Sourdough Fruit and Nut Gourmet Crackers

Sourdough Gourmet Crackers are the best way to use sourdough discard: they're a great addition for a cheese plate, have that delicious crack and make the perfect gift during holidays.

Looking for more edible holiday gifts? This onion chutney is perfect to have in a cheese board! And these sourdough gingerbread cookies will make good use of your sourdough discard.

📃Ingredient and substitutions

Flour. You can make this recipe using whole wheat only, or all-purpose flour only.

Milk. You can use dairy or any plant-based milk.

Sourdough starter. Both discard and active sourdough work for this recipe.

Rolled oats. I prefer to use rolled oats for the appearance, but quick oats are just as good.

Baking soda. Don’t forget the baking soda: the ingredient is responsible for the dough to rise on the first bake.

Pumpkin puree. Can be substituted for unsweetened apple sauce, or Greek yogurt.

All spices can be substituted for your favorite combination, or even omitted completely - but you'll lose flavor if leaving them out. Same for pecans (chopped almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts can be used), dried cranberries (you can try dried apricots or even coconut flakes), and sunflower seeds (try using pumpkin seeds for a change).

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and substitutions.

🥣How to make them

These gourmet crackers are not hard, but can be time consuming. Just let me tell you one thing: every second is worth it! Follow my step-by-step, and I promise you’ll get an amazing gourmet cracker.

Start the recipe by preheating the oven to 350°F.

Step 01. In a large bowl, mix milk, discar, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, thyme, sunflower seeds, chopped pecans and dried cranberries.

Step 02. Add all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, rolled oats and baking soda to the wet mixture, stirring until well combined.

Step 03. Distribute the batter evenly into a loaf pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until you insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean.

Step 04. Let the loaf cool completely before wrapping it with plastic wrap. Freeze for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

For the second bake, preheat the oven to 250°F.

Step 05. Unwrap the loaf. With a sharp knife or sharp bread knife, slice the loaf as thinly as you can. Aim for 2mm slices.

Step 06. Place slices on a lined baking sheet. Bake sourdough crackers for 50 minutes, flipping each cracker after 25 minutes.

Place crackers on a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before serving. They will get harder as they cool, so don’t worry if they’re still a bit soft when out of the oven.

✔️Expert tips

• Don't try to finish it in one day if you are in a rush! This sourdough cracker recipe is time consuming. You can start in one day and finish the morning after, and that’s ok - I did it and that did not mess up the recipe, so don’t worry about that.
• Use sourdough starter or discard. These crackers are made with sourdough discard, but you can make it with a fed starter. It won’t really make a difference, as you mix everything together and bake it straight away.
• Use a sharp bread knife for cutting these crackers. A sharp knife will make cutting these crackers much easier! You can see in the video how I struggle to cut the slices - that bread knife was far from sharp!
• The slices must be thin. Aim for about 2mm thick - you can see the thickness in the video and photos below. If you cut them too thick, they won’t get as crispy.
• Don’t try cutting a completely frozen loaf. If you freeze the loaf for over 2 hours, let it thaw for at least 1 hour before cutting, or it will be very hard to do so. Don’t skip the freezing process, or it will be harder to get thin slices.
• Yes, you need to bake them for 50 minutes the second time you do it. After 25 minutes, flip the crackers so they bake and crisp evenly on both sides and don’t burn on the bottom. I've baked a batch without doing so, and the difference was significant.

🍪How to get crispy crackers

Are you having a hard time getting crispy sourdough crackers? Let's make sure you did everything listed in the checklist below:

• Cut loaf into thin slices. If they're to thick, crackers won’t get crispy!
• Flip crackers over after 25 minutes when baking for the second time.
• Do not add more liquid than the recipe calls for. To avoid it, make sure you're using a 100% hydration sourdough starter.

🧀What to serve with it

These are the best gourmet crackers for cheese! Serve them along a cheese board to impress guests and family! They're packed with Thanksgiving and Christmas flavors, so having them during the holidays is a must.

🫙Storing and freezing

As soon as they cool, store them into an airtight container away from sunlight and any heat source. They will keep crispy for about 1 to 2 weeks. But they won’t last that long, especially if you have guests.

You can freeze the loaf for up to 1 month. I don’t recommend freezing it for longer because the ingredients will start to lose flavor, and you’ll get a less flavorful cracker.

🥖More discard recipes

If you tried this Gourmet Fruit and Nut Sourdough Crackers Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

📖 Recipe

Sourdough Fruit and Nut Gourmet Crackers

Tatiana Kamakura

Sourdough Gourmet Crackers are the best way to use sourdough discard: they're a great addition for a cheese plate, have that perfect crack and make the perfect gift during holidays.

5 from 29 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Baked Goods

Cuisine American

Servings 30 crackers

Calories 63 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  Loaf Pan
• ▢
  Baking sheet

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ ½ cup milk
• ▢ ½ cup sourdough discard
• ▢ ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ▢ 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ ⅓ teaspoon ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ▢ ½ cup pecans chopped
• ▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
• ▢ ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup rolled oats
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Line with parchment paper a 8X4 inches loaf pan. I usually use a 8X4, but it can be done in a 9X5 inches, it will only affect the final size of the cracker.
• In a large bowl, mix the milk, sourdough discard and pumpkin puree.
• Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and thyme and mix to combine.
• Add the sunflower seeds, chopped pecans and dried cranberries and mix until incorporated into the batter.
• In a medium bowl, mix both the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, rolled oats and baking soda.
• Add the flour mixture on the batter and stir until everything is well combined.
• Distribute the batter evenly into the lined loaf pan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until you insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean.
• Let the loaf cool completely on a rack before wrapping it with plastic wrap. Freeze for 40 minutes. If you freeze it for longer than 2 hours, let it thaw for 40 minutes to 1 hour before cutting. If the middle is totally frozen, it’s harder to slice the crackers.
• Preheat the oven to 250°F.
• Unwrap loaf. With a bread knife or any serrated knife, slice the loaf as thinly as you can. Aim for 2mm slices.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, before placing the slices. Bake sourdough crackers for 50 minutes, flipping each after 25 minutes.
• Let them cool on a cooling rack before serving. They'll get harder as they cool, so don’t worry if they’re still a bit soft when out of the oven.
• Store sourdough crackers in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Video

Notes

Use a sharp bread knife for cutting these crackers. A sharp knife will make cutting these crackers much easier! You can see in the video how I struggle to cut the slices - that bread knife was far from sharp!

The slices must be thin. Aim for about 2mm thick - you can see the thickness in the video and photos below. If you cut them too thick, they won’t get as crispy.

Don’t try cutting a completely frozen loaf. If you freeze the loaf for over 2 hours, let it thaw for at least 1 hour before cutting, or it will be very hard to do so. Don’t skip the freezing process, or it will be harder to get thin slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 1crackerCalories: 63kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 168mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g

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