These truly are the best sourdough rye discard crackers! After much trial and error, I’ve perfected this tried-and-true recipe that I’ve been making for a long time. They’re quick and easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. With a delightful tangy and salty flavour, these crackers are crispy and savoury, making them versatile and irresistible.

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These crackers are a staple in our house and rarely last long! They’re perfect for pairing with dips and sauces, enjoying with cheese, or simply snacking on their own. Easy to make, store, and eat, they’re a versatile treat that complements any occasion!

What are Sourdough Discard Crackers?

Sourdough discard crackers are made using some or mostly sourdough discard, resulting in a delightful tangy flavour and a wonderfully crispy texture. These crackers are a fantastic way to utilize lots of leftover sourdough starter while creating a tasty, fermented, versatile snack!

4 Simple Ingredients

These crackers are made using four simple, whole-food ingredients that our great grandparents would’ve eaten.

Sourdough Discard

I usually use a stiff starter so that makes the texture a bit different. If you’re looking to use your stiff starter discard, down below is the recipe for you!

300g stiff sourdough discard
75g lard
110g rye flour
5g salt

However, if you have a thinner, batter-like starter like most people do, the main recipe will work for you.

This recipe is made with a white flour sourdough starter. If you work with a rye flour sourdough starter, the texture will turn out quite different.

If you’re insistent on using a rye sourdough starer, I would recommend using white flour in the recipe instead of rye flour and see how that goes!

Lard

I choose to use lard for this recipe because it is neutral, affordable, and works well! It’s an ingredient that our great grandparents would have made crackers with and I like it.

Learn here how to render pork fat and make your own lard!

Whole Grain Rye Flour

I just love rye flour but you can use any whole grain flour you have access to. You can usually buy whole grain rye flour locally or online here but if you can mill your own flour, that would be even better!

If you’re living in the country and you can source organic and local whole grains, you may want to consider starting to mill your own flour. It’s more fun, nutrient dense, and flavourful! You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment.

If you’re really enjoying working with whole grain and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use almost everyday and love both for its beauty and practicality.

Get your Harvest NutriMill when you’re ready to invest using this link and my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off your order!

Salt

I like a good ol’ Himalayan sea salt but any salt would be good. Start with a light sprinkle and adjust next time, it’s better too be not salty enough than to be too salty.

Inclusions

I like to add inclusions sometimes such as sesame seeds, black pepper, nutritional yeast, or shredded cheese!

What You’ll Need

Mixer with a paddle attachment or hands
Plastic bags, plastic wrap, or airtight container
Two sheet pans
Parchment paper
Rolling pin – I love the french style rolling pin
Pastry wheel

How To Make The Best Sourdough Rye Discard Crackers

Using the paddle attachment, mix together rye flour, salt, and lard in a mixer, or you can use your hands. Once the mixture becomes crumbly, add the sourdough discard to form a stiff dough. If the dough feels too wet, gradually add more rye flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it reaches a stiff but not dry or sticky consistency, similar to pie dough.
After making the dough, divide it into two equal portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap or place it in airtight containers, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two sheet pans and two pieces of parchment paper. Take one portion of the dough and roll it out on a piece of parchment paper using a rolling pin. Roll it out to a thickness of 1/8″-1/4″ and as large as your sheet pan. The dough should be very thin and will stick to the parchment paper. Lift the parchment with the rolled-out dough and place it on a sheet pan. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
Using a pastry wheel or knife, score the rolled-out dough into squares and lightly sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Once cooled, store the crackers in an airtight container for up to a month (though they probably won’t last that long!).
Enjoy your delicious sourdough discard crackers!

Notes

Hydration of the dough will vary based on the hydration of your sourdough starer. If it’s thin like pancake batter, add more flour. Thicker like muffin batter, the recipe should be accurate. If using a stiff starter, refer to the recipe mentioned in the sourdough discard section.

I like to place one portion of dough in the fridge and one in the freezer to pull for next time I want to make crackers.

Sourdough Rye Discard Crackers

These truly are the best sourdough rye discard crackers! After much trial and error, I've perfected this tried-and-true recipe that I’ve been making for a long time. They're quick and easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. With a delightful tangy and salty flavour, these crackers are crispy and savoury, making them versatile and irresistible.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 25

Total Time 3

Equipment

Mixer with a paddle attachment or hands
Plastic bags, plastic wrap, or airtight container
Two sheet pans
Parchment paper
Rolling Pin I love the french style rolling pin
Pastry wheel

Ingredients

300 g sourdough discard 1½ Cup
60 g lard ⅔ Cup cubed and chilled
200 g rye flour 1¼ Cups
5 g salt 1 tsp

Instructions

Using the paddle attachment, mix together rye flour, salt, and lard in a mixer, or you can use your hands. Once the mixture becomes crumbly, add the sourdough discard to form a stiff dough. If the dough feels too wet, gradually add more rye flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it reaches a stiff but not dry or sticky consistency, similar to pie dough.
After making the dough, divide it into two equal portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap or place it in airtight containers, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two sheet pans and two pieces of parchment paper. Take one portion of the dough and roll it out on a piece of parchment paper using a rolling pin. Roll it out to a thickness of 1/8″-1/4″ and as large as your sheet pan. The dough should be very thin and will stick to the parchment paper. Lift the parchment with the rolled-out dough and place it on a sheet pan. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
Using a pastry wheel or knife, score the rolled-out dough into squares and lightly sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Once cooled, store the crackers in an airtight container for up to a month (though they probably won’t last that long!).
Enjoy your delicious sourdough discard crackers!

Notes

Hydration of the dough will vary based on the hydration of your sourdough starer. If it’s thin like pancake batter, add more flour. If its thicker like muffin batter, the recipe should be accurate. If using a stiff starter, refer to the recipe mentioned in the sourdough discard section.

I like to place one portion of dough in the fridge and one in the freezer to pull for next time I want to make crackers.

The Best Sourdough Rye Discard Crackers

What are Sourdough Discard Crackers?