A great use for that sourdough starter, these sourdough crackers have a slight sour bite like Cheese Nips, but they pack more cheese flavor than the store bought kind, and they don’t leave your fingers greasy!
Homemade Crackers
I’ve been wanting to make crackers for quite some time now. I’ve also wanted to start working with sourdough for a while. For both, I had let myself be content simply researching.
I was intimidated.
Crackers were a mystery. How do you get that crisp texture?
Everything pointed to loads of butter, which just isn’t our style. And the more I looked, the more I knew I needed to start making my own because of the reality of how bad for you the store-bought kind are.
Sourdough seemed tricky. What was I supposed to do with this living thing in the back of my fridge? When to feed it? What if I didn’t want to make bread every week?
Too many questions.
But a couple of things converged last week that pointed everything in the direction of these crackers, in addition to giving me the boot in the rear that I needed.
Making Sourdough Crackers
First, I was able to take some sourdough starter home from work, where we had been training on sourdough breads. I was excited about the starter, but had no idea what to do with it, since we really didn’t need any more sourdough bread.
A quick look around the internet showed me that there are a lot of other things to do with sourdough starter, particularly the discarded starter from a feeding. And crackers were number one on the list.
BINGO!
Our Sourdough Cheese Cracker Recipe
Everyone who has tried these crackers has loved them. They have a slight sour bite like Cheese Nips, but they pack more cheese flavor than the store-bought kind. And, they are not greasy at all.
Get ready for some cheesy snacking!
A great use for that discard sourdough starter, these sourdough crackers have a slight sour bite like Cheese Nips, but they pack more cheese flavor.
Yield: 18 dozen (1 inch) crackers
- 1 c sourdough starter (this can be your discarded starter from your most recent feeding)
- 1/4 c salted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ - 1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- dash paprika
- ½ c cheddar cheese, shredded
- Mix the melted butter into your starter. Add baking soda and enough flour to achieve a stiff dough. Knead mixture together until a smooth, stiff dough forms.
- Place in a bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let set at room temperature for 8 hours.
- When you are ready to make your crackers, preheat oven to 350F.
- Knead seasonings into the dough until well incorporated.
- Add cheese and continue kneading until evenly distributed.
- Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a rectangle, roughly 10” x 12” and 1/8” thick.
- Transfer rolled dough to a greased baking sheet. Cut into desired shapes with a pizza cutter.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes have passed, turn off the oven, but leave the crackers inside for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Remove crackers from oven when crispy.
- Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
If I leave out the cheese to make a different flavor cracker, do I need to adjust anything else?
Hi Nancy, You should be fine to leave out the cheese. You can always add a touch more butter if you want the extra crispness. (But not too much, because you don’t want a sticky dough.) This recipe is incredibly easy to adapt, so have fun with it!
Made them last night. Left cheese in, used garlic powder in place of onion powder, and sprinkled generously with Penzey’s pizza seasoning and a bit of course salt. Delicious! Dough is a dream to work with. We especially loved the ones that got rolled paper thin. They are strong crackers and don’t crumble. Thanks for the tutorial! Wish I could share a picture!
Thanks Nancy! Your version sounds DELICIOUS! We’ll have to try them with a pizza seasoning soon! We’d love for you to share a picture with us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CuriousCuisiniere/!
How long will these keep in an airtight container?
Hi Jennifer. We’ve always had these stay fresh for at least 2 weeks. (We typically eat a batch up by then!)
This is the bee’s knees, just took them out of the oven and can’t stop snacking!
Glad you’re enjoying them Reese! Thanks for stopping back by to let us know how they turned out!
Thanks for the great recipe! They are in my oven cooking right now and smell amazing! Was I supposed to put the baking soda in with the flour and butter, or with the seasonings? Or does it matter? Have you tried making any other favors? I wonder how they’d taste with some herbs in them? Thanks again for the fabulous recipe! I just tested one and it was fabulous! I’ll definitely be making these again!
Wonderful Heidi! Thanks for stopping back by to let us know how they turned out! We have made a few different variations, with herbs and even with our Cajun seasoning mix. All are wonderful! (Actually, we really need to make a batch soon, it’s been too long since we’ve had them!) It shouldn’t matter where you add the baking soda, but we typically add it with the flour. Thanks for noticing that part was missing from the instructions. We’ve updated the recipe. Enjoy!
