I came up with this recipe as a way to use up excess brown rice starter (discard). You can use active starter and leave it to ferment for a few hours, if you’d prefer. But there is also baking powder in the recipe, so you don’t really need to do this—Since you’re not relying on yeast as a leavening agent, you can use unfed starter straight from the fridge.
I have two versions below. One is completely vegan, and the other is for people who can have a bit of dairy. They are both very good, but the one with cheese tastes remarkably similar to the original.
Vegan Sourdough Cheezitz
60 grams tapioca flour
20 grams brown rice flour
50 grams nutritional yeast flakes
10 grams golden flax seed meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
150ml starter
4 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
a couple pinches of turmeric and annatto for color (optional)
Flaked salt for sprinkling
Original Sourdough Cheezits
60 grams tapioca flour
20 grams brown rice flour
20 grams nutritional yeast flakes
10 grams golden flax seed meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
80 grams sharp cheddar or Parmesan (I prefer a blend)
150ml starter
2 tablespoons butter or ghee, softened
a couple pinches of turmeric and annatto for color (optional)
Flaked salt for sprinkling
Method
Combine the flours, nutritional yeast, flax meal, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
If using, grate the cheese into the bowl with the flour, then mix it in.
Measure out the starter and stir the softened butter into it. If using the vinegar, stir this in as well.
Add the mixture to the flour. Squish between your fingers until a homogenous dough forms.
If fermenting, cover the dough with cling film and leave it in a warm place for a a couple of hours, until puffy.
Flatten the dough into a disc between two pieces of parchment and place it in the fridge.
If fermenting, leave the dough refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Otherwise, use it as soon as it’s cool enough to roll (about 30 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit/176 Celcius.
Roll out the dough very thin, then score it with a pizza cutter, dough scraper, or knife. Sprinkle with flaky salt and prick each square with a fork before placing in the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes on a baking sheet, then turn the tray 180 degrees and bake another 10 minutes, or until all the squares are golden brown.
If the pieces on the edges are browning too quickly, remove them and place the sheet back in the oven.
Allow the crackers to cool naturally and store in an air-tight container.