Homemade Crackers

[Skwerl]

I had an Italian stlye cracker-crispy flatbread at a restaurant called Brio (a chain) a couple weeks ago. It was covered in rosemary, sesame seens, flaxseed, and I think there was some sort of cheese on it very lightly. I went nuts over it, so I have been trying to duplicate the recipe ever since, with mild success. If anyone has tried the same flatbread and has a similar recipe or any cracker recipe that you're really fond of, please post. I really hate bread, but I've started getting into crackers, so I can always use some more recipes. Thanks!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Perhaps something like this recipe where you can add whatever toppings you particularly desire? like what you mentioned: rosemary, sesame seeds, flaxseed, some sort of cheese on it very lightly ...

[zilla369]

I love to make crackers/croutons/crostini out of very thinly sliced, then re-baked focaccia. I find focaccia to be one of the most forgiving, easiest breads to make. Great crumb and structure.

[M. Lucia]

I am not sure about the crackers you describe, but I adapted this recipe from Gourmet.

Anise Seed Flatbreads

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups ap flour

2 1/2 tsp bkg powder

1/2 tsp bkg soda

2 tsp sea salt

6 tbl cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg white

anise seeds

Combine the flours, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cut in the butter so the mixture resembles a course meal. Add the buttermilk so that the mixture just comes together.

Divide the mixture into 4 parts.

Roll the mixture out into a rectangle. I like to roll these as thinly as possible. Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with the seeds. Roll over the seeds with the rolling pin to adhere.

Cut the flatbreads and place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

I am sure you could experiment with different toppings. Glad you discovered the fun of making crackers, parmesan cheese crisps are good too. Let us now how it turns out.

[McDuff]

There's an Armenian flatbread recipe in William Sultan's book that I've used for seeded flatbreads, bread sticks, and thin crust pizza. And Reinhart's flatbread with the cornmeal is fabulous stuff. I used to roll them almost two feet in diameter for display on a buffet.

[aidensnd2]

Was it similar to lavash?

[WHT]

Was it similar to lavash?

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I thought that was more flexable than a cracker.

[aidensnd2]

Was it similar to lavash?

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I thought that was more flexable than a cracker.

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I've always made it to so it's really crisp, so that it almost shatters when you eat it.

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi Everybody!

I've never seen nor tasted a homemade cracker as in "crackers and cheese"

I would like to try making them...can anybody give me more information?

Recipe? Technique? Good book?

Thanks!

[Gifted Gourmet]

one such source ...

or, even better yet, this site has some Twenty cracker recipes!

Was this type of thing what you had in mind?

[jackal10]

I've had success with the following:

The cracker recipe originated from "Flatbreads and Flavours, A Baker's Atlas" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Douglas, ISBN 0-688-11411-3.

My version:

High Tech Crackers

3 cups whole wheat flour. I used Marriage's Organic Stoneground strong wholemeal flour, 13.8% protein. Sometimes I add a bit of rye and a bit of spelt

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups water

Whizz together in a food processor (steel blade) for 20 seconds. Should form a softish ball. Different flours may adsorb more or less water. If it feels sticky add more flour, if dry more water. Process for 1 minute more.

Wrap in clingfilm and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Get the oven very hot (300C/575F). These are good to make after Pizza and before baking bread in a brick oven. You will need two large baking sheets.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Work with one at a time, leave the rest covered with a damp cloth. On a floured surface roll it out as thin as it will go. Add any seasonings or toppings you like and roll them into the dough, for example toppings might be any of Chilli, Coarse salt, Sesame Seeds, poppy seed, Grated coconut, cumin seed, caraway seed, parmesan, cracked black pepper, marmite, etc etc. Its fun to do different batches different and mix them up, so there is an element of surprise.

Transfer the rolled out dough to a baking sheet, and cut though with a pizza wheel, roughly into 3 x 3 to make cracker shapes about 4 inches x 2 inches.

Not too neatly, as its nice if there is some variation is size and shapes

Put in the oven, and check in 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Meantime start rolling the next batch, and you will soon have a rhythm going. Crackers start to brown from underneath, and when the thinner bits begin to brown on top, they are done. Take them out and transfer to a cake rack or large bowl, and break them into crackers. Put in the next batch...

They crisp up as they cool. If they are not crisp enough put them back in the oven for a minute or so.

Enjoy!

