Gluten Free Sourdough Crackers

These amazing little sourdough crackers are the lightest, crispiest, tangiest crackers imaginable. Customizable in all kinds of flavours and simple to make (no rolling required), they are a fantastic way to use up your sourdough discard - in fact, you might want to keep a batch of sourdough starter going just so you can whip up these crackers whenever you get the craving. (Skip to recipe.)

I have been in cracker heaven - all kinds of crispy, crunchy little crackery mouthfuls of heavenly deliciousness. You could say these are my new sourdough 'crack' addiction.

Experimenting with my gluten free sourdough starter has provided me all sorts of fun and tasty testing, some moments of frustration and despair, and best of all - loads of sourdough discard to make these amazing little crispy crackers. We've been eating them like potato chips around here.

They are a fantastic vehicle for hummus and salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, tuna salad, and all kinds of dips. They're great with cheese or pâté, cream cheese and smoked salmon, slices of salami, or as a base for nachos. But they've been devoured in our home most often just plain . . . by the handful . . . straight from the jar.

The light crispiness and tanginess of these crackers is a real surprise. The sourdough gives them that magical edge of zing - makes them taste almost cheesy even when you make them with no cheese in them at all (though I tell you, the cheese variation included below has become our most recent favourite).

And to top it all off - they're easy peasy. No rolling out of dough or cutting tiny crackers into shapes. Just stir a few ingredients into a blob of your sourdough discard, spread it thinly onto a cookie sheet, and bake. You can stop partway into the baking time and score the crackers into rectangles, or just break the whole sheet of them into rustic, irregular chunks when they're done.

The plain version of the crackers is a great classic - delightfully tangy, lightly salted with just a hint of pepper. We love them. But the other versions have been huge hits, too, especially the spicy chili one and the cheese one. The sweet cinnamon version has a surprisingly fruity flavour when the tang of the sourdough mixes with the cinnamon. Delicious!

Easy Peasy Sourdough Crackers

Just weigh or measure out the sourdough discard into a bowl (weighing gives the most uniform results, since all sourdoughs can be different, even from batch to batch).

Add in your seasonings (salt, pepper + optional add-ins), melted butter, and a spoonful of whole psyllium husks (when using gluten free sourdough). Stir it up.

Plop it onto your parchment paper lined baking sheet.

And spread it around into a thin, even layer. An offset spatula makes this an easy job.

Bake it for 15 minutes, then pull it out and score lines into it for easy splitting-apart later. A pizza cutter makes this a snap (but you can use a knife, too).

Continue baking, then when they're nice and golden, break the crackers apart into rectangles (or rustic pieces, if you didn't score it).

Cool, and start snacking (maybe hide some away for yourself so they don't all get snatched up!)

Since these crackers disappear so quickly in our household, I like to make two or three batches at a time, rotating them on the shelves in my oven during baking.

 

Happy cracker eating (if you get addicted to this kind of 'crack'-er . . . sorry, you're on your own, no therapy can help you!)

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: Your sourdough discard should be the texture of thick, pourable cake batter for best results with these crackers. If it is too thick, thin it with a bit of water before measuring it. If it is too thin, it will be fine to use; it may just take a bit longer to bake.

You can omit the psyllium husks (no need for them if using regular/non-gluten-free sourdough starter), but they do help make the crackers a little crisper and less prone to crumbling, if using gluten-free sourdough starter.

You can use olive oil or coconut oil instead of the butter, and your crackers will still be crisp and tangy, but the flavour of butter is really superior in these crackers (I did lots of test batches to be sure). Nothing compares to real butter.

Watch the crackers carefully in the last 10-15 minutes of baking, as oven temperatures may vary, and the thickness of the crackers or the darkness of the baking sheet may also affect baking time and browning. Remove them from the oven when the outside crackers are nicely golden. If the inside crackers are still not crispy enough, you can remove the finished crackers and return the softer ones to the oven for a few additional minutes. Keep in mind that the crackers do crisp up somewhat upon cooling.

