If you’re looking to skip the unnecessary ingredients, these homemade potato flake sourdough graham crackers are the perfect solution to skipping the store bought alternative. This recipe is a wonderful way to utilize your potato flake sourdough starter, creating a yummy treat that’s perfect for snacking, s’mores, or even as a base for a pie crust. Not only are these crackers incredibly tasty, but they are also easier to digest because of the long fermentation from the potato flake starter.
Check out the detailed instructions below to find out the best way to make homemade graham crackers with your potato flake starter!
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Tools you will need:
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter (or a very sharp knife)
Parchment paper
Stand mixer with a dough hook attachment
Large cookie sheet
Fork (for poking holes)
Ingredients
Before we dive into the detailed instructions, let’s gather all the ingredients you’ll need:
All-purpose flour & Whole Wheat Flour: Be mindful not to add too much flour while mixing or rolling out the dough. Too much flour can make the crackers dense and tough rather than light and crispy.
Baking powder: Baking powder helps the graham crackers rise slightly and become lighter in texture. It creates a slight lift, making the crackers less dense and giving them the perfect texture!
Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a warm, spicy flavor that complements the sweetness of the graham crackers. It gives them a distinctive taste that sets them apart from plain crackers.
Salt: Salt enhances the overall flavor of the graham crackers and balances the sweetness from the sugar and honey. It also helps strengthen the dough structure.
Butter: Butter adds richness and flavor to the graham crackers. It contributes to a tender texture and helps bind the ingredients together, making the dough easier to work with.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness and a slight molasses flavor to the graham crackers.
Honey: Honey adds natural sweetness. It also helps bind the ingredients together and adds moisture, preventing the crackers from becoming too dry.
Vanilla: Vanilla adds a subtle sweetness and enhances the overall flavor profile of the graham crackers. It complements the other flavors without overpowering them.
Potato Flake Sourdough Starter (active starter or leftover sourdough discard): The great thing about this recipe is that you can use active (recently fed) or discard (hasn’t been fed recently)! This starter is typically used for making loaves of sweet sourdough bread. It can sometimes be confused with amish friendship bread starter. It is a little bit different and if this is your first time hearing about potato flake starters. Check out my simple starter recipe on how to make your own sourdough starter! All you need for this easy recipe is 1 cup warm water, 3/4 cup of sugar, a packet of yeast and 3 tablespoons instant potatoes!
Topping for sprinkling the crackers:
Granulated sugar & Cinnamon: These two are totally optional. You can make plain homemade graham crackers with out the cinnamon and sugar if you’d like!
How to make sourdough discard graham crackers:
Preparing the Dough
Combine the Dry Ingredients: In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Melt the Butter: In the microwave safe dish or in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat until just fully melted. Remove from heat.
Mix Wet Ingredients: To the melted butter (be sure it isn’t too hot or it can kill the starter), add the brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and sourdough starter. Mix until fully combined.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer or large bowl. Mix until fully combined. Shape the dough into a ball.
Form the Dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. For the long fermentation benefits refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Rolling and Cutting the Dough
Preheat the Oven: When ready to bake (same day or the next day), preheat your oven to 325℉. If you refrigerate the dough for longer than 30 minutes, let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling it out. This makes the dough more manageable and prevents it from cracking.
Roll Out the Dough: Divide the dough into two pieces. Working one piece of dough at a time, place it on top of a piece of parchment paper. Layer another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/16 inch thick. A rolling pin with thickness rings can be particularly helpful for this step.
*Tip: to make the best rectangle shape, roll the dough out thin. Cut the edges off to make a perfect rectangle, lay the scraps on top of the dough and roll the dough out again until 1/16″ thick again. You will still need to trim the edges one more time before making the graham crackers, but you will have a much more uniform shaped rectangle this way.
Cut the Crackers: Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into approximate 2.5 x 5 inch squares but do not separate them. Gently score each cracker with a line running horizontally and vertically to mimic store-bought graham crackers. Pierce each cracker multiple times with a fork. You can use a pizza cutter to score the bread by pressing it on the dough slightly but not cutting all the way through. If you want to get super fancy you can use a graham cracker cookie cutter to get perfectly sized crackers every time!
Transfer to Baking Sheet: Transfer the dough and bottom parchment paper to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture. The best way to do this is with a sugar shaker. This makes it so much easier. Repeat this same process for the second half of the dough.
