Sourdough Cheese Crackers

Crispy Sourdough Cheese Crackers are made with powdered sourdough discard for a slightly tangy flavor. These homemade cheez-ity crackers are a tasty snack.

How to make the best copycat Cheez-its:

If you don’t already have one, I can show you how to make a sourdough starter and how to feed a sourdough starter.

If you do have a starter, I’m sure you’re always looking for new ways to use your sourdough discard.

What if your starter needs a feeding but you don’t have time to bake with your discard? Don’t worrry, I can show you an incredibly easy-to-do process for drying your starter. .

After you dry your sourdough starter, you can grind it into a powder. Why pulverize dried sourdough? Powdered starter takes up less storage space and it rehydrates a little more easily. But there’s an even better reason for grinding sourdough starter.

You can add dried sourdough powder directly to a recipe for an instant flavor boost. That’s exactly what I did for this Sourdough Cracker recipe.

I’m especially happy with how the slightly tangy sourdough powder enhances the cheddary flavor of these copycat cheez-it crackers.

How to make Sourdough Cheese Crackers:

1. Shredded cheese in a food processor. 2. Flour added to the cheese. 3. Cubes of butter with flour mixture in food processor. 4. Butter mixed into flour.
  • Shred the cheddar with the food processor disc then switch to the blade.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the cheese and process. 3.
  • Add the cubed butter.
  • Process until the butter is mixed in.
1. Adding water to cracker dough. 2. Dough ball in a food processor. 3. Ball of cheese cracker dough.
  • Add the water with the food processor running.
  • Process until the dough forms a ball.
  • Knead the dough together and split into 2 portions.
1. Dough to 1/8" thick on parchment paper. 2. Photo showing very thinly rolled dough. 3. Dough with edges trimmed.
  • Roll the dough to cover a half sheet of parchment paper.
  • The dough should be no more than 1/8″ thick.
  • Trim the edges.
1. Cheese cracker dough cut into 1" squares on a sheet pan. 2. Baked crackers on a sheet pan. 3. Some crackers on a sheet pan.
  • Cut the crackers into 1″ squares.
  • Bake until golden brown.
  • Remove browned crackers and continue baking the remaining crackers until golden brown.

Can I make Sourdough Cheese Crackers if I don’t have a food processor?

Yes. You can mix the dough as you would a pie dough. Place the shredded cheddar in a mixing bowl. Toss the dry ingredients with the cheese. Work the butter into the dry ingredients with a beater attachment or your fingers. Work until the butter pieces are quite small and the mixture looks like cornmeal. Pour the water over the mixture and stir until combined. Finish kneading the dough by hand.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

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4.82 from 11 reviews

Sourdough Cheese Crackers Recipe

Crispy cheese crackers made with powdered sourdough. These light, cheez-ity crackers are a tasty snack.
Prep Time45 minutes
Bake Time20 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
16 servings
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Ingredients

  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4 oz powdered sourdough discard
  • 5 oz all purpose flour (1 cup, see note)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 4 oz unsalted butter (1/2 cup, cubed)
  • 2 oz water (1/4 cup)
  • sea salt for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Have two half sheet pans and two pieces of parchment paper ready.
  • In a food processor fitted with the shredding disc, shred the cheddar cheese. Switch to the chopping blade. Add the powdered starter, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Process until well-combined.
    8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, 4 oz powdered sourdough discard, 5 oz all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • Add the cubed butter and process until the mixture resembles corn meal. With the processor running, drizzle in the water and process until the dough forms a ball.
    4 oz unsalted butter, 2 oz water
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to form a smooth ball.
  • Divide the dough in 1/2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, using enough flour to keep it from sticking to the surface.
  • Transfer the dough to a 1/2 sheet parchment paper and continue rolling until the dough is 1/8" thick and almost covers the paper. Repeat with the other dough. Trim the sides of the dough to make straight edges. The scraps and be rerolled and cut to make extra crackers.
  • Use a pizza cutter or dough cutter with fluted edges to cut the dough into 1"x1" squares (or to your desired cracker size). Poke a hole in the center of each cracker. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Slide the paper onto a baking sheet.
    sea salt for topping
  • Bake the crackers until golden brown and crisp, 10-15 minutes. If you under bake the crackers they won't be as crisp. You can remove the outer crackers as they brown and continue baking the crackers in the center until all the crackers are well-browned.
  • Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Break apart any crackers that are still stuck together. Stored in an air tight container, the crackers will keep for a week.

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Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition

Serving: 20crackers | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made them and came out FANTASTIC! Only change I did is I used “wet” discard because that’s all I had and they worked great. This is a keeper!

    1. Good to know the wet discard works too. Did you reduce the water in the recipe to compensate?

  2. 5 stars
    I happened to have leftover dried sourdough that I did not know what to do with and some leftover gouda cheese, so i tried your recipe and it turned out as good as your pictures suggest. 5 Stars without a doubt

    1. The only problem with this recipe is that I have absolutely no self-control with cheese crackers. They’re so easy to eat by the handful.