I tried adding dried Rosmary and it was nice
Can’t wait to try these! What flour should I use for these crackers? TIA!
Thanks Tia! We use un-bleached all purpose for these. I’ve updated the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Sourdough and cheese. Sold! I am definitely making these. Here’s a link to another cheese cracker. Kids love them and they have some whole wheat. http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2012/11/whole-wheat-and-cheddar-mini-crackers.html#.UUoQzheG11A.
Thanks Karen. I’m excited to check them out!
Sarah, I’ve also been wanting to make my own crackers and sourdough starter. And like you, I have a million terrifying questions about the starter! You’re inspiring me to just plunge ahead and do it because these crackers look amazing! Definitely better than the manufacture store-bought stuff.
I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one terrified of starter! I’m finding you just have to plunge right in, and be ok with a few mistakes along the way. Best of luck!
These crackers look amazing! So crispy and so delicious 🙂
I printed this recipe because I just took my sourdough starter out of the fridge to feed it. (It’s about 8 years old and I named it “Bubbles”). I have all the ingredients and I’m beyond excited about making these crackers.
Awesome! I hope you enjoy them! I’d love to hear how they turn out for you!
Ha! awesome, I have never seen homemade sourdough crackers before. We love those here, but I have to admit I wouldn’t mind making my own so I would know at least what’s in it. Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to see what other cracker recipes you might come up with.
Thanks Helene! It is really refreshing to know exactly what is in the crackers we’re snacking on.
Not everyone knows where to get sourdough starter, I know King Arthur online sells the base.
Great tip Cindy. Thanks! I know you can make your own too, over a period of a week or so. But, since I haven’t I’m not sure the exact process.
You don’t need to buy sourdough base! Sourdough has been made from wild yeast cultures for centuries. The process is simple, and involves mixing wheat and water and giving it some time on the counter. I have had a sourdough starter going for a few months now, I started it this way. It is amazing for pancakes, tortillas, pretzels, muffins, and apparently crackers! 🙂
These sound wonderful. What a creative cracker. Love it!
OMG this is BRILLIANT!! Thanks!
Thanks Sarah!
I keep promising myself that I am going to start making my own crackers but I just haven’t gotten around to it. These looks so amazing I really need to get off my butt this week and try it.
That’s exactly how I felt. The only time consuming thing about them is rolling the dough out. And even that doesn’t take much time. And, the good thing is, one batch makes a bunch of crackers. (Although depending on who’s munching, you may have to hide some to make them last longer. 🙂 )
Great recipe!! I love making crackers!!
Your crackers look fantastic. I’d love to have some of these with some dip!
Ooh, I can just imagine a veggie-cream cheese dip to go along with these. Now you’ve got me thinking!
Never thought to make crackers with a sourdough starter – great idea!
Making crackers is on my culinary bucket list. Your recipe makes this a less daunting task! Thanks for sharing!
Your crackers look fantastic, they could come from a box but I bet taste 10 times better.
I love a good cheese nip but these sound even better! More cheese flavor? I’m in!
I love that you made your own crackers, they look amazing!
What a fantastic recipe! I’ve also wanted to delve into sourdough and crackers! You have me inspired, plus I’m having a few tasting parties in the upcoming weeks, and these will be perfect! Thanks!
Great! I need to start making crackers at home because the labels on store bought are just scary!
Agreed! I love a good snack, but I hate having to pretend I didn’t read the ingredients!
These crackers look fabulous! I can’t wait to try this fun recipe
Amazing! I’ve never made my own crackers, now it’s all I want to do!
I made my first loaf of sourdough bread today and I shall try these crackers with my next loaf 🙂
Fantastic! I hope you enjoy them Tandy!
oooo I’d have a rough time not eating all of these!
We did too 🙂
I´m so excited to try this recipe! I have a dormant starter in my fridge and am planning to bring it to life soon. This will be my first recipe for sure. Love homemade crackers!
I love making my own crackers. I’ve never made a sourdough cracker though so I’ll have to give this one a try-cheese crackers are definitely a favorite of mine.