I stumbled upon this recipe at work one day during my lunch break. Yes, even though I work with food and nutrition all day (although in some ways indirectly), I still can't get enough of food. All in all, I think I was just surprised that you can make homemade crackers. Who knew?
I made these crackers one summer night when some kids we knew were playing Frisbee in the park across from our house. They came in for a break and the crackers slowly disappeared.
The benefit of making homemade crackers is that at least you know what is in them! Health-wise, you can avoid unwanted trans fats that are often sneaked into baked goods. I also made these on my stoneware pan, which provides even cooking for the perfect crispy cracker!
Yield: About five dozen crackers.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (more as needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup tightly packed grated sharp Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup tightly packed Parmesan (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. I used my stoneware pan and it is well seasoned so I did not grease it. However if you are using metal baking sheets, lay down parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flours, salt and sugar and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the cheese and pulse several times to distribute it evenly throughout the flour mixture. Turn on the food processor and add the olive oil and eggs. Stop when the dough comes together. It will be soft and somewhat sticky. If it seems moist, add another teaspoon of flour and pulse until incorporated.
3. Lightly flour your hands and work surface. Scrape out the dough and form two equal pieces. Shape into rounds, wrap in plastic and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Roll our each piece of dough between pieces of lightly floured parchment. Transfer to the baking sheet. Cut into squares of rectangles. I like using my pastry cutter that gives them wavy edges!
5. Bake 15-20 minutes, switching pans after the first 10 minutes from front to back and top to bottom. They will foam in the oven because of the cheese, but that will subside and they will bake crisply. The crackers are done when they are lightly browned.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on racks. Store in airtight container...if there is any left when you're done taste testing!
