Sourdough Graham Crackers
Sourdough graham crackers are a great way to use extra sourdough discard beyond basic sourdough bread. These easy sourdough crackers can be made start to finish in under one hour. They make a great snack for kids or use them to make s’mores.
Why You Will Love these Sourdough Discard Graham Crackers
I love making homemade sourdough crackers (check out my sourdough goldfish crackers copycat recipe, my sourdough fire crackers, and my simple sourdough cracker recipe). They are easy to make and use a generous amount of leftover sourdough discard. This sourdough graham cracker recipe is equally easy and results in delightfully sweet crackers that strike a perfect balance of heartiness from the use of whole wheat flour.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter: Generally I prefer unsalted butter in my recipes because you really never know how much salt is in salted butter. Unsalted butter makes it easier to control the amount of salt in the recipe. If you only have salted butter, it should work just fine as a substitute. I have not tried other fat substitutes for this recipe such as coconut oil or vegetable oil. If you try any of these substitutions, I would love to hear how it goes.
- Brown sugar: We use brown sugar for the extra richness and depth of flavor.
- Honey: Honey adds a lot of flavor to this recipe so I do not recommend substituting this ingredient.
- Sourdough starter: You can use active starter or sourdough discard straight from the fridge.
- Vanilla extract
- Flour: We use equal parts of two types of flour in this recipe— all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Bread flour will also work in place of the all purpose flour. I do not recommend substituting the whole wheat flour as it is a necessary component of making crackers. Graham flour is actually traditionally used in graham crackers. This type of flour is just a coarser type of whole grain flour. That being said, most people don’t have graham flour sitting in their pantries so we use regular whole wheat flour instead.
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Baking powder
How to Make Homemade Sourdough Graham Crackers
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
Step 2: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Add the sugar, honey and vanilla.
Step 4: Stir in the sourdough starter.
Step 5: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just fully combined. Note: you can also mix all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer but these tools are not necessary.
Step 6: Transfer the dough ball to a clean work surface.
Step 7: Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2 pieces and shape each into a rough rectangle about 1-2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes (or longer).
Step 8: Working one piece of dough at a time, place dough on top of a piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.
Step 9: Cut the dough into approximate 2.5 x 5 inch squares but do not separate (see variations below for alternative). Gently score the dough to look like regular graham crackers and pierce multiple times with a fork. Transfer the dough and parchment paper to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the cracker dough cinnamon sugar.
Step 10: Bake at 325F for 16-18 minutes, turning the sheet half way through baking. The edges should just start turning golden brown. Please note that the baking time may vary based on the thickness of the dough. If you roll the dough out thicker, you may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes.
Allow to cool 20 minutes, then gently break apart the crackers.
Variations
You can use your favorite cookie cutters to create cute little shapes that your kids will love.
How to Make Ahead
You can freeze the unbaked dough by forming it into a thick disk, wrapping it in plastic wrap, and storing in a freezer zip lock bag. When ready to bake, pull out the dough the day before and allow it to defrost in the fridge. Allow the dough to soften at room temperature for 1 hour before rolling it out (this makes it easier to roll out). Process as directed in the recipe.
How to Store
These homemade graham crackers are best stored in an airtight container or storage ziplock bag. For best results use within 2 weeks.
How to Serve
These sourdough graham crackers can be enjoyed on their own for a perfect snack, or you can use them in your favorite smores recipe. Simply place a few pieces of milk chocolate or dark chocolate along with one or two roasted gooey marshmallows between two graham crackers. These crackers can also be used in recipes like a graham cracker crust. You can also serve these crackers on your charcuterie boards for sweeter spreads and toppings.
If you love sourdough, check out these other favorite sourdough recipe ideas:
- Flaky Sourdough Pie Crust
- Sourdough Blondies
- Sourdough Butter Cookies
- Sourdough Orange Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- The BEST Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sourdough Tortillas
Sourdough Graham Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup sourdough starter active starter or discard
For Sprinkling the Crackers
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat until just fully melted. Remove from heat.
- To the melted butter, add the brown sugar, honey, vanilla and sourdough starter. Mix until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
- Cut the dough into two pieces and shape each into a rough rectangle measuring 1-2 inches thick. Wrap each rectangle of dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes (or longer. See Note).
When Ready to Bake
- Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Working one piece of dough at a time, place dough on top of a piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.
- Using a pizza cutter or kitchen knife, cut the dough into approximate 2.5 x 5 inch squares but do not separate them.
- Gently score each cracker with a line running horizontally and vertically to look like store-bought graham crackers. Pierce each cracker multiple times with a fork.
- Transfer the dough and parchment paper to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the cracker dough with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The edges should be just starting to turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then gently break the crackers into individual crackers at the precut lines.
Where to start ❤!
Thank you SO MUCH 😘seems appropriate for sharing the best graham cracker recipe I have EVER made and eaten!!
The ease of which this recipe comes together & with such amazing results taste and appearance-wise was not expected (having had less than favorable outcomes with other recipes in the past).
PS I did add a tsp of molasses and a pinch of cloves. I preheated a pizza stone to 350f (conventional setting) and baked the crackers on parchment paper. Upon placing in the oven I switched to 160c/320f fan heat setting and baked for recommended time.
My search for the perfect Graham Cracker recipe ends with your recipe!!
Again, thank you ! ❤
(Note: I tried pressing 5* as my rating – it would only allow 4* ?? 😥😥)