Hello, Amy here today in the waste not want not kitchen. Feeding a sourdough culture usually creates more dough than an irregular baker needs, especially baking for one. I never like to waste, but now I have an elevated purpose for my cause….
Since my all sourdough pizza experiment was such a success, I tried the supposedly easier task of making a crust from older, less active, refrigerated “discard” sourdough with added commercial baking yeast for extra insurance. The dough never rose AT ALL.
So I decided to make crackers. Good save, and at the first taste I was so glad that I had not salted the tops! Also, I discovered what may have happened to my pizza dough. The recipe called for weighing all the ingredients except the tiny amounts of salt and yeast. But I glibly went online for weight equivalents. This would be fine had I used my fancy mole weighing scale at work instead of my less precise home scale. The excess salt must have inhibited the yeast and sourdough. Anyway…so today I have crackers!
Basically, I rolled the dough very, very thin, cut to size and placed on a greased baking sheet.
I sprinkled the tops with either za’atar or with Mano Y Metate Mole Verde powder. The one on the right is Mole Verde (featuring cilantro, parsley, epazote). On the left is za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice mix made with thyme). Both have sesame and look so similar!!!!
After baking, the crackers were crisp. Unfortunately, there was no sourdough flavor, but the toasty wheat and the herbaceous spice blends were delicious.
To serve, I mashed back beans to make a quick hummus like dip.
A clove of garlic, a squeeze of lemon, a splash of olive oil and in place of tahini, whole sesame.
I topped with home cured olives and ate it all myself.
The next day, the less thin of the crackers were pretty hard. So they got crushed, mixed with toasted seeds, and served on top of a cream of cauliflower soup. It was an unreasonably good combination that stared with cauliflower stems cooked in leftover in pasta water. I’m not sure I could replicate any of this, but here’s hoping we keep each other inspired as we do with what we have. Love, Amy
Savor the Southwest: 
Enjoyed this whole post. Crackers sound great but even better is all the creativity that was on display. Soup is a dandy home for those hard crackers. Inspiring.
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Amy, all of the posts from all of you always sound so wonderful and tasty. I have been reading trying saving and sharing for a number of years. Thank you all for sharing and knowledge of so many wonderful things.
With regard to your sourdough starter, my comment is to use then cover it well and refrigerate it until next time you want to use it. Pour some out and dispose of it. Then using water from previously boiled potato water feed starter and start again. My starter is from the early eighties and the days of Rita Davenport. It has always worked for me.
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Let me know how you like it or not and why. I often worry that the way I’m doing things is outdated and I’ve just not learned better. thanks
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Hello Cadie, Thank you!!!! I think I have a little paperback sourdough cookbook from Rita Davenport if I can find it. Great idea on the potato water. Sending peaceful and healing thoughts to you and yours. Amy
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I bet the mole verde topped crackers were delicious. Something new to add to your line?
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Thank you, Carolyn! None of us knows what will make sense in the future… Hope you and yours are well. Love, Amy
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