Sourdough Crackers made Gorgeous with Olive Oil and Italian Herbs

Sourdough lends such a great flavor to breads and all baked things. Recently, I have been baking sourdough crackers with unfed starter. The flavor of my rye sourdough adds depth and character to crackers. The added herbs, olive oil and parmesan cheese just makes these so tasty.

Adding Herbs to the Sourdough Crackers

These crackers taste wonderful with added herbs and mix-ins like parmesan cheese. However, if you do not want the hassle of chopping and shredding, you can just make these plain. Add salt and pepper for seasonings and call it yummy, which they will be! The rye sourdough and added whole wheat flour have lots of flavor all on their own.

I chose to add a mixture of fresh basil and parsley, since that’s what I had on hand. My son is a cheese lover, so I shredded some fresh parmesan cheese and mixed that in, too. If you do use the cheese, just watch the crackers carefully as they bake, because the cheese can burn rather easily resulting in a bitter flavor. Only bake to a light golden brown. If you are dairy free, no worries, you can leave the cheese out completely.

I love Maldon Smoked Sea Salt for everything but especially on these crackers. It imparts a smoky and savory flavor.

Choose a good quality (Organic if it’s affordable for you) Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I trust and have used Pompeiian brand.

Penzeys spices, as in the Italian Herb mix, are incomparable in quality to grocery store ones. The freshness and quality are unbelievable!

Can Dry Herbs be Substituted? A mixture of dry herbs are also perfectly acceptable in these crackers. So, open your spice cabinet and just select a complementary menagerie of herbs – basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram or oregano could be added for gorgeous flavor.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Sourdough Crackers

I prefer using EVOO in my sourdough crackers since I love the spicy and fruity tones of a full-bodied, organic olive oil. You can, if you prefer, substitute butter or your desired oil, like coconut. Or, how about any one of dozens of flavored olive oils? Why not!

Cheese Dip Recipe

What would crackers be without a dip? Well, these sourdough crackers are yummy on their own but let’s amp the yummy up to fabulous! Here is my suggestion, an easy-peasy cheese dip that can be made super quick with just a few refrigerator ingredients while these crackers are baking.

One cup of cheese dip with this sourdough cracker recipe was enough to serve 3-4 people.

• INGREDIENTS:
  • 1/3 Cup Mascarpone Cream (or Cream Cheese)
  • 1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt (2% milk fat or full fat)
  • 1/3 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used reduced fat mild cheddar)
• INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Measure the three ingredients in equal quantities (I used 1/3 cups to achieve one cup of dip). Mix together with a fork or whisk.
  • Season to Taste. I used a smoked salt and a smoky chipotle pepper to season my dip but plain old salt & pepper will work fine.

Making These Sourdough Crackers

There’s no magic to these crackers, they really are so very easy to make. Just measure your ingredients, mix all of the ingredients together, form a ball, roll out flat, and cut. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake. Done. No sourdough discard? Grow your very own Sourdough Starter and you will have plenty!

I used a pastry wheel with a dual head like this one to achieve the serpentine edge. It does double duty as a pizza cutter.

I have and love my granite rolling pin. It is heavy and it remains cool so rolling out pastry dough is easy.

I recommend using a Silpat (silicone mat) or parchment paper for these crackers. Silicone mats are great for cookies and for decorative candy work.

I sprinkled the top of my crackers with some Maldon’s Smoked Sea Salt. Normally, I have this salt on hand as I just love the smoky flavor. I sprinkled them with chipotle pepper, too. You can simply sprinkle the tops with whatever salt you have on hand and with cracked black pepper.

This recipe made enough crackers and dip to feed two hungry teenagers an afternoon snack while they battled away on an intense strategic board game. I’d call that a win for Mom!

Remember! Sharing is Caring

Treat a neighbor or a friend with an afternoon visit, bring some of these yummy sourdough crackers and just have a chat (socially distanced, of course). Take a picture of your lovely crackers and post to FB or IG, be sure to tag @christinasbreadbakes. I love to see your fresh baked goodies!

Happy baking, Bread Bakers.

Gorgeous Sourdough Crackers with Olive Oil & Herbs

Christina

This is a salty and savory treat made so delicious with olive oil, herbs and added parmesan cheese. These are totally customizable so start with the basic recipe and add your perfect mix-ins!

5 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 297 kcal

Equipment

• Measuring Cups
• mixing bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Pastry Wheel, pizza cutter, or knife
• Sheet Pan
• Silicone mat or parchment paper

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Unfed Sourdough Starter I use Rye Sourdough Starter, but you can use whatever you have.
• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or AP flour
• ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 4 T Fresh Herbs, chopped or 2 T dried herbs – optional
• ⅓ Cup Shredded Parmesan optional
• Salt & Pepper for sprinkling on top

Instructions

 

• Measure all your ingredients.
  
• Preheat oven to 350 F or 175 C degrees.
• Mix all ingredients together in one bowl until mix is crumbly like pie crust.
• Dump mix onto a work surface.
  
• Knead a few times to make a ball.
  
• Cut ball in half.
• Roll out half the dough to slightly more than the thickness of a coin.
  
• Using a pastry wheel, pizza wheel, or knife, cut the dough in desired shape/size.
  
• Carefully lift the crackers and place onto a prepared baking sheet. No need to spray the silicone mat or parchment paper. Crackers can be placed close together (but not touching).
  
• Spray the tops of the crackers with olive oil or any spray oil. Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
• Bake for 10 minutes; Turn pan 180°. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer until crackers are golden brown.
• Repeat with second half of the dough.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve with cheese dip.
• Store uneaten crackers in airtight container for up to three days.

Keyword Crackers, sourdough, Sourdough discard

*Nutrition facts below are for crackers only; does not include cheese dip.