How To Make Leftover Rice And Sourdough Discard Crackers

Rice and sourdough go surprisingly well together. The nuttiness of basmati rice, in particular, compliments the tang of sourdough. Crackers are very forgiving, they can handle a lot of possibilities. So, instead of wasting that leftover rice, I decided to be savvy and find a good use for it! I stumbled upon a great combination! Join me as I show you step by step how to make these Rice And Sourdough Discard Crackers.

Any kind of rice will work in these Leftover Rice And Sourdough Discard Crackers, but we prefer the flavor of basmati around here. You can even use that rice from Chinese takeout! Also, the amount of rice can vary, I always just throw in whatever I have on hand.

I always look for ways to use my sourdough starter in discard recipes, because it makes life so easy! Providing a good grain side for meals requires almost no thinking ahead. The sourdough has already gone through the long-fermenting process, so it is easier to digest. So, times when I don’t have sourdough bread on hand, I can turn to discard recipes to rescue family meals!

Your sourdough discard can be room temperature or straight from the refrigerator, further making this recipe a help to you.

What Is Sourdough Discard?

Inevitably during the journey of feeding a sourdough starter daily, at times, you will end up with the accumulation of more than you need. It can continue to multiply until it is too large to maintain. At that point, some of the sourdough starter needs to be removed. Some people just throw that away or give it to their chickens. But it is great to use in recipes because it is already fully fermented. The fermentation of grains makes them more digestible.

I have some further information on the soaking, or fermentation of grains on this post.

The portion that is removed and no longer fed is the sourdough discard.

Gather To Make Leftover Rice And Sourdough Discard Crackers:

Ingredients:

Sourdough discard– room temperature or cold from the refrigerator

Leftover rice– Any kind of cooked rice will work beautifully- white, brown, basmati, wild

Salt– I love this kind.

Oil– preferably a good healthy one, like avocado oil, or coconut, or butter (coconut oil and butter will need to be melted)

Herbs– basil, chives, thyme, any you like- fresh or dry

Things:

Food processor or blender (optional)

Spatula– silicone works best here

Large baking sheet

Parchment paper

Notes

• It isn’t necessary to chop up the rice and the sourdough discard in a food processor or blender, but doing so will make the end result a smoother cracker dough. If you want to skip that extra step, your end result will have whole cooked rice baked into it. You may prefer that variation, though.
• If you prefer to use butter in your crackers, as opposed to oil, just melt the same amount of butter as the called for oil, and incorporate. In that case, I recommend a room temperature starter and melting the butter before incorporating it.
• The amount of rice used in this recipe can vary depending on what you have on hand. Having less than the called for one cup still works well, the resulting dough just ends up a thinner consistency, similar to batter.
• Another very simple sourdough discard recipe to try is my Easy Sourdough Discard Flatbread.

Leftover Rice And Sourdough Discard Crackers

Step One: Generously butter a parchment paper lined baking sheet and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step Two: Put one cup of rice, one teaspoon salt, and two tablespoons of oil into a food processor or a blender. Process or blend until the rice is well broken down and all the ingredients are mixed together.

Step Three: Spread dough out toward the edges of your baking sheet. Getting the dough thinly spread is important to get crispy crackers.

Wetting your spatula makes it easier to spread the dough evenly to the edges. It is helpful to have a bowl of water ready to dip your spatula into as you work.

Step Four: Sprinkle herbs of choice across the top of the cracker dough, I have used chives here.

Step Five: Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Watch closely during the last five minutes to remove if the cracker sheet gets too dark. It should be golden brown and feel crisp, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools, as well.

Step Six: Cut the cracker sheet into pieces with a pizza cutter. Allow the crackers to cool on the baking sheet.

Storing Of Rice And Sourdough Discard Crackers

When they are completely cool, your crackers can be stored in an air tight container. They will stay crisp and fresh tasting at room temperature, for up to three days. Beyond that, they will lose some of their crunch.

Though they never last that long at my house!

Ideas For Accompaniments To These Crackers:

• Peanut Butter (if crackers are plain and just salted, perhaps)
• Cheese
• As a sandwich shell
• With a dip
• Crumbled onto a salad
• Add to a charcuterie board
• Crumbled into soup

Other Flavor Combinations To Try:

• Sprinkle chopped sundried tomatoes and dry basil on top.
• Add parmesan cheese during the last five minutes of the bake time.
• Try chopped olives and rosemary.
• Make sweet crackers by sprinkling with coconut sugar or stevia, and cinnamon.
• You could add vanilla and honey to the cracker dough, for another sweet option.
• Just salted