[Mottmott]

One of the things that appeals to me about making my own crackers is no preservatives or transfats, etc. I know what's in them. So last spring I did it a couple times using a recipe from Martha Stewart's website. They turned out ok, very basic. I also did cheese straws that turned out very well, but dont recall where the recipe came from.

When the weather gets cooler I plan to do more of this.

I heard somewhere, perhaps here on eG, that it's sometimes possible to use a pasta maker to roll out the dough. Has anyone here tried that?

[chefjillm]

I have made crackers at work that we rolled with a pasta machine. It worked really well, then we left them in the strips that they came out in when we baked them. Then you can break them up once they are cool. You could also cut it into a triangle or perfect rectangle before you bake them. The pasta machine works well because it will be a even thickness for baking.

[woodburner]

These are simple and delicious. Top with a tangy mustard and small chunk of Polish sausage.

Zelniky

3 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp white pepper

(I used freshly ground black pepper, I like the flavor better)

3/4 shortening (I used unsalted butter)

2 c drained sauerkraut.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease two cookie sheets and set aside.

Combine flour and pepper in food processor. Add butter and pulse until

mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sauerkraut and pulse until the dough

starts to form a ball.

Transfer dough to a floured surface. Pinch off tablespoon-sized balls of

dough, roll them in flour, and place about 2 inches apart on the baking

sheets. Flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass, to about 1/4" thickness.

Bake for 10 minutes, then drop oven temp to 350F, and bake for 10-15

minutes more, until the crackers are golden brown and crisp. Let cool, and

then store in an airtight container, for up to two weeks. Makes about 50

crackers.

woodburner

[chefjillm]

Here is the recipe that we use in our pasta machine. It is pretty easy to do and it taste really good.

Parmesan Cracker Bread

1# 1 oz AP flour

5 oz parmesan cheese, grated

1 t salt

1 1/4 t cayenne powder

1 t baking soda

1 t cream of tarter

8 oz water

-place the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment

-on medium speed add 3/4 of the water and mix until it comes together, add more water just until you get a soft ball of dough

-once the dough comes together, turn the speed to low and let the dough mix for 10 minutes

*if you do not have a dough hook attachment use a paddle to mix the dough and kneed by hand on a floured surface

-divide the dough into 2 pieces and cover

-rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator

*at this point you can wrap and freeze 1 piece of the dough for use later on

-cut 1 ball of dough in half and start to flatten into a rectangle with your hands

-roll the dough on a pasta machine starting at the #1

-cut this piece of dough into 4 pieces, you can trim the edges slightly to even them out

-take one piece of dough, turn it and roll through going down one number each time you take it through the machine stopping at #6

-lay the strip of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet

-after all of the strips are down, brushor spray with cool water and sprinkle with sesame seeds

-rest the crackers for 20 minutes before baking

-bake at 400F for 8 minutes, rotate the tray and bake 2-3 more minutes until golden brown

[chefjillm]

I used these crackers on my cheese plate for a while. They are really good with and without the seed topping. We used a sheeter to roll them but you can do it by hand. The dough is kind of dry and doesnt stick together very well when you first start rolling it then it starts to act a little nicer once you get it going.

Wheat Crackers

1# 8 oz wheat flour

4 oz AP flour

8 oz oatmeal, coarse ground in spice grinder

2 t salt

1T 1t baking powder

4 oz sugar

1# butter, cold and cubed

4 oz ½ & ½

-place everything but the ½ & ½ in the bowl of the kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment

-mix until crumbly and there are no chunks of butter left

-add the ½ & ½ then mix until the dough comes together

*it will still look pretty dry

-roll to 3 mm between two pieces of parchment

-take the dough and brush with ½ & ½ then sprinkle on seed topping

-lightly roll the seeds into the surface of the dough with a rolling pin

-cut dough into rounds with the round cutter

-freeze between 2 layers of parchment

-bake at 350F for 6 minutes, rotate and then 5-6 mins more until lightly browned

Seed Topping

1 part black sesame seeds

1 part white sesame seeds

1 part poppy seeds

1 part black pepper; coarse grind

-mix together and store in a container

[gwilson]

I rarely bake anything; biscuits would be the only semi-regular item. But I've been thinking about making crackers lately. I'd like to know the basics ideas, but I'm specifically thinking about making a rosemary cracker just for snacking.

