Rosemary Sourdough Cracker
Warning! These sourdough crackers can be deliciously addictive. Whether you are eating them by the handful, liberally displaying them on a cheese board, or feeding them to your always-hungry-children, this is one of the best sourdough recipes you will find. You might find yourself making extra batches so that you can have these around all the time!
It finally happened. After two years of social distancing, excessive hand washing, vaccines, and boosters… Stu tested positive for COVID, and as a result, we were stuck at home with our girls for a full week. Aside from social distancing within a household, the biggest challenge was feeding our daughters three daily meals alongside a wide assortment of snacks. T-minus 4 days until our friends delivered our weekly CSA basket, but already on day 2, we were completely out of “ready-made” snacks; it was time to get creative.
One of Madeleine’s first words was “cracker” (after Mama and Papa of course), so it’s no coincidence that they are a heavily requested item in our household. If we cannot meet this demand, we must face the wrath and tantrums of an unhappy 18-month-old. To keep the peace, I needed a lot of bread, so I fed my sourdough starter in order to make a country loaf, some buns, and my famous rosemary crackers.
I wanted to make my crackers extra savoury, but I was running out of my dried, garden-harvested herbs. Thankfully, I turned to the rosemary bush I had repotted to keep indoors. After years of attempting to overwinter rosemary, I drew inspiration from the giant, fragrant bushes I remembered from New Zealand. Despite the cold, damp winters, these plants still grew vigorously (sometimes upwards to twenty feet high.) My rosemary plant happily overwinters in the draftiest corner of my home, and all it requires is some frequent watering. Having made it through half of winter, the plant could be safely trimmed into a garnish for meals and snacks.
Locally milled whole wheat flour, sourdough discard, fresh rosemary and briny sea salt make these crackers addictive. You might even start overfeeding your starter so you have extra for this sourdough cracker recipe!
I am an Amazon Associate which means that I may receive small commissions for purchases made through these links. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and wholeheartedly recommend!
Ingredients
230g sourdough starter* discard
115g whole wheat flour
10g chopped fresh rosemary
4g sea salt
60g butter, room temperature
Maldon sea salt, to taste
Directions
Weigh all your ingredients into a medium-size bowl.
Mix until the dough comes together.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it relax in the fridge for at least an hour.
I like to let the dough ferment for at least 24hrs for additional flavour but this step isn’t necessary.
Unwrap the dough and cut it into two pieces.
Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and roll out the first piece of dough, using flour to ensure the dough doesn't stick.
You want the dough to be as thin as possible, about 1.5mm.
Slide parchment paper with the dough onto a baking tray.
Drizzle with olive oil and spread it so evenly coat the dough.
Sprinkle generously with finishing sea salt like Maldon.
Using a roller cutter (like a pizza/ ravioli cutter or a sharp knife), cut the dough into squares or strips.
Repeat steps 6-11 for the second piece of dough.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, turning pans around (top to bottom, front to back) midway through.
Once they are a light golden brown, I like to leave them in the oven for 5-10 additional minutes with the oven off and door ajar. This allows the cracker to fully dehydrate without overcooking.
Once cool, store in an airtight container in the pantry.
*Don’t have a sourdough starter? You have options!