Baking the Crackers
Bake: Bake in a preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The edges should be just starting to turn golden brown. If some crackers are browning faster than others, remove them as they are done and allow the others to finish baking.
Cool and Break: Let the crackers cool for 20 minutes or until cooled, then gently break them into individual crackers at the pre-cut lines.
Storage
Store your homemade sourdough graham crackers in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crunchy. These crackers can be enjoyed on their own, with a spread of butter or jam, or as part of your favorite recipes.
Tips for Success
Keeping the Dough at Room Temperature
If you refrigerate the dough for longer than 30 minutes, let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling it out. This makes the dough more manageable and prevents it from cracking.
Creative Shapes and Sizes
Baking these potato flake sourdough graham crackers is not only about creating a tasty snack but also about enjoying the process. Feel free to get creative with the shapes and sizes of your crackers. Use a cookie cutter or pizza wheel to make different shapes that suit your needs. This is a great baking activity to do with kids!
Experiment with Flavors
While the traditional cinnamon-sugar topping is our favorite topping, you can experiment with other flavors. Try adding in a bit of cocoa powder to this graham cracker recipe for a chocolate spin on it!
New to Potato Flake Sourdough Starter?
The star ingredient in this recipe is the potato flake sourdough starter. If you’re unfamiliar with this type of starter, it’s similar to the traditional sourdough starter in that it naturally rises your dough, but instead of flour and water it is made up of water, sugar and potato flakes which feed the wild yeast. This gives the graham crackers a unique flavor and texture that sets them apart from standard recipes.
If you enjoy making homemade graham crackers, you might also enjoy making some whole wheat homemade sourdough crackers!
Homemade potato flake sourdough graham crackers are a delicious and rewarding treat to make. With simple ingredients and a straightforward process, you can create a snack that’s perfect for any occasion. Whether you’re enjoying them on their own, using them for s’mores, turning them into crumbs with a food processor for a delicious graham cracker pie crust, or incorporating them into other recipes, these crackers are sure to be a hit.
So grab your rolling pin, potato flake starter, and a piece of parchment paper, and let’s get baking!
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Potato Flake Sourdough Graham Crackers
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza cutter (or a very sharp knife)
- Parchment Paper
- Stand mixer with a dough hook attachment
- Large cookie sheet
- Fork (for poking holes)
Ingredients
Graham Crackers
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter salted butter is fine, just reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup sourdough starter active starter or discard
For Sprinkling the Crackers
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the microwave safe dish or in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat until just fully melted. Remove from heat.
- To the melted butter (be sure it isn’t too hot or it can kill the starter), add the brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and sourdough starter. Mix until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer or large bowl. Mix until fully combined. Shape the dough into a ball.
- Tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. For the long fermentation benefits refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake (same day or the next day), preheat your oven to 325℉. If you refrigerate the dough for longer than 30 minutes, let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling it out. This makes the dough more manageable and prevents it from cracking.
- Divide the dough into two pieces. Working one piece of dough at a time, place it on top of a piece of parchment paper. Layer another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/16 inch thick. A rolling pin with thickness rings can be particularly helpful for this step.
- Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into approximate 2.5 x 5 inch squares but do not separate them. Gently score each cracker with a line running horizontally and vertically to mimic store-bought graham crackers. Pierce each cracker multiple times with a fork. You can use a pizza cutter to score the bread by pressing it on the dough slightly but not cutting all the way through.
- Transfer the dough and bottom parchment paper to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture. The best way to do this is with a sugar shaker. This makes it so much easier. Repeat this same process for the second half of the dough.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The edges should be just starting to turn golden brown. If some crackers are browning faster than others, remove them as they are done and allow the others to finish baking.
- Let the crackers cool for 20 minutes or until cooled, then gently break them into individual crackers at the pre-cut lines.
- Store your homemade sourdough graham crackers in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crunchy. These crackers can be enjoyed on their own, with a spread of butter or jam, or as part of your favorite recipes.
Turned out wonderfully! My granddaughter loved them as well
Wonderful! So glad to hear that!
I tried this recipe. It smelled wonderful. My dough was more like a batter. I refrigerated it and it became like the dough ball in your pictures but not until I refrigerated it. Did I do something wrong? Just trying to trouble shoot for next time. They still worked out and were a hit with the family.
It’s possible you might have needed a bit more flour. Different brands of flour can have different hydration levels. Another factor is how the flour is scooped. It could be more packed or less packed resulting in less flour in your recipe.