Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers

I really needed to use some sourdough this weekend, but I've been enjoying some absolutely delicious naturally fermented local bread (Field and Fire Bakery anyone? If you're in GR you must check it out) and didn't have any need to make bread. Crackers it was! I have a beautiful rosemary bush outside that is doing great and decided a little rosemary, a little garlic, and a little olive oil baked into a simple cracker was a quick, easy and delicious was to use up a little starter to get me through until I'm ready to bake bread again.  

I halved the recipe for these crackers and it was perfect. Just the right amount of dough for one baking sheet. I actually used my pasta roller to roll out the dough to an even thickness. I went to setting 3 on my Atlas pasta roller and thought it was the perfect thickness. But a rolling pin and a little arm strength work just as well. Just keep an eye on the crackers while they are baking to ensure you don't burn some of the thinner crackers. 

Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (60 grams) whole wheat flour
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (125 grams) unfed sourdough starter
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) olive oil
• 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped finely
• 1/2-1 whole garlic clove, finely minced
• oil for brushing
• coarse salt for sprinkling on top

Directions
Mix together the flour, salt, sourdough starter, olive oil rosemary and garlic to make a smooth(not sticky), cohesive dough. If dough is too wet add a few extra tablespoons of flour. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a small rectangular slab. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a couple of hours, until the dough is firm.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Very lightly flour a piece of parchment, your rolling pin, and the top of the dough. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough to about 1/16" thick. 

Transfer the dough and parchment together onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil and then sprinkle the salt over the top of the crackers.

Cut the dough into 1 1/4" squares; a rolling pizza wheel works well here. Prick each square with the tines of a fork. Bake the crackers for about 20 minutes, until the squares are starting to brown around the edges. When fully browned, remove the crackers from the oven, and transfer them to a cooling rack. Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.

Seedy Cranberry Crisps

You know those fancy seedy crisps that you can buy at specialty grocery stores? They come in fun flavors such as rosemary raisin pecan, salty date and almond, or fig and olive. I love these crackers. They're sweet and crunchy and full of yummy fruits and nuts and seeds. Regardless of how much I enjoy these little snacks, I have never once bought a box of them, nor considered buying a box, they are always so expensive. I look at them longingly, and then dejectedly pick up a box of plain water crackers or butter crackers of something like that and leave. 

But no more! I have discovered a wonderful alternative. Homemade crisps. these little crisps are super easy to whip together. They take a bit of time because they are baked, cut and then baked again. But you can do this all in stages and each step is very easy. The resulting crisp is impressive looking, super yummy, and so so much cheaper than the store. If you need some crackers at your next party and you've got a few extra minutes, whip together a batch of these crackers and enjoy!

I've made these crackers several times and just add in whatever nuts or seeds or dried fruit I have at that moment. I usually add anywhere from 1-2 cup of add-ins. Again, really whatever you have on hand. There's also a nice amount of sugar (both brown sugar and maple syrup) in these which makes them delicious and nicely sweetened. But I have also made them without the maple syrup and they are just as good, just a little less sweet. So depending on your preference and how your going to use the crackers you can add more or less of the sugar and they will still be a great addition to your table. 

Seedy Cranberry Crisps
Adapted from Use Real Butter
Ingredients

• 2 cups (9 ounces) whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) brown sugar
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups (16 ounces) buttermilk or liquid whey (left over from making yogurt)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (optional, I think they are sweet enough without this, but add it in for a little extra something special!) 
• About 1 cup of a mix of dried cranberries, raw pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds 

Directions
Make the loaves: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease four mini loaf pans with vegetable oil spray or butter. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt with a whisk. Add in the buttermilk or whey and maple syrup (if using) and stir until just combined. Fold the cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds into the batter. Divvy the batter among the four mini loaf pans and bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then remove them from the pans and let cool completely over several hours or overnight. (You want them to be completely cool before cutting or they will fall apart as you cut the crisps.)

Make the crisps: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Using a sharp bread knife, slice the loaves into 1/8-inch thin slices. This can be a little challenging, but do your best. I've found that it helps to chill the baked bread before cutting. Arrange the slices on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 50-60 minutes until dark golden and crisp, flipping the slices and rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Start checking them at around 40 minutes to make sure they don't overbake and get bitter. 

Yields: 70-80 crisps

Simple Butter Crackers

Have you ever tried to make homemade crackers? If you haven't I encourage you to give them a shot! I have tried many different recipes for homemade crackers over the past couple of years, some are good and some are not so good. As I've experimented the results have gotten better and better. These simple butter crackers are one of my recent successes. You only need a few ingredients to quickly whip together a batch of dough that you can use right away, or put in the fridge to roll out a little later. While it does take a little time to roll out the dough and cut into shapes, I don't mind taking a little extra time in the kitchen once in a while, especially when it results in something as satisfying as these buttery and delicious homemade crackers, something you can really be proud of!

Some of the problems I've had with various cracker recipes is that they can be bland, and also they can be really difficult to roll out because they are so sticky. This recipe had neither of these problems. I've found, not surprisingly, that in order to get a cracker that is not bland I need a recipe that includes at least some fat, it's essential to the flavor of crackers since there isn't much flavor coming from anywhere else. This recipe includes a little butter, my personal favorite way to add flavor. 

