Sourdough Cheesy Crackers
Did your grandma ever make that festive nut-covered cheese ball for holidays? I loved that thing. This is like that, married with the crispy edge bits of a grilled cheese where the cheese spills over onto the griddle, married with tangy sourdough.
Credits: Jennifer Latham, Director of Bread, Tartine Bakery
Prep Time
10 minutes to mix 4-48 hours to chill
Bake Time
15 minutes
Total Time
4½ hours to 2 days
Yield
About 2 dozen 1½" round crackers
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (70g) Organic Edison all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon (6g) kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or other red chili flakes)
2 1/3 cups (225g) grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup (100g) sourdough discard
¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (70g) raw pecans, chopped medium-fine
Instructions:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together Edison flour, kosher salt and pepper flakes.
- Place the cheese, sourdough discard and room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Paddle on medium speed for about a minute, until well combined.
- Add the flour, salt, and pepper flakes to the mixer bowl. Paddle on medium speed for about 2 more minutes, until the ingredients all come together.
- Add the chopped pecans and paddle for about 30 seconds, until evenly incorporated.
- Scrape the dough out onto a worksurface and knead a few times, until it comes together into a cohesive ball. Shape the ball into a log, 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 48. This dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
- An hour before you want to bake the crackers, put the log in the freezer to firm up. (You want the log to have a few hours chilled but not frozen to develop some flavor, but it needs to be a little firmer than fridge-cold to slice cleanly.)
- When you’re ready to bake the crackers, preheat the oven to 375°F. Place two racks in the oven, one in the bottom third and one in the top third. Line two sheet pans with parchment or silicone liners.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and slice 1/8 inch rounds off of the log of dough. Space the slices ½ inch apart on the sheet trays.
- Bake the crackers for 7 minutes. Rotate the sheet pans in the oven so that they bake evenly. Bake for 7-8 minutes more, until golden-brown at the edges and very fragrant.
- Remove from the oven. Let cool on the sheet pans for about 5 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the crackers to a cooling rack and let cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.