidating as people think. Besides, in small batch, I don’t accumulate a whole lot of discard, to be honest!
How to ensure crisp crackers/chips
1. Mix the batter well
The sourdough discard can be difficult to mix with the oil at first, but you just need to stir vigorously until the two are combined. They will form a paste when the starter absorbs the oil.
2. Spread the batter thin
Use an offset spatula to spread the batter thin, paper thin! especially the middle part, where it cooks the slowest. You want to make sure to spread it thin evenly
3. Bake it long enough
They need to be baked long enough so the moisture evaporates and the oil in the batter crisp it up
Did you make this thin and crisp sourdough discard chips/crackers recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
3 comments
Hi, Looking forward to making this. What kind of oil do you suggest? Olive oil or vegetable oil? Thank you!
Hi Michal, you can use any oil of your choice. I have used avocado oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil before and they all work out just fine.
Made this today with my brother-in-law’s sourdough discard. Failed at making it paper thin because it his discard was so watery but it turned out really yummy and crispy regardless. Thank you for the recipe!