1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. You will need to prepare my sourdough graham crackers for this recipe. To save yourself time, you can prepare them days in advance.

Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust

1. Place whole graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or pulse in a food processor until fine. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix the sourdough graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and salt until the consistency is that of wet sand. 
   1 1/2 cups sourdough graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup white sugar, 5 Tablespoon unsalted butter, pinch of salt
3. Place the mixture in the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Press the crust firmly with a clean measuring cup on the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan. Set aside. 

Cheesecake Filling

1. Place the room-temperature cream cheese in a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until smooth and creamy. (Be sure not to over beat as this will add air to the mixture and increase chances for cracking. )
   32 ounces cream cheese
2. Add the sugar and continue to mix on low until creamy. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed in evenly. 
   1 1/3 cups white sugar
3. Now add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on low until just combined. 
   2/3 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, pinch of salt
4. Finally, add lightly beaten eggs to the filling, one at a time. Mix on low speed until each egg is combined. Finally, stop to scrape the sides of the bowl. 
   4 large eggs

Bake

1. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the sourdough graham cracker pie crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. Place the pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, just in case of a mess.
2. Bake the cheesecake for 65-75 minutes, or until the edges are slightly puffed up and lightly golden brown, the edges are springy to the touch, but the center still has a slight jiggle. 
3. Place the cheesecake on top of the oven to gradually bring it back to room temperature. After 10 minutes, use a sharp knife to carefully loosen the cheesecake from the pan. While the cheesecake cools, it will shrink, so this prevents the cheesecake from cracking. 
4. Allow the cheesecake to cool for 1-3 hours, or until at room temperature before covering it with aluminum foil and chilling in the fridge. Chill the cheesecake for at least 6 hours (overnight is best), before slicing and serving individual slices.