Sourdough Crackers & Hard Cider

I mentioned in my last Pizza & Cider post that our rate of sourdough pizza consumption had slowed because we had a new favorite use for our sourdough discard: crackers. My wife discovered a sourdough cracker recipe and as is our normal, we soon augmented it and began creating a plethora of wonderful options.

There are two main ingredients, my sourdough discard, which is around 220 grams (about 3/4 cup), and 170 grams (6 ounces) of cheese. The first and obvious adjustment was to vary the cheese we used. That led to us making every variety of organic cheese we could find. The next adjustment was to add various spices. We were making spicy versions, savory versions, and even some sweeter versions using warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Lastly, we started including seeds, like pumpkin and sesame seeds to name a couple. We also developed a few tricks for getting them shaped like crackers and crunchy.

Needless to say, we have been enjoying some awesome sourdough crackers over the last year. In fact, I have often had to leave my sourdough starter out overnight to generate two discards on the weekend so I can make pizza dough or bread while my wife also makes us some crackers. As you might expect, sourdough crackers make a great pairing option for hard cider. For this post, we are making a caraway cracker using sharp cheddar and I paired it with my Winter Cider. Let’s explore the recipe for sourdough crackers in more detail.

Sourdough Caraway Crackers

Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

220 grams (1 cup) Sourdough Discard
170 grams (6 ounces) Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated or Diced
30 ml (2 Tablespoons) Olive Oil
5 grams (3/4 Teaspoon) Kosher Salt
2 grams (1 Teaspoon) Caraway Seeds

Flake Salt for Topping

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 165C (325F).
• Line 28 x 43 cm (11×17 in) baking sheet with parchment paper. If you use a smaller pan, you may need to cook it longer to get the crackers crunchy.
• Mix the sourdough discard, grated cheese, oil, kosher salt, and caraway in a small bowl (see photo).
• Spread the mixture on the parchment paper. Having the sourdough room temperature helps with spreading. We use a offset spatula to help. You want it thin but without holes (see photo).
• Sprinkle the flake salt over the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and quickly cut the crackers into shapes. A pizza cutter can work well for this. We do this on a large cutting board (see photo).
• Place the freshly cut crackers back on the baking sheet, top-side down.
• Bake crackers for 5 more minutes or until golden brown. If your crackers are thicker, you may need to bake for up to 10 minutes. Also, some cheese requires longer baking times.
• Allow crackers to cool on hot pan before packaging for storage.
• Serve with cheese, your favorite spread, or by themselves with a glass of dry cider.

Bubbles Hard Cider

The caraway comes through nicely in these crackers. You also have a little saltiness and some unctuousness from the cheese. The sourdough also pokes through at times. It’s a great cracker for some pancetta but you can also pair it with cheddar and thin apple slices. I recommend a dry and slightly tart cider for this cracker. If you happen to have one that is sparkling, even better. I pair it with my Winter Cider, which was fermented with lager yeasts at a warm temperature. It works really well as it tend towards dry and acidic with some fruity and honey notes. The acid helps clean the palate from the caraway, which is front and center. Its a great option for a winter snack while streaming your favorite show.

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Want more wonderful food and hard cider pairing ideas, check these out!