Shatter-Thin Sourdough Discard Crackers with Rosemary & Sea Salt

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A cheese-board cracker you can make from the jar of starter discard in your fridge. The dough is just discard, flour, butter and salt, rested overnight so the tang deepens, then rolled paper-thin and baked until it blisters and snaps. Rosemary and flaky salt on top, olive oil brushed on before the oven so every shard tastes seasoned to the edge.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sourdough starter discard (227 g, unfed, 100% hydration)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g), plus more for rolling
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, roughly torn (optional)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sourdough discard, the soft butter, fine sea salt and sugar until the butter is broken up and mostly smeared into the discard — a few small lumps are fine. Add the flour and chopped rosemary and mix with a sturdy spatula until no dry flour remains, then knead in the bowl 8 to 10 turns until you have a soft, slightly tacky dough that pulls away from the sides.
2. Divide the dough in half, press each piece into a flat 5-inch disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 3 days. Overnight is the sweet spot: the dough firms up so it rolls thin without tearing, and the flavor turns noticeably more tangy.
3. Arrange oven racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F. Cut 4 sheets of parchment to fit your baking sheets.
4. Work with one disc at a time, leaving the other chilled. Set the dough on a piece of parchment, dust lightly with flour, and lay a second sheet of parchment on top. Roll from the center outward, rotating the packet a quarter turn every few passes, until the dough is a rough rectangle no more than 1/16 inch thick — thin enough that you can see the parchment texture through it. Peel off the top parchment; if the dough sticks, chill it 5 minutes and try again.
5. Brush the surface with olive oil, then scatter on flaky salt, cracked pepper and torn rosemary. Press the toppings down gently with your palm so they stay put.
6. Using a pizza wheel or a long knife, cut the sheet into 1½-inch squares or diamonds; do not separate them. Dock each cracker once with a fork or the tip of a skewer to keep them from puffing. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet.
7. Repeat with the second disc of dough on a second baking sheet. Bake both sheets for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back.
8. Continue baking 8 to 14 minutes more, until the crackers are dry, deep golden and firm to the touch. Watch closely after minute 18: the thin outer crackers brown first, so pull any that are already dark to a rack with a spatula and return the pan to finish the center ones. Total time runs 20 to 26 minutes per pan depending on thickness.
9. Slide the parchment onto a wire rack and cool completely, about 15 minutes — the crackers crisp fully as they cool. Snap apart along the score lines. Any pieces that still bend after cooling can go back into the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
10. Serve piled in a bowl with cheese, dips or on their own. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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