Sourdough Animal Crackers Recipe | Freshly Milled Flour
These lightly sweet, crisp sourdough animal crackers are a nostalgic treat made with simple ingredients and either sourdough starter or discard. A wholesome, cozy snack that’s perfect for baking days with little ones or for packing in lunches all week long.
Servings: 24
Calories: 75kcal
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowls
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Cookie Cutters
- 1 Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- ½ cup sourdough starter or discard (120-130g)
- ½ cup unsalted or salted butter, softened (113g)
- ¼ cup sugar (57g) I use granulated sugar cane from Azure Standard, but any granulated sugar will work.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
- ½ tsp almond extract (2g)
- ½ tsp lemon extract (2g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- ½ cup whole wheat (60g ) *freshly milled soft white wheat berries or store bought whole wheat flour will work
- ½ cup oat flour (60g)
- ¼ tsp sea salt (1.5g) *Omit if you used salted butter
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the extracts and sourdough: Mix in the vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts, then stir in your sourdough starter or discard until smooth.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, soft white wheat flour, oat flour, and salt.
- Mix the dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients in with the wet mixture until a firm dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Chill the dough: Divide into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll and cut: Roll one dough disk just above ¼ inch thick, then cut into shapes using mini cookie cutters.
- Bake the crackers: Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
- Cool completely: Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Flour blends: Using a mix of freshly milled soft white wheat, oat flour, and all-purpose flour gives these crackers their signature crunch and flavor.
Thickness matters: Roll just above ¼ inch thick — too thin and they’ll brown too quickly, too thick and they’ll lose that snap.
Storage: Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Flavor tip: The touch of lemon extract brings the nostalgic flavor of classic animal crackers — it’s the secret that makes this recipe shine.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.3mg