We were in the middle of hanging blinds and unpacking the last of the boxes from our move a couple weeks ago, and I forgot all about dinner. It was almost 5 o'clock when I realized there was absolutely nothing on the menu.
No worries. Soup to the rescue. I usually keep the freezer stocked with homemade soup or stew for such occasions. Or at the very least, homemade stock. (Speaking of, have you tried this chicken nettle soup yet?)
I opened the freezer to pull out a frozen soup I had made the week before. And now... what to serve with it? Why, nettle sourdough crackers, of course.
No worries. Soup to the rescue. I usually keep the freezer stocked with homemade soup or stew for such occasions. Or at the very least, homemade stock. (Speaking of, have you tried this chicken nettle soup yet?)
I opened the freezer to pull out a frozen soup I had made the week before. And now... what to serve with it? Why, nettle sourdough crackers, of course.
Seriously, these are so easy to make. They're foolproof, too. If you're careful to roll out the dough as thin as possible, these crackers will crisp up beautifully every time. You can use any type of whole grain flour and add any tonic herb (or herb combination) you have on hand. The dough is freezer-friendly, too, so you can make up a batch and store it in the freezer (or up to 1 week in the fridge) so that it's ready to go for those last-minute meals.
If you're new to sourdough, just developing the taste for it, or simply don't enjoy it, give these crackers a try first. After a batch of these, I think you may find yourself falling for sourdough hook, line, and sinker. And here's why I hope you do, too.
That said, I know there's a really good chance you just don't have sourdough sitting on your counter-top at the moment, so feel free to use whatever flour you have on hand. I recommend you either soak it or sprout it though, as this works like sour leavening by breaking down the phytic acid and allowing you to absorb the nutrients in the grain. You can find sprouted flour here or you can make your own, but we'll save that for a later post.
If you're new to sourdough, just developing the taste for it, or simply don't enjoy it, give these crackers a try first. After a batch of these, I think you may find yourself falling for sourdough hook, line, and sinker. And here's why I hope you do, too.
That said, I know there's a really good chance you just don't have sourdough sitting on your counter-top at the moment, so feel free to use whatever flour you have on hand. I recommend you either soak it or sprout it though, as this works like sour leavening by breaking down the phytic acid and allowing you to absorb the nutrients in the grain. You can find sprouted flour here or you can make your own, but we'll save that for a later post.
Nettle Sourdough Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter*
- 4 T. coconut oil or butter, melted
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup whole grain flour
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 2 t. dried nettle leaf, plus more for sprinkling
- extra virgin olive oil
- coarse grind salt for sprinkling
Instructions
1. Mix together the sourdough and coconut oil. Then mix in the salt and baking soda. (Or you can wait to add the salt and baking soda when you add the nettle, since sodium may inhibit the breakdown of phytic acid).2. Knead, adding flour as necessary to produce a stiff dough.3. Cover the dough and let it sit out on the counter for 7 hours (or longer).4. After this 7+ hour period, add nettle and gently knead the dough to incorporate (try not to overwork the dough, though, since this leads to a denser cracker).5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and roll out portions of the dough onto well-floured parchment paper before transferring to baking sheets.6. Spread some olive oil over the surface using a pastry brush and sprinkle with nettle and salt.7. Cut into shapes using a pizza cutter and bake 10 minutes, before turning off the oven and leaving the crackers to crisp up abit. Check them after 30 minutes, though you may need to wait longer. (If you need to speed up the process, you can also bake the crackers at 350 for 5-10 more minutes until slightly browned before removing to a cooling rack.)8. Keep in mind that the crackers will crisp up slightly as they cool. Enjoy!
*If you don't have sourdough starter on hand, you can make these crackers by soaking 2 1/2 cups of whole grain flour in 1 cup of yogurt overnight. Mix in the coconut oil, salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and nettle. Proceed with steps 5-8. If you choose to use sprouted flour instead, stir 1 cup of milk (preferably raw) into 2 1/2 cups of sprouted whole grain flour. Mix in the coconut oil, salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and nettle. Proceed with steps 5-8.
*If you don't have sourdough starter on hand, you can make these crackers by soaking 2 1/2 cups of whole grain flour in 1 cup of yogurt overnight. Mix in the coconut oil, salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and nettle. Proceed with steps 5-8. If you choose to use sprouted flour instead, stir 1 cup of milk (preferably raw) into 2 1/2 cups of sprouted whole grain flour. Mix in the coconut oil, salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and nettle. Proceed with steps 5-8.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 dozen 
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