Sourdough Butter Crackers

Like Ritz or Club Crackers, these Sourdough Butter Crackers are light, flaky, and buttery. Plus, they’re so easy to make with sourdough discard!

These sourdough discard crackers are a perfect way to upgrade your cheese or charcuterie boards. The beginner recipe comes together in just a couple of steps with simple pantry ingredients.

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⭐️ Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Easy sourdough discard recipe with only a couple of steps.
• Copycat Sourdough Ritz Crackers or Club Crackers recipe. Other favorite copycat recipes include my Homemade Sourdough Oreos, Sourdough Breadsticks like Olive Garden, and Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies.
• Perfect neutral sourdough cracker that isn’t too sweet or too salty.
• Flaky and light with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Great for serving with soups or cheese boards on game day with Sourdough Pretzels or Sourdough Garlic Knots.
• The sourdough crackers store well for many days.

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🔍 Tips for Making Sourdough Butter Crackers

• Roll thinly
  • Rolling the dough very thinly will create crisp, flaky cookies that almost have a Flaky Sourdough Biscuits flavor.
• Store in an airtight container
  • These sourdough discard crackers store extremely well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. Keep them away from moisture so they stay crunchy.
• Bake just until the edges brown
  • As with Sourdough Discard Granola, bake the crackers only until the edges are brown, so they’re perfectly crisp and crunchy.
• Use a pastry wheel to cut
  • A pastry wheel gives the sourdough crackers a decorative scalloped edge to look more professional like real Club or Ritz Crackers.
• Use cold butter
  • The cold butter creates a pastry-like texture in the cookies and gives them a little flakiness.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Sheet Pan, for baking
• Food Processor, with the blade attachment
  • If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender or mix by hand.
• Rolling Pin, for rolling out the dough thinly
• Pastry Wheel, for cutting the crackers. Alternatively, you can use a pizza wheel or knife.
• Fork, for docking the crackers

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for my ingredient recommendations and possible substitutions.

• All-purpose flour
  • Use all-purpose flour for a light, tender texture. Substitute whole wheat flour for a heartier sourdough cracker.
• Salt
• Granulated Sugar, for slight sweetness. Leave out if you prefer a saltier cracker.
• Egg, to bind the ingredients.
• Sourdough discard, or active sourdough starter
  • The sourdough discard is the perfect binder for sourdough crackers, adding moisture and a slight tangy flavor.
• Baking Soda, helps give a slight rise to the cracker so they’re extra flaky and interacts with the acidity in the sourdough discard.
• Unsalted Butter adds tremendous buttery flavor and richness to the crackers. Use cold butter in this recipe like in Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones, Sourdough Pie Crust (Extra Flaky!), or Sourdough Biscuits with Cheddar and Chives for a pastry texture.

Sourdough Butter Cracker Variations

• Gluten-Free Sourdough Breadcrumbs: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour like cup-for-cup and a gluten-free sourdough starter..
• Italian Seasoned: Add dried herbs like parsley, basil, and oregano and dried spices like garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, or optional parmesan cheese.
• Lemon: Add lemon zest.
• Spicy Sourdough Crackers: Include dried cayenne pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, or Aleppo pepper.
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers: Substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. If the dough seems stiff, add more sourdough discard.

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Sourdough Butter Crackers

Follow this visual and detailed recipe guide as you make the best sourdough butter crackers in just a few easy steps!

1. Process the Dough

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).

Add all of the ingredients, including the cold, cubed butter to a food processor with the blade attachment.

Process until you have a crumbly, fine dough that can be squished together with your hands.

2. Roll and Cut out the Dough

Roll out the dough between two large pieces of parchment paper using a rolling pin.

Sprinkle the surface and both sides of the dough occasionally with flour to prevent sticking.

Roll the dough very thinly for a flakier cracker and re-roll scraps.

Use a scalloped edge of a pastry wheel to cut out 2″ squares or rectangles for the crackers. Then, dock the crackers with the tines of a fork.

Separate the crackers and re-roll any scraps.

3. Bake

Place the crackers close together on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges slightly brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

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How to Store Sourdough Butter Crackers

Sourdough butter crackers store extremely well with a few options, depending on how quickly you’ll use them.

If you’re planning to consume the crackers within a few days, you can store them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for a week.

In the refrigerator, the crackers will keep longer, sometimes up to two weeks.

And for the longest storage, keep the sourdough discard crackers in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for several months.

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❓ FAQs