This homemade sourdough graham cracker recipe brings you right back to your childhood – in the best way. Using discard, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla, these sweet, crunchy little squares are made with real food ingredients.
You know I love a good sourdough discard recipe, and this is no exception. Graham crackers are such an iconic childhood snack, but I’m not happy with the typical ingredient list of the store-bought version.
So, why not make our own? And add the wholesome goodness of sourdough!
These turned out so perfectly crisp and sweet, and so much better than the boxed crackers we’re familiar with.
The kids just loved them, and I loved that we knew everything that went into their making.
If you find yourself with too much sourdough discard from time to time, recipes like this one come in very handy. I don’t like to discard my “discard”. I like to use it up or save it up.
And if you are just now looking into sourdough, I have detailed instructions on starting and maintaining sourdough starters.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious: The perfect snack for kids, these are full of honey flavor and are satisfyingly crisp.
Healthy: Made with real food ingredients and absent of all artificial sweeteners, dyes, or other additives, and they don’t have lots of sugar. Plus, you have the nutritious components of whole wheat and sourdough discard.
Easy: These are quick and straightforward, and they make a great baking activity to include the kids in. Recreating a popular snack is so rewarding, especially when you’re making it even better! The kids will love to poke the holes at the end.
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Tips
- The refrigeration period is important for shaping the dough and achieving the classic, flaky texture. You can resume after 2 hours, or even keep the dough in the fridge for 24 hours for more fermentation and deeper sourdough flavor.
- When rolling out your dough, aim for consistency. Thicker areas might remain soft, while thinner areas baking simultaneously could be extra crisp.
- Keep a close eye on these crackers as they bake. They can quickly go from golden perfection to overbaked because of how thin they are.
- Alternatively, it would be super fun to let the kids get creative with cookie cutters.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – Use your favorite whole wheat flour. I normally use fresh milled hard white wheat flour.
All-purpose – Use your favorite all-purpose flour, too!
Baking soda – This gives the crackers their little bit of puff in the oven.
Salt – I love to use sea salt.
Butter – I use salted butter, plus a small amount of added salt, and love the results. You can also use unsalted butter.
Light brown sugar – This adds sweetness and a light molasses flavor.
Honey – Honey adds more sweetness and that classic honey flavor.
Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds another dimension of flavor.
Sourdough discard – You can use refrigerated discard or active starter. Either will work.
Tools you may need:
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Large bowl
Rolling pin
How to Make Sourdough Graham Crackers
Start by combining whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a larger separate bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey with a hand mixer until light in color – about one minute.
Add the vanilla and discard to the butter and sugar mixture, stirring until just combined.
Pour your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly. At this point, the dough should have the consistency of cookie dough.
Transfer the dough to a countertop, shape into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
After refrigerating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut the disc of dough in half and place one of the halves onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, add another piece of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/4″ thick.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Transfer the rolled-out dough with the parchment paper to a large baking sheet. Remove the top sheets of parchment paper carefully.
With a pizza cutter, trim the edges into clean lines, forming a neat rectangle. Cut the dough into 2″x3″ squares, then poke holes into each square with a toothpick.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Bake time may vary with the thickness of your particular batch.
Let the crackers cool completely before breaking them apart and serving.
Storage
After completely cooled, store leftover crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
FAQ
The big difference is that these homemade crackers boast a sourdough tang and are free of all artificial additives. Compared to store-bought, these are the healthy choice.
Their classic flavor comes from the honey, the deep molasses notes (in the brown sugar in this recipe), and the nutty, wholesome taste of wheat flour.
Graham crackers have been made with graham flour, which is just another name for unprocessed whole wheat flour. So basically, the less processed your whole wheat flour, the closer you are to the original. I’ve found that equal parts of whole wheat and all-purpose is the perfect balance for us.
The great thing about these crackers is how versatile they are. Eat them plain, spread them with peanut butter and chocolate chips, fan them out on a charcuterie board, or use them to make s’mores!
More sourdough discard recipes:
- Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Sourdough Banana Muffins
- Easy Sourdough Flatbread
- Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy Sourdough Pizza Crust
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.
Sourdough Graham Crackers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (150 g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons salted butter (113 g), softened (not melted)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (200 g)
- ¼ cup honey (84 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sourdough discard (142 g)
Instructions
- Combine whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a larger separate bowl, or a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey until light in color – about one minute.
- Add the vanilla and discard to the butter and sugar mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Pour your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly. At this point, the dough should have the consistency of cookie dough.
- Transfer the dough to a countertop, shape into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- After refrigerating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the disc of dough in half and place one of the halves onto a large sheet of parchment paper.
- Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, add another piece of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/4" thick.
- Repeat with the second half of the dough.
- Transfer the rolled-out dough with the parchment paper to a large baking sheet. Remove the top sheets of parchment paper carefully.
- With a pizza cutter, trim the edges into clean lines, forming a neat rectangle. Cut the dough into 2″x3″ squares, then poke holes into each square with a toothpick.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Bake time may vary with the thickness of your particular batch.
- Let the crackers cool completely before breaking them apart and serving.
Notes
- The refrigeration period is important for shaping the dough and achieving the classic, flaky texture. You can resume after 2 hours, or even keep the dough in the fridge for 24 hours for more fermentation and deeper sourdough flavor.
- When rolling out your dough, aim for consistency. Thicker areas might remain soft, while thinner areas baking simultaneously could be extra crisp.
- Keep a close eye on these crackers as they bake. They can quickly go from golden perfection to overbaked because of how thin they are.
- Alternatively, it would be super fun to let the kids get creative with cookie cutters.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use rye flour instead of whole wheat
That should work!
My husband made the switch after I made these compared to store bought graham crackers!!
If I wanted to use less brown sugar and increase honey or use maple syrup, what would the proportion be?
I usually swap 1-1 ratio.
How would I adjust it to use freshly milled spelt flour ?
I would start with half and half on your flours at first to get a feel of the texture and consistency. Then as you move forward, you can continue to add more of the spelt and adjust anything else as needed.
I haven’t made these yet. Looking forward to it. Once they’re made, how do I store them and how long do they last when stored properly? Thanks!
I store them in an air tight bag. Usually they will last for a week!
I want to make these but I have a daughter who’s allergic to dairy. What can I use instead of butter? Would coconut oil work?
Coconut oil should work.
What is the sourdough discard? Can make these without that?
It’s sourdough that hasn’t been feed and activated for the day! It usually comes straight from the fridge and provides fermented health benefits.
What if you use khorasan wheat (kamut) instead, bad idea? Think it’ll change the taste or rise?
I don’t think it will alter the taste too much.
Absolutely delicious and easy to follow!! Fam LOVED
These are wonderful, perfect to dunk in milk.
Thank you, Lisa!
So glad you enjoyed them!