Also, these crackers were a breeze to roll out. I used my pasta machine to roll them out to an even thickness (I rolled them to setting 6 on my Atlas pasta roller), but I have no doubt they would be easy enough to roll out with a rolling pin and some arm muscle if you don't have a pasta maker on hand. 

If you've been wanting to try your hand at some homemade crackers, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try, the results are well worth the investment!

Simple Butter Crackers
Adapted from The Washington Post
Ingredients

• 1 cups flour, plus more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, cold from the fridge
• 1/4 cup hot tap water, or as needed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender (or your fingers) to cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly and well distributed throughout. Add the hot water and mix to form a smooth, soft ball, stopping to check the texture before you add all of the water; you might not need all of it. 

Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it quickly and lightly. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Working with one portion at a time, use a pasta maker to roll the dough out very thin, ideally, the dough should be translucent enough so that you can see the work surface underneath it. I rolled my dough out to setting 6 on my Atlas pasta maker and thought it was the perfect thickness (alternatively, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly flour work surface). 

At this point you can either transfer sheet of dough to a baking sheet and use a pastry cutting wheel or sharp knife to quickly slice the dough into approximately 1 1/2-inch squares, cutting the whole sheet in one direction first, then the other, or you can use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into rounds and transfer the rounds individually to a cookie sheet. Use the tines of a fork to prick each cracker several times.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crackers turn golden and are light brown around the edges. (You might need to bake the crackers on the inside of the sheet a little longer, because they will not brown as readily.) Keep on eye on the crackers towards the end of baking as they cab brown very fast. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cool completely before serving or storing.

Crisp Rosemary Garlic Crackers

I love a good cracker. They are the perfect simple appetizer or snack, either on their own or along with a nice slice of cheese or a really good dip. I'm a sucker for almost any type of cracker, but those long thin "artisan" crackers are my favorite. And while there are a lot of really nice crackers out there available for buying, the other week I decided to try my hand at making a batch from scratch. I found a recipe for a beautiful looking artisan style cracker online and just had to try it. I only had to adjust it slightly to fit with the ingredients I had on hand, replacing the assorted seeds (which I didn't have) with some dried rosemary and garlic (which I did). 

The verdict? They turned out wonderfully! I've made crackers in the past, but these turned out far better then any of my past attempts. It really helps to use a pasta roller to get the dough perfectly thin and even. The rosemary flavor really shown through giving these crackers a warm herbal aroma and a nice punch of flavor. I plan on playing around with other flavors in the future, this is only the beginning...

Homemade crackers are great, but there is no doubt that they are not the quickest thing in the world to make. It definitely takes some time to roll out all the dough, cut it into whatever shape you want, transfer them to a baking sheet, and bake them up, but it is all worth it in the end. If you have an open afternoon and are looking for a fun project, try some crackers! They will be worth it, I promise!

Rosemary Garlic Crackers

Adapted from 

True Food

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (I used 7.5 oz whole wheat and 2.5 oz all purpose)  
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup water (plus 2 tablespoons as needed)
• 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), room temperature (I used 1 oz)
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

In a standing mixer with a bread hook, combine flour, sugar, salt, rosemary and garlic. Slowly add the ghee and water to the mixture. Mix on medium speed until a ball of dough forms, stopping the machine once or twice to scrape the sides and roll excess flour from the bottom of the bowl into the ball of dough. Note: You may need the extra 2 tablespoons water to get the dough to form, but allow it to mix for several minutes before adding any additional water. The dough should be slightly shiny and a little sticky to the touch, but should easily form into a ball without getting all over your hands

Preheat your oven to 425˚F and position the rack to the middle. Divide the dough into four equal parts. Working with one piece of dough at a time, feed one end through a pasta machine on the first setting (see note below if you do not have a pasta machine). I usually do this a few times until I get a nice supple dough. Then continue on to setting 2 and work your way up to setting 6 (this is where I stopped on my Atlas pasta machine).

Lay the flattened strip of dough onto a lightly floured surface and using a bench scraper or sharp knife, slice it into equally sized rectangles or squares, whatever you prefer.

Note: If you do not have a pasta machine roll the dough as evenly as possible with a rolling pin, so it’s about 1/8 of an inch thick (not see-through, but close) strip. If you find the dough snaps back, allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes before continuing to roll it out. Cut into crackers from there. It requires more elbow grease and they’ll have a more rustic look this way. Be sure to flour the surface so it doesn’t stick once you’re rolled the dough out thin.

Place the crackers onto a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt, pressing the salt in gently to ensure it sticks. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes, turning the pan once partway through for even browning. Be sure to watch them carefully, they’re done when the edges are golden brown. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your crackers.

Continue with the remaining three parts of dough until you’ve shaped and baked all your crackers. Depending on the size and shape you should yield about 50 crackers. Serve with cheese, dips, and spreads at your next get together. The crackers will store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yields: How many crackers you get obviously depends on how big you cut them and how thick you roll the dough out. However, just to give you an idea, I'll let you know that I got 65-70 crackers from one recipe.