These red sourdough crackers, flavored with lemon zest, freshly cracked black pepper and tarragon, are great for a fancy charcuterie board and the perfect snack to serve along with your favorite dips.
Jump to:
- Ingredients for Crispy Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Tips for Making These Red Sourdough Discard Crackers
- How to Make These Sourdough Discard Beet Crackers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to let the sourdough discard crackers rest before baking?
- What can I eat with my sourdough crackers?
- How to Store these Beet Red Sourdough Crackers
- 📖 Recipe
I love finding ways to use up sourdough starter discard, and these homemade sourdough crackers are definitely worth making. Packed full of flavor and a nice crispy texture, these crackers have a nice subtle ‘cheesiness’ to them without having any cheese in them, which is thanks to the tang from the sourdough discard. All in all, these are definitely addicting, and they pair with everything from baked brie to hummus, and we even use them as playful salad toppers for a bit of added crunch.
And lest you be on the fence about adding beet to your food (I know beets are polarizing in our home), you can’t taste them in these crackers. I just wanted a festive cracker I could serve for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
I’ve flavored this sourdough cracker recipe with lemon zest, tarragon, fresh cracked black pepper, a bit of parmesan and coarse salt, but you can switch it up. Try ½ teaspoon garlic powder with a couple tablespoons of fresh rosemary. Crank up the parmesan and omit the lemon and tarragon for a cacio e pepe flavored cracker. Leave out all the spices and sprinkle liberally with everything bagel seasoning. These crackers are your oyster. Without further ado, here’s what you’ll need to make these crackers.
Ingredients for Crispy Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Sourdough Discard
- Cooked and peeled beets
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Lemon zest
- Fresh tarragon (or thyme or rosemary work well too)
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Tips for Making These Red Sourdough Discard Crackers
The number one mistake people make when making crackers for the first time is not rolling the dough out thin enough.
The easiest way to roll homemade crackers out is between two sheets of parchment paper. This will allow you to get them super thin, which is the best way to get crispy crackers!
This is a great way to use sourdough starter you won’t use for bread, also known as sourdough discard. You can keep sourdough discard in a separate container in the fridge for up to a week, so adding sourdough discard crackers to your regular rotation will help you eliminate waste!
How to Make These Sourdough Discard Beet Crackers
- Combine ingredients. Knead. Separate into two chunks.
- Stick in fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to two days.
- 20 minutes before you roll out your dough, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out. Cut into desired shapes, sprinkle with sea salt. Tip: You can lightly press the sea salt into the crackers with your fingertips like I do in the video, or you can use a spray bottle filled with water or olive oil to mist the crackers and then sprinkle with sea salt (or other topping). Both methods work.
- Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes or until just starting to brown and crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use active sourdough instead of sourdough discard?
This recipe works with sourdough discard from any step in the process, as long as it is at 100% hydration, which means that it gets fed with equal parts water and flour. It doesn’t matter if your starter uses all whole wheat or a mix of flours, whether it’s been dormant, sitting in the fridge for weeks, or freshly fed and vigorous.
Are these sourdough discard crackers gluten free?
These crackers are not gluten free. However, sourdough discard contains natural yeasts and bacteria that break down the anti-nutrients and gluten in flour. This makes sourdough easier to digest.
Can I add flavors or seasonings to the crackers?
Yes, you can! These crackers are flavored with tarragon, lemon zest, freshly cracked black pepper, and flakey sea salt, but you can experiment with other flavor combos like garlic and rosemary, sea salt, parmesan and black pepper, lemon and thyme, and more! And if you’re sensitive to salt, I recommend topping these with poppy seeds or finely grated parmesan.
For fresh herbs, you can use 1-2 tablespoons for this recipe. I’ve experimented with adding up to a half cup of finely grated parmesan without impacting the dough.
How thin should I roll out the cracker dough?
You want cracker dough to be very thin so the baked crackers get nice and crisp. One trick I saw recently involves putting the cracker dough through a KitchenAid pasta attachment to ensure the cracker dough gets thin enough without putting yourself through an upper arm workout. I’ve done this once and it is brilliant. I’ve also made this recipe many times with a lightly floured surface, a rolling pin, and a little elbow grease.
Do I need to let the sourdough discard crackers rest before baking?
This step allows the flour to hydrate, the gluten to relax and the crackers to puff up when baked. So short answer, yes. The good news is you can let this sit in the fridge for as little as 30 minutes or up to 2 days, so it would be a great project to start on the weekend and then whip up after work or school (if you have kiddos) and channel your inner domestic god(ess).
What can I eat with my sourdough crackers?
- Fancy cheeses and meats
- Goat cheese and red pepper pesto
- Baked brie – try this one with roasted tomatoes
- Homemade hummus
- Cheeseball
- Cream cheese log with pepper jelly
How to Store these Beet Red Sourdough Crackers
Store the crackers in an air-tight container. They can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
📖 Recipe
Red Sourdough Beet Crackers with Tarragon and Lemon Zest
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sourdough discard (175g) 100% hydration (starter that is fed with equal parts water and flour by weight)
- ¼ cup cooked and peeled beets (75g) approximately 2 small beets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup flour 165g +¼-⅓ cup for kneading
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest zest from approximately one lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon
- Optional: Sea salt to sprinkle on the tops
- Optional: Add ½ cup finely grated parmesan to the dough when you combine ingredients
Instructions
- Combine ingredients. Knead. Separate into two chunks.
- Stick in fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to two days.
- 20 minutes before you roll out your dough, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out. Cut into desired shapes, sprinkle with sea salt. Tip: You can lightly press the sea salt into the crackers with your fingertips like I do in the video, or you can use a spray bottle filled with water or olive oil to mist the crackers and then sprinkle with sea salt (or other topping). Both methods work.
- Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes or until just starting to brown and crisp.
