Sourdough Starter Discard Buckwheat Seed Crackers
Unfed starter discard does not have to turn into pancakes every time. Mixed with buckwheat flour, a little olive oil and a handful of seeds, it rolls out thin and bakes into a cracker with a genuine nutty flavor, not just a vehicle for whatever you put on top of it.
There is no fermentation wait here. This is a same-day, mix-and-bake recipe, which makes it a reasonable first thing to try if you are new to feeding a starter and are not sure what to do with the extra you scrape out of the jar.
Which one is this?Compare all 4 cracker recipes
These 4 cracker recipes are close cousins. Here is how they differ, so you can pick the right one.
- Rolled Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers1 hr 6 min · Makes 60 crackers
A flour dough with 240 g of discard and 113 g of cheddar, chilled, rolled to 1/8 inch and baked once.
You want a make-ahead dough and cut-out crackers.
- 3-Ingredient Sourdough Discard Crackers1 hr 5 min · Makes 10 servings
A flour-free, 3-ingredient batter with 200 g of discard as the base, spread on the pan and baked twice.
You want no rolling and no flour.
- Buckwheat Seed CrackersYou are here1 hr 2 min · Makes 5 servings
Buckwheat and all-purpose flour with unfed discard and olive oil, plus mixed seeds kneaded in, rolled thin and baked once.
You want a seeded, nutty cracker and have unfed discard to use.
- Swedish Rye Crispbread3 hr 48 min · Makes 24 crackers
Mostly whole rye flour with bread flour, active starter and honey, rolled thin and pricked before baking, with caraway or fennel if you like.
You like rye and have an active starter rather than discard.
Why You’ll Love It
- Uses a full cup of discard in one go, more than most discard recipes ask for
- No fermentation or proofing, just mix, rest briefly, roll and bake
- Buckwheat flour adds a nutty flavor and some fiber that an all white flour cracker would not have
- A good project for a beginner who just started feeding a starter and wants a low-stakes way to use the discard
- Keeps well, so one batch covers snacking for a couple of weeks
Ingredients
Volume measurements are included for convenience, but a scale matters more than usual here. Buckwheat flour packs differently than wheat flour, and a cup measure can be off by enough to change how the dough rolls.
Your starter discard does not need to be bubbly or recently fed. Straight from the back of the fridge is exactly what this recipe is for.
- Sourdough starter discard, unfed (200 g / about 1 cup): Straight from the fridge is fine, it does not need to be active for this.
- Buckwheat flour (90 g / about ¾ cup): Gives the crackers a nutty flavor and a little more fiber than an all white flour dough.
- All-purpose flour (60 g / about ½ cup): Balances the buckwheat so the dough still rolls out and holds together.
- Olive oil (30 g / about 2 tbsp): Keeps the crackers from baking up hard as a board.
- Fine sea salt (4 g / about ¾ tsp): Mixed into the dough.
- Mixed seeds, flax, sesame and hulled pumpkin seeds (45 g / about ¼ cup total): Kneaded in for crunch and texture.
- Water, as needed (20 g / about 4 tsp): Discard hydration varies a lot from one starter to the next, so add this only if the dough will not come together.
- Flaky salt, for topping (2 g / about ¼ tsp): Pressed on right before baking.
Equipment
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- Kitchen scale: for weighing the flours, especially the buckwheat.
- Mixing bowl: for the dough.
- Rolling pin: to roll the dough thin.
- Parchment paper: rolls the dough between sheets without sticking.
- Pizza cutter or sharp knife: for cutting the crackers.
- Fork: for pricking the crackers before baking.
- Baking sheet: to bake the crackers on.
- Cooling rack: lets the crackers crisp fully as they cool.
Sample Schedule (Same Day)
Same Day
- Mix the dough and rest 20 to 30 minutes
- Knead in the seeds and roll thin
- Cut, prick and salt the crackers
- Bake and cool completely
Sourdough Starter Discard Buckwheat Seed Crackers
Method
- Mix the discard, buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, olive oil and salt into a shaggy dough, adding water only if it will not come together.
- Cover and rest 20 to 30 minutes.
- Knead in the mixed seeds until evenly distributed.
- Divide in half and roll each half between parchment as thin as you can, about ⅛ inch.
- Cut into cracker-sized pieces, prick each with a fork, and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake at 325°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp and golden at the edges.
- Cool completely on the pan.
Notes
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How to Make It
1Mix the dough. Combine the starter discard, buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix until it comes together into a shaggy dough. Buckwheat flour is thirstier than you would expect, so if the dough still looks dry and crumbly after a minute of mixing, add the water a teaspoon at a time rather than all at once.
2Rest the dough. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature. This gives the buckwheat flour time to fully hydrate, which matters more here than in a wheat-only dough, skip it and the rolled crackers can taste slightly gritty.
3Work in the seeds. Knead the flax, sesame and pumpkin seeds into the dough by hand until they are evenly distributed throughout, not clumped in one spot. The dough will feel a little rougher and less smooth once the seeds are in, that is expected.
4Roll it thin. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half between two sheets of parchment paper as thin and even as you can manage, aiming for about ⅛ inch, almost translucent in spots. The thinner and more even the sheet, the more evenly the crackers will crisp, a thick patch in the middle will stay chewy while the edges burn.
5Cut and season. Peel back the top parchment and cut the dough into cracker-sized pieces with a pizza cutter or sharp knife, right on the parchment. Prick each piece once or twice with a fork so steam can escape, then sprinkle with flaky salt.
6Bake. Slide the parchment with the crackers onto a baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden at the edges and firm to the touch. The crackers near the edge of the pan brown first, so pull those off a few minutes early if the rest need more time.
7Cool completely. Let the crackers cool fully on the pan before stacking or storing them. They will still feel a little soft and bendy straight from the oven and firm up into their final crisp texture as they cool, so do not judge them hot.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Crackers came out chewy instead of crisp: They were likely rolled too thick, or pulled from the oven before the centers fully dried out. Roll thinner next time and give them the full bake time.
- Dough tears while rolling: Buckwheat dough can be a little short and crumbly. Let it rest a few extra minutes and roll between parchment rather than directly on a floured counter.
- Seeds fall out as you cut: Press the seeds in gently with your palm after kneading them in, then roll as usual.
- Crackers taste flat: Discard varies in tang depending on how long it sat in the fridge. A more sour discard needs a touch more salt to balance it, taste the raw dough before you roll it out.
How to Store
To store: Keep completely cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If they soften in a humid kitchen, a few minutes back in a low oven will re-crisp them.
To freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and re-crisp in the oven if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates per serving of about 8 crackers and will vary based on exact ingredients used.
110
CALORIES
14
CARBS (G)
3
PROTEIN (G)
5
FAT (G)
2
FIBER (G)
150
SODIUM (MG)
Desi’s Notes
This is the recipe I reach for when the discard jar is getting full and I do not want to turn it into pancakes again. It uses up a full cup without any waste.
I like the combination of flax, sesame and pumpkin seeds here, though any seeds you have on hand would work. Sunflower seeds are a reasonable swap.
These are not gluten-free. The all-purpose flour is there to keep the buckwheat from falling apart, so skip this one if that matters for your kitchen.
Before You Bake
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