Started messing around with Ruby’s sourdough starter discard and thanks to my mate Lisa lending me her pasta roller I’ve pulled off these beautiful herby wafers! Having the time to mess up and try again helped (🙄) as I burnt the first lot but nailed it now. Once you get going they are quick and easy, if a bit messy, plus you hardly need any dough for loads of crackers as they are so wafer thin.
You will need some sourdough starter on the go, a pasta machine and a bit of worktop space plus spare white flour for dusting. You will also need a bit of patience and enthusiasm but it will be rewarded with beautiful, delicious crisp crackers full of herby flavour.
Ingredients (for about 8 large wafers):
90g wholemeal bread flour
65g white bread flour
5g fine salt
25g sourdough starter or discard starter
75g water
Assorted soft herb leaves; sage, mint, carrot tops, oregano, baby chard and spinach
30g butter
Sea salt flakes
Mix the flours, salt and starter together in a bowl then add the water, mix well then bring together with your hands, kneading for a couple of minutes to smooth it out. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for an hour.
Heat the oven to 190 fan and line 3 large flat baking trays with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll the first into a ball then flatten it with the palm of your hand on a well floured surface. Roll through the pasta machine starting with thickest setting and again one by one to the thinnest, dusting the dough with plenty of flour as you go to prevent it sticking. Now lay the dough flat on a floured work surface and mark the centre point roughly. Using a pastry brush, brush one half of the dough with water then press the herb leaves into the damped dough closely together until one half is covered. Bring the other half of the dough and lay it on top of the herbs then press together firmly with your hands. Flour again, and pass through the pasta machine from the medium setting down to the thinnest you can go without the dough tearing, dusting the dough with flour to stop it sticking.
Cut into lengths that will fit on your baking trays, and repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough. You will get faster and more confident each time. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and use to brush the surface of each piece of dough thoroughly then sprinkle with sea salt flakes and bake for 6-8 minutes until light brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and turn the heat down to 90 leaving the door open so the oven will cool quickly, then take the wafers off the baking trays and put back in the oven but this time directly onto the racks. Close the oven but prop the door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon and cook for a further 10 minutes like that to completely dehydrate without browning any further. Remove from the oven, cool completely then store in an airtight container.
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