Gluten Free Sourdough Crackers

• 1 cup (265gms) gluten free sourdough discard (stirred down & then measured)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) melted butter
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon whole psyllium husks (omit if using regular non-gluten-free sourdough)
• see the different flavour variations below for any optional add-ins
• optional toppings: flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Line a 10 x 15 inch (25.5 x 38cm) baking sheet with parchment paper that sticks up at least 1 inch on both long sides. The baking sheet should not be smaller than this or the crackers will be too thick. It can be larger and you can just spread the dough on it into a rectangle that is roughly 10 x 15 inches in size.

Stir together the sourdough discard, melted butter, salt, and pepper. Then add the  psyllium husks and any of the ingredients for a variation, if using. (If you add the psyllium husks after stirring in the butter, they don't thicken up quite as quickly, giving you more time to spread the batter in the pan.)

Scrape the batter onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter in a thin even layer right to the edges of the pan (or into a 10x15-inch rectangle if using a larger baking sheet). This part can take a bit of finesse, but once you get the hang of it, it's relatively easy. It works best if you hold the edge of parchment that sticks up on one side to anchor it, and spread in the direction away from where you're holding it, always moving your hand to hold the parchment in another spot and spreading in the opposite direction, until you have a thin even layer of batter that goes right to the edges of the pan in every direction. If your pan is larger than 10 x 15 inches, you can just make that size of a batter rectangle in the pan. Or you can make it bigger and have thinner, even more crispy crackers. Sprinkle on additional salt or seeds, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pan and score it into crackers. A pizza cutter works best for this (don't worry if it doesn't cut right to the edges - you'll break the crackers up later), but a knife will work, too. Score the sheet of dough into 4 strips the long way, and twelve strips across, to make 48 rectangular crackers. Or skip the scoring step and just break the crackers into irregular shapes when baked.

Continue baking for another 30 to 40 minutes (45 to 55 minutes total time), until the crackers are lightly browned and crispy at the edges. Make sure to start checking your crackers at the 30 minute mark, as ovens vary, and sometimes even batches vary, with an occasional batch inexplicably browning faster than usual - sourdough is a capricious character!

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then break the crackers along the scored lines (or into irregular shapes if not scored) and let them cool until crispy on a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Makes 48 thin, crispy sourdough crackers.

VARIATIONS:

1. Herb Crackers - add 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence or Italian herbs (+ ½ teaspoon garlic powder, optional)

2. Rosemary & Black Pepper Crackers - increase pepper to 1 teaspoon and add 2 teaspoons dried, crushed rosemary

3. Spicy Chili Crackers - add 1 tablespoon chili powder seasoning + ½ teaspoon paprika (sweet or spicy)

4. Lemon Pepper Crackers - increase the pepper to 1 teaspoon and add the grated zest of a lemon

5. Cheese Crackers - omit the psyllium husks and add ½ cup (65gms) finely grated Parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon paprika

6. Sesame Crackers - add 2 tablespoons sesame seeds to the batter, then sprinkle the spread-out crackers in the pan with an additional tablespoon or two of sesame seeds before baking. You could also substitute with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or nigella seeds.

7. Cinnamon Sugar Crackers - omit the pepper and reduce salt to ¼ teaspoon. Add ¼ cup sugar + ¾ teaspoon cinnamon to the batter. Bake for less time (about 30 minutes total), as the sugar can cause the crackers to burn more quickly. Watch them carefully and remove them from the oven as soon as the outside crackers are nicely browned. If desired, you can brush the warm sheet of crackers thinly with melted butter and sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon before breaking them apart to cool.

Guten Appetit!

 

Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email? Sign up here and you’ll get a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too.  (No spam ever.)

If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You’d make my day!

PIN IT HERE to save the recipe for later:

You might also like:

How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

Flax and Hazelnut Crackers

Light Flaky Biscuits

Pan de Yuca (Warm and Cheesy Little Buns)