Sourdough Discard Cheesy Puffs

These will quickly become the most requested snack in your home! These poppable cheesy puffs are addicting and the perfect afternoon snack for your kids. It’s such a great way to use up your sourdough discard and they can be made ahead of time. Win, win!

Sometimes cooking accidents can turn into the best recipes. That is exactly what happened when I discovered these delicious sourdough cheesy puffs. I had just started making sourdough back when everyone else did, aka the year 2020. I shamelessly jumped on the sourdough bandwagon and I am so happy I did. Four years later and I haven’t quit yet.

I didn’t understand the concept of being able to put my starter in the fridge whenever I wanted and therefore had lots of discard to use up. One of the first things I attempted to make was sourdough discard crackers.

I did the recipe just like mine you are going to use, but I underestimated the part where you roll them out. If I had really wanted a cracker I would have needed to roll the dough extremely thin. I did not do that but as the result I discovered these cheesy puffy deliciousness. I have never even made sourdough crackers because my family can’t get enough of these. They are our go to snack and favorite way to use up our sourdough discard when we have it. Add in your favorite cheese and you have the perfect afternoon snack for your family!

Tips for making Sourdough Discard Cheesy Puffs:

• Use a spicy cheese! I promise you even a very spicy cheese will still not create a very spicy puff. If you use a bland cheese it will be a bland cracker. Trust me and buy something spicy even if your kids aren’t spicy lovers.
• Do not roll the dough out too thin. You can see from my pictures these have a decent height. That’s why these are called puffs and not crackers.
• Dividing the dough into two disk allows you to be able to use one on one day and the other on another day if that works best for you.
• I use ice water when making my dough to make sure it’s very cold.
• Don’t be shy with the salt at the end! It needs salt! We love rubbing ours around in the salt as we eat them straight off the pan.

Ingredients:

Flour- Just your basic all purpose flour. You could probably use einkorn flour if you have that on hand.

Sourdough Discard- This is the result of feeding your sourdough starter and then letting it lose its rise. I usually have a jar in the fridge that I pull from.

Butter- The butter makes such a good buttery flavor!

Cheese- Use whatever cheese you have on hand. The spicier the better taste! This recipe also uses a small amount of grated parmesan.

Water- I use ice water to make sure it is good and cold.

Spices- This recipe uses salt and garlic powder. You could also add in some crushed red pepper or cayenne for extra spice.

Tools You Might Need:

• Measuring spoons and cups
• Food Processor
• Rolling pin
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment paper

How to Make Sourdough Discard Cheesy Puffs:

Place all ingredients into a food processor.

Pulse until all ingredients have come together into a nice ball of dough.

Divide dough into two equal parts. Wrap each part in plastic wrap into two disk. Place the disk into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to a few days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put dough onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out about an eighth an inch thick.

Use a small cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out small circles. I prefer to use the top of a mccormick spice jar.

Place the crackers onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Create a hole in the center of each puff using a toothpick. Bake for 20 minutes.

Immediately salt the pan of sourdough discard cheesy puffs when you take them out of the oven. They are best eaten right away when hot.