This Sunday, try sourdough discard crackers with sorghum millet

These crackers stay good for 8-10 days. You can Serve it with any of your favourite dips. (Photo by Shalini Rajani)

No matter how deep you dive into the culinary sea, there will always be something that will make you a student. Be it the traditional ways of cooking, the fermentation, or even the sourdough — the most trending kitchen art these days. The techniques have always been a part of our culture, and now they are being beautifully picked up and revived to suit the modern palate.

I decided to learn this art after a suggestion by Munish Sharma (Gurugram), who I consider to be a human food encyclopedia! You name a healthy food or technique and he will tell you the history, geography and even the microbiology of it. And also, because now I wanted to bring the sourdough technique more in the context of millet and other gluten-free alternatives, I decided to take this journey, and I am already excited and motivated to bring up some cool experiments in the near future.

“The one quick recipe with any sourdough discard is baked crackers,” Munish had said. I was clear on how to make them with the recipe he shared, but I also knew that I will end up adding some millet goodness to it, too. I couldn’t resist adding my homemade red sorghum millet flour to these crackers. And to give them a little cheesy and exotic taste, I added some bell peppers, jalapenos, olives and seasonings. It gave me one of the best crackers I have ever made or bought.

With every new experiment, I try to bring millet in a more creative way. If you have been struggling to make millet, and if you are too confused about the dos and the don’ts of cooking with millet, I would suggest you to join me tomorrow (September 21) as I come up with a webinar.

In this webinar, I will be sharing a lot of knowledge on how to be creative with millet and some quick tips and tricks which I wished someone told me when I started cooking. You can reach out to me through my Instagram profile and DM me for the entry ticket.

But before that, do read more for the step-by-step recipe for sourdough discard crackers with sorghum millet flour.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup discarded sourdough starter
• ¼ cup red sorghum (jowar) flour
• 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp rock salt
• 1 tsp pizza seasonings
• ¼ cup thinly sliced bell pepper julienne
• 1 tsp chopped pickled jalapenos
• 2 tsp chopped green olives

Sourdough discard crackers with sorghum millet flour. (Photo by Shalini Rajani)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven at 160 degree Celsius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, thoroughly mix the sourdough starter discard, red sorghum millet flour, pizza seasoning, salt and olive oil.
3. With the help of a spoon, spread this mixture onto the parchment paper.
4. Top it up with bell pepper julienne, chopped jalapenos and olives. Sprinkle a bit more seasoning here.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the mixture attains a firm shape.
6. Remove the baking tray from oven and score (make cuts) the crackers.
7. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes with continuous flipping and manually keeping an eye on your oven until the crackers are golden brown in colour.
8. Cool them completely and store it in an air-tight jar.
9. These crackers stay good for 8-10 days.
10. Serve it with any of your favourite dips.

Health benefits of sourdough discard and sorghum millet

Sourdough discard has several health benefits, particularly for digestion. For example, sourdough is rich in vitamin B, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics. People with gluten sensitivities can opt for sourdough breads and discard recipes.

Sorghum (jowar) is the most versatile and neutral millet. I have been using it in many of my recipes including premixes where I use homemade jowar flour.

It’s rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin B, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. It is also an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, and protein. If you wish to begin your millet journey without worrying about which millet to eat, give homemade jowar flour a try.

(Shalini Rajani is the founder of Crazy Kadchi and holds innovative Millets Cooking Workshops for all age groups)

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