Healthy Sourdough Peanut Butter Crackers
Treat your kids (and yourself) to these healthy, homemade peanut butter crackers made with sourdough and whole wheat flour.
Skip the store-bought crackers filled with questionable ingredients and make a yummy snack for your family filled with nutrition. These crackers are simple to make, and much more delicious than processed snacks.
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There’s something special about making homemade snacks for your kids. Not only do you know exactly what’s going into them, but you can also feel good knowing they’re eating real, wholesome food.
One of my favorite snacks to make are these delicious peanut butter crackers. Each bite of these fresh, buttery crackers delivers a rich peanut butter flavor with the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
I love making these homemade peanut butter crackers using freshly milled flour, which adds extra nutrients and flavor compared to processed flour. Don’t have a flour mill? That’s ok, you can definitely use all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a snack that’s not only delicious but also much healthier. Plus, the process is so easy, even your kids can join in on the fun!
The Problem with Store-Bought Processed Snacks
Who hasn’t enjoyed the classic Ritz peanut butter crackers?! I grew up eating these as a kid, along with goldfish, Cheez-Its, and many other processed crackers.
These are all super yummy and kids love them, but have you ever looked at the ingredient list?! Most processed crackers contain vegetable oil among other preservatives, artificial flavors, and refined ingredients.
While these and other cracker options offered at the store might be convenient, they don’t offer the best nutrition for growing kids. That’s why I love making my own snacks at home. It’s an easy way to give my kids something tasty that’s also packed with real ingredients I trust.
Freshly milled flour from wheat berries, butter, sourdough starter, peanut butter, and a little honey and sea salt make these crackers delicious without the need for artificial extras.
Making These Crackers with Sourdough
Sourdough isn’t just for bread, it’s a great addition to crackers too! It makes the crackers easier to digest by breaking down the grains. This allows your kids to absorb more nutrients when they snack on them.
Sourdough also gives the crackers a light, tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with peanut butter. Plus, it’s a great way to use up your sourdough discard, so nothing goes to waste!
Why Freshly Milled Flour?
Freshly milled flour is made from milling whole wheat berries in a grain mill at home. It retains all the natural vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in whole wheat berries.
The wheat berry is the whole grain form of wheat. It is composed of three parts: the wheat germ, bran, and endosperm.
A Little History of Flour
Originally wheat berries were ground using a stone mill which allowed the wheat to retain it’s nutrition. During the industrial revolution, the roller mill was invented which helped flour production dramatically increase.
However, this method stripped the wheat kernel of the bran and germ. This leaves a flour with empty calories and carbohydrates and very little nutritional value. Therefore, the flour you buy from the store is significantly lower in vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
Choosing to Use Freshly Milled Flour
With bread, muffins, crackers and other flour-based baked goods being staples in our diet, our family chooses to mill our own flour at home with a grain mill.
I love using my Mockmill Lino 100 Grain Mill to mill my own flour. I get these wheat berries from Azure Standard which saves me so much money too!
Read here about how I source a lot of my food from Azure Standard and save lots of money by doing so. If you don’t have a grain mill, you can also use this high quality all purpose flour or whole wheat flour to make these peanut butter crackers.
Freshly milled flour is also free of additives and preservatives. Store-bought flour is often treated to extend its shelf life, but in doing so, it loses much of its nutritional value. By milling you own flour at home, you ensure your ingredients are as close to their natural state as possible.
In addition to the health benefits, freshly milled flour adds a richer, more complex flavor to your baking. It has a slightly nutty, earthy taste that enhances the overall flavor of your crackers, making them taste fresher and more wholesome than anything you could buy at the store.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Crackers:
Freshly milled flour from soft white wheat berries – You can also use all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour.
Butter (melted) – I like to use this organic unsalted cultured butter, but any kind of butter is fine.
Sourdough Starter– I feed my starter with all-purpose einkorn flour. You can make an einkorn sourdough starter from scratch, or use any sourdough starter for these crackers. You can use active starter or sourdough discard. This is a great way to use up excess sourdough starter!
Peanut Butter– I use organic, creamy and unsalted peanut butter.
Honey (optional)– As a natural sweetener, honey is not only delicious, but also provides anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. I prefer to use raw honey.
Sea Salt – My favorite kind of sea salt to use is Redmond Real Salt.
Filtered water – Add a tablespoon or two or more as needed.
Tools You May Need:
Rolling Pin
How To Make Peanut Butter Crackers:
Measure out 180 grams of wheat berries (I use about 1/2 soft white wheat and 1/2 spelt). This will give you about 1.5 cups of freshly milled flour. You can also measure out 1.5 cups of all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
Measure 200 grams of sourdough starter (this can be active starter or discard). This will give you about 3/4 cup of starter.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once it’s melted, let it cool to a warm temperature before mixing it with other ingredients. If it’s too hot it will kill the sourdough starter.
In a large bowl, add the melted butter, sourdough starter, flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until the ingredients are combined. The dough should be soft and pliable. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if the dough is too stiff to work with easily.
Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for 3o minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid. You can also place the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days wrapped in plastic wrap for a long fermented cracker.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Working with the Cracker Dough
Cut the dough in half. It is easier to work with a smaller piece of dough.
Place dough onto a piece of parchment paper and then top with another piece of parchment paper. The dough can be sticky, so this helps the dough not stick onto the rolling pin.
Roll out super flat with a rolling pin.
The key is to get the dough really thin (less than 1/8 inch thick if possible).
Shaping the Crackers
Pull off the top piece of parchment paper. Cut the dough into fun shapes (we use these heart cookie cutters for Valentine’s Day), rectangles, or circles. You can use a pizza cutter if you aren’t using cookie cutters.
Prick each cracker with a fork. This keeps the crackers from puffing up as they bake. Sprinkle very lightly with a little salt (optional).
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crackers have puffed and start to brown on the edges. I always check them at 10 minutes because this can happen fast!
Allow the crackers to cool completely before adding the peanut butter. They continue to become more crisp as they cool.
Mix the peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of honey (optional). You can adjust the amount of honey depending on how sweet you want your crackers, or use none at all. I recommend using at least a few teaspoons of honey, especially if your peanut butter doesn’t have any sweetener added.
Spread a little of the peanut butter and honey mixture onto a cracker. Then add another cracker to make a “sandwich.”
Chill in the fridge for 1 hour so that the peanut butter solidifies and the crackers don’t fall apart.
How to Store the Crackers
If, somehow, your family doesn’t eat them all in one sitting, they will store well in an airtight container. For longer storage, let cool, then place in a freezer safe container, and freeze for 4-6 months.
Tips for Success
- Roll the dough as thin as possible to ensure a crunchy texture.
- Use a fork to poke small holes in the dough before baking. This helps prevent puffing and ensures even baking.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for 3o minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid. You can also place the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days wrapped in plastic wrap for a long fermented cracker.
- Allow the crackers to cool completely before adding the peanut butter. They continue to become more crisp as they cool.
- Choose natural peanut butter without added sugar or oils for the best flavor and health benefits.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour, but freshly milled flour provides more nutrients and a better flavor.
You can use either! Discard words perfectly for this recipe since it doesn’t need to rise.
Absolutely! Almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter work well.
Roll the dough as thin as you can, about 1/8 inch or less, for the crunchiest crackers.
Yes, you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge before rolling and baking.
Add a drizzle of honey or sprinkle extra sea salt on top before baking to adjust the flavor to your liking.
Healthy Peanut Butter Crackers
Ingredients
- 180 grams freshly milled flour from wheat berries (1½ cups of flour) You can also use all-purpose flour. I use ½ soft white wheat berries and ½ spelt wheat berries
- 180 grams butter (8 tbsp) melted
- 200 grams sourdough starter (¾ cup) discard is fine
- ½ cup peanut butter creamy and unsalted
- 1 tbsp honey (optional) adjust amount according to desired sweetness
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1-3 tbsp filtered water start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed
Instructions
- Measure out 180 grams of wheat berries (I use about 1/2 soft white wheat and 1/2 spelt). This will give you about 1.5 cups of freshly milled flour. You can also measure out 1.5 cups of all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
- Measure 200 grams of sourdough starter (this can be active starter or discard). This will give you about 3/4 cup of starter.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. After the butter melts, let it cool to a warm temperature before mixing with the other ingredients. You don't want the butter to be too hot or it will kill the sourdough.
- In a large bowl, add the melted butter, sourdough starter, flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until the ingredients are combined. The dough should be soft and pliable. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if the dough is too stiff to work easily with.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid. You can also place the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days wrapped in plastic wrap for a long fermented cracker.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Get dough out of the fridge, and cut in half. It is easier to work with a smaller piece of dough. Let it warm just a bit to room temp so it’s easier to work with.
- Place dough onto a piece of parchment paper and then top with another piece of parchment paper.
- Roll out super flat with a rolling pin.
- The key is to get them really thin (less than 1/8 inch thick if possible).
- Pull off the top piece of parchment paper. Cut the dough into fun shapes, rectangles, or circles. You can use a pizza cutter if you aren't using cookie cutters.
- Prick each cracker with a fork. This keeps the crackers from puffing up as they bake. Sprinkle very lightly with a little salt (optional).
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crackers have puffed and start to brown on the edges. I always check them at 10 minutes because this can happen fast!
- All the crackers to cool completely before adding the peanut butter. They continue to become more crisp as they cool.
- Mix the peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of honey (optional). You can adjust the amount of honey depending on how sweet you want your crackers, or use none at all. I recommend using at least a few teaspoons of honey, especially if your peanut butter doesn’t have any sweetener added.
- Spread a little of the peanut butter and honey mixture onto a cracker. Then add another cracker to make a “sandwich.”
- Chill in the fridge for 1 hour so that the peanut butter solidifies and the crackers don’t fall apart.
- These crackers store well in an airtight container. For longer storage, let cool, then place in a freezer safe container, and freeze for 4-6 months.
