Sourdough Parmesan Crackers
Sourdough Parmesan crackers are thin, crisp crackers made with sourdough discard, Parmesan cheese, herbs, and oil. They’re salty, cheesy, and easily one of my favorite ways to use extra sourdough starter.
I make these all the time. These crackers are hands down one of my favorite sourdough recipes.
At least once or twice a week there’s a fresh batch on our kitchen table. They take no time at all to make and you can cut them to any size that you want.
You can use fresh or dried herbs in these. Just use what you have on hand. These crackers are good by themselves, served with a dip, or added to a bowl of soup.
Kim’s Tip for Crisp Sourdough Crackers
Go easy on adding extra flour. The more flour you work into the dough, the thicker and chewier the crackers become. Don’t add flour automatically just because the dough feels firm.
For crispy crackers, roll the dough super thin, almost thin enough to see through.
I like to use a Microplane to grate the Parmesan. Shaker Parmesan will work, but it absorbs more moisture and makes the dough feel stiffer and drier.
I like to sprinkle Maldon salt or coarse sea salt over the rolled dough, then give it one last gentle pass with the rolling pin. This presses the salt into the surface so it stays on the crackers while they bake.
If you still have discard to use, try my sourdough discard ranch crackers next. These Parmesan crackers are also great with homemade pub cheese spread or a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup.
How to Make Sourdough Parmesan Crackers
Mix the dough: Combine the flours, sourdough discard, Parmesan, herbs, and oil. Mix until everything comes together into a firm ball. You can mix it by hand in a bowl or with a stand mixer. The dough shouldn’t be sticky, but try not to add extra flour unless it truly needs it.
Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each one into a thick rectangle. Wrap them tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. You can also leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight and roll it the next day.
Roll it very thin: Work with one piece at a time and roll it directly on lightly floured parchment paper. Aim for about 1/16 to ⅛-inch thick. I roll mine almost see-through when I want the crackers especially crisp.
Season and cut: Transfer the parchment and dough to a baking sheet. Brush the surface lightly with oil, sprinkle it with coarse sea salt, and roll gently once more to press in the salt. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares with a pizza cutter, then prick each square with a fork.
Bake the crackers: Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crackers look dry and the edges are lightly golden brown. Rotate the pans if one side of your oven browns more quickly. Let the crackers cool before placing them in a sealed container.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Ingredients
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sourdough starter, unfed or discard
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
- ¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sourdough starter, Parmesan cheese, herbs, and oil in a medium bowl. Mix until the dough forms a ball and is no longer sticky.½ cup white whole wheat flour½ cup all-purpose flour1 cup sourdough starter¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese¼ cup fresh thyme or rosemary¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each portion into a thick rectangle. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly flour a rolling pin, two large pieces of parchment paper, and the tops of the dough.
- Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough on the parchment paper until it is about 1/16 to ⅛-inch thick. Roll it almost see-through for the crispiest crackers. Transfer the parchment paper and dough to a baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining dough.
- Lightly brush the dough with oil and sprinkle it with coarse sea salt. Gently roll over the salt once to press it into the dough.½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Cut the dough into 1-inch squares with a pizza cutter. Prick each square with a fork.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crackers look dry and the edges are lightly golden brown. Rotate the pans during baking if needed for even browning.
- Let the crackers cool completely. Store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- All-purpose flour can replace the white whole wheat flour.
- For dried herbs, I usually use 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary plus ½ to 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, depending on how herby I want the crackers. Adjust the amount to your personal preference.
- Freshly grated Parmesan produces the easiest dough to roll. Shaker Parmesan works, but the dough will be stiffer and drier.
- The dough may be refrigerated overnight before rolling and baking.
- The nutrition information is based on a serving size of 5 crackers.
Nutrition
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Super easy and very delicious! Will definitely make these again.
Thank you Pam! We’re glad you liked the crackers. Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day 🙂
Will regular whole wheat flour work?
Good Morning Barbara, sorry for the delayed response. Yesterday was busy one for sure. That’s a good question. We’ve never tried it. However, I believe it will sill work. The dough might be a little dryer. As such, you’ll need to add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together. Make sure that it’s not a sicky dough. Otherwise, it will not roll out. I hope this information helps. Have a lovely day 🙂
has anyone tried using gluten free flour for these? They look so yummy – and i do keep a GF sourdough starter.
Good Morning Evelyn, not that I’ve seen. I’ve approved the comment, hopefully, someone who has used GF flour will answer your question. Thank you for asking and have a lovely day 🙂
This looks like an easy and delicious way to use up my sourdough discard. Thank you! I’m wondering, can the dough be frozen for later? My apologies if this question has already been asked and answered.
Good Morning Steph, according to my research you can freeze sourdough cracker dough. Furthermore, it supposed to hold in your freezer for up to 3 months. Simply remove it from the freezer and let it soften up for about 10 minutes on your counter-top. Now, we’ve never frozen the dough before, so I cannot confirm this is accurate. Also, it seems to me that it would take longer than 10 minutes for thoroughly frozen dough to become “workable” with a rolling pin. I hope this information helps. Have a lovely day 🙂
I see that this makes 130 crackers, but how many crackers are considered one serving?
Hi Kathy!
Our apologies. The recipe makes about 130 crackers total (depending on how many crackers you’re able to cut from the dough), and the serving size is 5 crackers per serving. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I’m updating the recipe to reflect the information now. Thanks again and have a great day! 🙂
I’m pretty new to the sourdough starter game, but all these fantastic options for using up the starter discard are exciting!
I just made up the dough for this recipe, and the two pucks are resting in the fridge. The recipe calls for chilling them for up to two hours, but I’m wondering if there’s harm in letting them sit overnight and rolling/baking in the morning.
I can’t imagine too much yeast activity in the fridge in that time, but again, I’m new to all this. Do you think that will be “bad” for the end result in some way? Or am I good to go for an overnight chill session before baking?
Thank you again for the recipe! I’m really excited to see how these turn out!
Good morning, that’s a good question. I spoke with Kim and she said it won’t hurt them to let the dough chill overnight and then roll and bake the crackers in the morning. Thank you for compliments and visiting our site! Have a lovely day 🙂
Just made the Parmesan Cheese Sourdough Crackers and they are a huge hit! Great way to use the sourdough discard. We will be making these often! Thank you!
They were delicious! I did them with a one inch cookie cutter…to cute! Thank~you for this great snack recipe ♥️ I did send a picture.
Good Morning Peg, that’s wonderful! Kim and I looked at your photo on Pinterest. Using a cookie cutter is a great idea, it makes a perfectly round cracker every time. Thank you for coming back to comment on the recipe card and providing a photo! We hope you have a lovely day 🙂
Love them! I rolled mine between two sheets of parchment and just left them on the bottom paper… transferring the entire thing to a baking sheet. I love that I can use my discard to make these light and crunchy crackers. The dough is so easy to work with! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Good Morning Lisa, thank you for commenting. Kim and I are glad you like the crackers. Also, that’s a smart move to roll them between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Well done! Thank you again for coming back to comment on the recipe card. Have a lovely day 🙂