Discard cheese crackers
Sharp, salty and very crisp - the homemade answer to the box of cheese crackers. One dough, two ways to shape it, and they disappear at roughly the same speed either way.
Uses discardCollected
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sourdough discard, unfed | 120 g |
| Extra-mature cheddar, finely grated | 150 g |
| Butter, melted | 57 g |
| Plain flour | 180 g |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp |
| Fine salt | ½ tsp |
| Sugar, optional | 1 tsp |
Grate the cheese yourself from a block. Pre-grated cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and it makes noticeably duller crackers.
Method one · squares, no rolling
Faster, and the one to start with.
- Mix everything into a thick, spreadable batter. Too stiff? Add water a tablespoon at a time. Too loose? A little more flour.
- Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment and spread the batter out very thinly and evenly, around 1.5 mm. Thin and even is the whole recipe.
- Bake at 163 °C / 325 °F for 7 minutes, until the surface looks set but not yet crisp.
- Take it out and score into 2.5 cm squares with a pizza wheel. Poke a hole in the centre of each with a cocktail stick.
- Back in for 15 to 30 minutes, turning the tray halfway, until golden and dry all the way to the middle.
- Cool completely on the tray, then snap along the lines.
Method two · cut into shapes
More work, considerably more fun, and the version children will want.
- Mix the same ingredients into a soft dough that holds together without being sticky.
- Wrap and chill at least 1 hour, up to a day. Chilling is what makes it roll cleanly and hold a shape.
- Roll out to about 3 mm on a lightly floured surface and cut out your shapes. Add an eye with a cocktail stick if you are making fish.
- Bake at 175 °C / 350 °F for 12 to 16 minutes, turning the tray halfway, until the edges are golden.
- Cool completely on the tray - they crisp as they cool.
Getting the crunch right
- Thin and even matters more than anything else.
- Bake until the centres are golden and dry, not just the edges. Underbaked crackers go soft within a day.
- Turn the tray halfway. Every oven has a hot corner.
- Judge them cold. They are never crisp straight out of the oven.
Variations
- Swap the cheddar for parmesan, gouda or pepper jack.
- Add rosemary, thyme, paprika or chilli flakes.
- Both methods work with cold discard straight from the fridge.
Keeping them
Airtight at room temperature for up to a week. If they soften, 5 to 10 minutes at 150 °C brings the snap back.
Collected, not yet baked by me
This one came from a baker I trust and is rewritten here in metric and plain language, but it is still on my own to-bake list. The method is sound; the exact timings are the bit I have not personally checked. Watch the dough rather than the clock, and tell me how it went so I can correct it.