I’ll say it again, but if you’ve been around here for a while now, you already know… I don’t like food waste. And when you have a sourdough starter, you have to constantly find ways of using the discard if your heart breaks every time you have to throw away bits of it. And you’ve just landed on a good one – sourdough discard crackers full packed with seeds.
So, in order to reduce the waste as much as possible, I keep a very small batch of mother sourdough going (around 30g, made of 15g fresh water and 15g flour, 3-7g old starter, depending on how warm it is and the ratio I’m feeding at). But there’s still some I need to discharge every time. I collect all that discharge in a jar that I keep in the fridge, and use it for different stuff I’m making, such as crepes, pancakes, galette crust, brownie, banana bread, naan bread etc. and the list can go on and on and on. You can add it to pretty much everything that is made of flour and water (or other form of liquid). Or you can just use it as a base for these sourdough discard crackers.
When can I use the sourdough discard?
If you’ve only started putting together a starter, I suggest you refrain from saving and using the discard the first week or so, until you have a stable and consistently rising starter. What happens is that in the very first days there’s a battle for survival there in your sourdough starter jar. The good and the bad bacteria are fighting to take over the environment. That is why it is recommended to wait until you have a reliable starter that smells nice and rises consistently. Then you know the yeast bacteria have won and rule over the environment in your jar. If you haven’t started yet your sourdough journey, you might want to check out my sourdough starter diary, or how I started mine a year ago.
If, on the other hand, you’re already a proud sourdough mamma or pappa, and just looking for ways of using that discard, you might want to start saving it in the fridge. I would, however, suggest not to use discard that has been standing in your fridge for more than one week. You can otherwise save it in the freezer and thaw before using. I haven’t personally done that, but I heard other sourdough fellows doing this and it seems to be working just fine.
So, grab your discard jar and let’s make it great again with this easy recipe of sourdough discard crackers with seeds!
Ingredients
- 200g sourdough discard
- 3tbsp quinoa flakes (can be substituted with oats flakes or bran)
- linseeds* – 1tbsp
- sunflower seeds* – 1tbsp
- sesame seeds* – 1tbsp
- 1tsp salt (I used ground Himalaya salt)
- 4tsp extra virgin olive oil
- extra seeds and salt flakes to sprinkle on top
*You can make your own mix of seeds, using what you have in your pantry.
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- a medium mixing bowl
- spatula
Easy method
1. Preheat oven to 180C, no fan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl add the discard, the quinoa (oats) flakes, seeds, salt and olive oil and stir everything together with a spatula, until everything is combined.
3. Line an oven tray with baking paper and pour the ‘batter’ on it. With a spatula try to distribute it in a thin even layer, in the shape of a square. It will take a couple of minutes to do that, and you’ll have to hold the paper with your other hand. Sprinkle some extra seeds that you prefer or sea salt flakes (or both) on top.
4. Once ready, place in the middle of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until light brown. If your oven doesn’t bake evenly, you might want to turn the tray once after half of the time. Take out of the oven and let cool. Then break into irregular pieces and enjoy with soups, salads, hummus, cheeses, or simply as a snack. They can last for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Happy baking, everyone!
Easy sourdough discard crackers packed with seeds
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- mixing bowl
- silicone spatula
- oven tray
Ingredients
- 200 g sourdough discard
- 3 tbsp quinoa flakes can be substituted with oat flakes or bran
- 1 tbsp linseeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- more seeds and salt flakes for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C, no fan.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the discard, the quinoa (oats) flakes, seeds, salt and olive oil and stir until everything is combined.
- Line an oven tray with baking paper and pour the ‘batter’ on it. With a spatula distribute it in a thin even layer, in the shape of square/rectangle. Sprinkle extra seeds and/or salt flakes on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven, on the middle rack, for 25-30 min, or until browned on top. Let cool then break into pieces and serve as a side for salads, soups, cheeses, hummus, or as a snack. Enjoy!
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