So what is the basic procedure? What's the dough like? And how do you get specific shapes - form them first or cut them after baking? Thank you for the help.

-Greg

[etalanian]

Try googling "Rosemary Crackers recipe" - I found this recipe, which looked good:

http://www.recipezaar.com/266277

Good luck!

Eileen

ps - most crackers are cut before they are baked.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I rarely bake anything; biscuits would be the only semi-regular item.  But I've been thinking about making crackers lately.  I'd like to know the basics ideas, but I'm specifically thinking about making a rosemary cracker just for snacking.

So what is the basic procedure?  What's the dough like?  And how do you get specific shapes - form them first or cut them after baking?  Thank you for the help.

-Greg

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I adore making crackers!

I think it is easier than a perfect biscuit because they are hard and flat! (like some of my biscuit efforts have been )

the dough of crackers (and I love them made with parm and rosemary with some cracked black pepper) has always been kind of dense and very easy to roll

crackers to me are fun and easy to make you can make several doughs in advance (while you are in the mood for doing this)..they freeze well

like cookie dough

you can actually (I have) use a biscuit recipe to make crackers! ..add some parmesan, rosemary and fresh ground pepper and a bit more flour to the dough.....be a bit more rough with your kneading and roll thin....cut out with a cutter or cut with a pizza wheel into squares.. then just put on the baking sheet and poke fork holes in them ....bake until done (if you bake biscuits at more than 350 then reduce the heat) ..watch the first batch for timing

Edited January 17, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[dockhl]

I've never made crackers before but find when I am eating Low carb that I just need that crunch. Found this Low Carb recipe that I really like a lot (with my adjustments, of course ! )

SESAME ALMOND CRACKERS

3 ounces almond flour, 3/4 cup

1 egg white

3/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

2-3 teaspoons white or black sesame seeds

1/4 cup flaxmeal

Mix all of the ingredients well in a small bowl.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball and squish on parchment paper.

Prick them with a fork.

Bake at 325º for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 24 crackers

Can be frozen

Per Cracker: 23 Calories; 2g Fat; 1g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; .5g Net Carbs

Edited January 18, 2008 by dockhl (log)

[duckduck]

Tried the lavash cracker recipe from Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice. They were decent, crispy, slightly sweet and salty but I'm thinking that I'd like a variety of crackers for a basket of them. Anybody got a decent cracker recipe of any kind?

[emmalish]

I have a few recipes clipped from a magazine that I've used in a gift basket before – possibly Martha Stewart? I'll try to dig them out and type them up for you tonight.

[pastrygirl]

Does anybody have a good recipe for a THIN buttermilk cracker? I have a recipe that tastes OK, but they always shrink and get too thick. I already have a lavash yeasted cracker, and a cheese cracker and would like something a little different, a little plainer but with seeds.

A friend gave me a recipe that was more a wine-based batter than a dough, but I haven't tried it yet. Are there other 'batter' type recipes that don't include wine?

[dougal]

Just about 30 years ago, one of the factories I visited as part of the postgrad production engineering course I was on, made Ritz crackers (amongst other things).

Someone (might have been me) asked if any biscuits got broken and what happened to them.

We were told that the broken biscuits, together with any that were slightly over or under-baked, were ground up to crumbs and remixed into the dough. IIRC, something towards 10% of the dough might have been recycled or circulating load.

One thing that made the memory stick was the guide's claim that good crackers (or even biscuits) simply couldn't be made without adding back ground up biscuit crumbs. (Sorry, no idea how finely ground, but I'd guess pretty damn fine. Maybe like through a home flour mill?)

Anyone else ever heard anything like this?

Or do it?

[Beanie]

Just about 30 years ago, one of the factories I visited as part of the postgrad production engineering course I was on, made Ritz crackers (amongst other things).

Someone (might have been me) asked if any biscuits got broken and what happened to them.

We were told that the broken biscuits, together with any that were slightly over or under-baked, were ground up to crumbs and remixed into the dough. IIRC, something towards 10% of the dough might have been recycled or circulating load.

One thing that made the memory stick was the guide's claim that good crackers (or even biscuits) simply couldn't be made without adding back ground up biscuit crumbs. (Sorry, no idea how finely ground, but I'd guess pretty damn fine. Maybe like through a home flour mill?)

Anyone else ever heard anything like this?

Or do it?

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I've heard of using old bread to make rye bread. Click here.