Last Updated on October 28, 2026 by Michelle

I used to avoid having sourdough discard at all costs.

Now? I love having discard on hand to make these fresh milled sourdough discard crackers.

Fresh milled sourdough discard crackers: why you’ll love them

Not only are these crackers nutritious from the fermented sourdough discard and fresh milled flour, but they’re also delicious.

They’re cheesy, crispy, crunchy, just the right amount of sour, and just plain addicting. Crispy sourdough crackers are great for dipping (I love do make chicken salad and eat it with these crackers instead of bread), enjoying with cheese, or simply as a snack by themselves.

They’re easy to make (think; less than 5 minutes of prep time). And, as a bonus, they make use of any sourdough discard you’d normally just chuck in the trash.

What is fresh milled flour?

Fresh milled flour is flour the way it should be: whole grain, unsifted, unbleached, untreated.

Unfortunately, modern, commercial flour is the opposite. When you purchase a bag of flour from the store, it’s been:

milled at high temperatures (causing nutrient loss),

sifted (to remove the nutritious bran + germ),

bleached (to make it white),

and synthetic vitamins added back in.

When we mill our own flour, we’re able to turn whole grain wheat berries into the freshest, most nutritious flour in the world. All you need is wheat berries and a grain mill.

What is sourdough discard?

If you’re feeding your sourdough starter regularly, you’ve probably run into sourdough discard.

When sourdough starter gets fed, you don’t always want to feed all of the starter that you have. If you did, you’d be overrun with sourdough starter. Each time you feed it, your starter will double in size, so you can see how that quickly becomes a lot of starter.

When I feed my fresh milled sourdough starter, I like to discard about half of it before feedings. I save this “discard” in a jar and store it, sealed, in the fridge. I keep adding to this discard jar each time I feed my starter, and once I have enough stored up I’ll make these crackers with it.

Which wheat berries make the best crackers?

My top choice for making crackers are einkorn wheat berries. That’s because they’re sweet tasting, buttery in flavor, and make a really great, super fine flour that makes amazingly buttery, flavorful, and crispy crackers. But einkorn isn’t your only option for making good crackers.

Any of these wheat berries make amazing crackers:

spelt
einkorn
khorasan
barley
rye
hard white/hard red
farro (aka emmer)

What you need to make fresh milled sourdough discard crackers

To make sourdough discard crackers with fresh milled flour, you only need a few pantry staples.

flour

I like to use fresh milled einkorn flour for best flavor and more nutrition. If you’d like to substitute a different flour, see below for more options.

sourdough discard

I like to keep a running jar of sourdough discard in my fridge that I add to throughout the week. Once my jar starts getting full, I know it’s time to make a batch of these crackers. Discard means that your starter does not need to be active, but it can be.

grated cheese (optional, but tasty)

I love adding cheddar cheese to these crackers for a crunchy texture and addicting flavor. You can use any cheese you have on hand, or leave it out all together.

oil

I usually use olive oil or avocado oil. Melted butter, coconut oil, or tallow/lard will also work.

flavorings, if desired

See below for a full rundown of flavor ideas, but everything “bagel” crackers and cheese are my personal favorites. Salt & herb crackers are good, too.

…That’s it!

Which fresh milled flour should I use to make sourdough crackers?

Crackers aren’t finicky. You can theoretically use almost any fresh milled flour to make crackers.

I like to use fresh milled einkorn flour. It tastes great, and it’s a nutritious ancient grain.

You could also use spelt flour, barley flour, rye flour, hard red/white flour. You name it, you can use it. Truly just use any fresh milled flour you have on hand.

If you don’t have fresh milled flour at all, you can also simply use all-purpose flour. A 1:1 ratio should work just fine.

Can I make sourdough discard crackers that taste like cheese-its?

I can’t like, I’m a sucker for cheese-its. They’re so crispy and buttery, perfect for a salty snack.

While homemade crackers will never taste exactly like packaged cheese-its, they get pretty close. To make these sourdough crackers cheese-it style, follow these instructions:

Up the amount of cheese in the recipe from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Use cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle another roughly 1/4 cup (enough to lightly cover the whole tray) of cheese on top of the cracker batter after it’s spread onto the pan.

Sprinkle salt on top, and bake as usual.

Boom, you just made nutritious, fermented, fresh milled flour sourdough cheese-its.

What flavors can I make sourdough discard crackers?

everything “bagel” flavored crackers: simply sprinkle everything seasoning on top of the crackers before baking
just salt crackers. Don’t even add the shredded cheese and keep it simple by just sprinkling salt on top of the crackers, nothing else. Simple, tangy, salty, delicious.
extra cheese crackers. If you want to go with cheese-it vibes, add the cheddar cheese to the cracker batter, but also sprinkle extra cheese + salt on top.
herb crackers. I love a combination of parsley, oregano and basil for an herby, salty, cracker that goes well with cheese.
parmesan & black pepper crackers. Use shredded parmesan instead of cheddar cheese, and add a generous sprinkle of black pepper into the cracker batter.
sesame crackers. Add a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds + salt on top of the crackers before baking. Toasty, nutty and crunchy.

hand holding crispy homemade crackers made with cheddar cheese, sourdough discard and fresh milled einkorn flour with sea salt

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