best to make your own … Seeded Crackers

With this Unprocessed October Challenge, I’ve been reading a lot of labels. I forget how much crap is in things. I don’t buy much processed food, or thought I didn’t, but I tend to forget about everyday purchases like tortillas or crackers. Just the other day I threw a pack each of corn and flour tortillas into my cart without much thought. They’re tortillas from a local company, not chicken nuggets so they’re fine, right? Maybe, maybe not.

Back home I took a look at the ingredient statements. The corn was pretty straightforward but the flour? Good lord. Do I really need a “preservatives blend” of calcium propionate, sodium propionate, potassium sorbate and citric acid? What the hell is “natural butter flavor” and why is it in my tortillas? How about sodium metabisulfite as a dough conditioner? Yum.

I did a little research on these things and while some are naturally occurring, others are manufactured synthetically. I’m no chemist but common sense says I probably shouldn’t be ingesting a synthetically manufactured ingredient on a regular basis. It’s just not food. Don’t get me wrong; I love some questionable food products on occasion. Velveeta for instance makes the best grilled cheese sandwich when I’m sick and onion dip made with anything but that package of soup mix just isn’t onion dip in my mind. Certain things I just can’t recreate from scratch so the occasional indulgence is ok by me but I think there’s something to eating foods as un-manipulated as possible. They taste better.

 Last week, I invited some friends over for dinner and was in need of some crackers. My go-to package of water crackers were pretty basic – flour, oil, salt. Standing in the grocery aisle, box in hand, I started thinking about homemade crackers. Not out of my realm, I used to make them by the hundreds at a former job. Maybe I should dig up that recipe. So the box went back on the shelf and I picked up a package of semolina flour instead. I couldn’t remember all the ingredients but I do remember that one because I used to dread getting the container of semolina from dry storage. It was forever being pushed back on the highest possible shelf and I’d have to drag a milk crate into an already tight space to reach it. Once you pull a spider man in dry storage, you don’t easily forget certain things.

 It took a while to track down that kitchen stained notebook and in typical fashion, my notes were cursory, the recipe yield was huge and I didn’t really remember all the details. No matter. I cut it down to what looked like a manageable quantity, played with the seed choices and made a few batches. Delightful! Just as I remembered.

As I’ve stated before, the key thing to making successful crackers the easy way is a pasta machine. While you can make them by hand with a sturdy rolling pin, the consistency of a pasta machine is a great help in getting them really thin. With a rolling pin, you need patience, perseverance and some arm strength. It’s certainly do-able just keep rolling until they’re as thin as possible, then give them a few more passes of the rolling pin. Consistent thickness (or thinness) is just as important or they won’t bake evenly.

 Once you have your rolling method figured out its time to think about your seeds. Anything works, really. I’ve listed my favorite combination below but mix and match as you like for 3-4 teaspoons total. Fennel seeds are particularly nice as the pasta rollers crack the seeds on the narrow settings making them extra flavorful. Just keep in mind that larger seeds, particularly flax seeds, tend to tear the dough on the narrower settings. Little holes here and there are no big deal, don’t panic just keep cranking away.

 Sometimes I sprinkle these with a flaky salt like Maldon before baking but go easy, as they can be very salty. Or I might sprinkle with some finely grated parmesan cheese but overall, they’re pretty great plain without any extra adornment.

A note on rolling/shaping. I like these as thin as possible – the #7 setting on my Atlas pasta machine is perfect though the roller numbers vary by manufacturer. The thin crackers are light, crispy and crazy addictive and I prefer to leave them in big long sheets, breaking off a piece or two as I go. I’ve always loved bread baskets that come to the table with big cracker sheets spilling out of the top. You can certainly cut these into smaller cracker-type shapes too – after rolling and brushing with oil, run a pastry wheel through to cut into the desired shape or size. In either case, if you choose to roll them a bit thicker, take care to make sure they are baked through as softer crackers have a rather unpleasant chew.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SNACKS FOR EVERYONE. No one will believe you made these, because why in the world would you make crackers? I’ll tell you why – they are crazy delicious. That is really the only reason you need.

Other cracker recipes: Homemade Saltines, Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers, Cheese Straws
On this blog five years ago: Lattice Love – tips on lattice pies, Squash & Onion Tart
On this blog four years ago: Radishes, Butter & Sea Salt, Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese
On this blog three years ago: Concord Grape Pie & Purple Cow Pie Shakes
On this blog two years ago: Kale & Roasted Squash Salad
On this blog last year: Muhammara (the most delicious roasted pepper sauce)

SEEDED CRACKERS
Yield will vary based on how thin you roll – for the thinnest (#7 on Atlas), you’ll get around 12 long strips of crackers. Thicker (#6 on Atlas) you’ll get around 9 strips. This also depends on how big a piece of dough you start with but you’ll figure it out.

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup semolina flour
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
¾ teaspoon sesame seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon flax seeds
1/3 – ½ cup water, room temperature
olive oil
optional toppings such as flaky salt or finely grated parmesan

1. Mix all ingredients in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment until the dough comes together. Start with 1/3 cup water, if the dough seems too dry add a bit more just until it comes together and is moist but not sticky.
2. Switch to the dough hook and let the dough go, on medium-high speed another 4-5 minutes.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. Roll in a pasta machine until very thin.
   • Take a golf ball sized piece of dough, about 1 ounce, and flatten coating both sides lightly with flour.
   • Run the dough through the lowest setting on your pasta machine (#1 on Atlas) three times total, folding the dough in half each time.
   • Coat both sides lightly with flour and change the roller to the next setting (#2 on Atlas) and run through twice – do not fold.
   • Continue this process, running the dough through each setting twice with no folding to the desired thinness. I like them as thin as possible – #7 on Atlas – and the larger seeds may tear the dough a bit but it’s ok. Flour the dough lightly as needed to prevent sticking.
6. As you finish rolling a piece of dough, lay on an ungreased, unlined sheet pan. Trim the dough as needed to fit the pans.
7. Brush each strip lightly with oil. If making crackers, cut into squares or strips with a pastry wheel or sharp knife. No need to separate the individual crackers before baking. If desired, sprinkle with flaky sea salt or finely grated parmesan.
8. Bake until lightly browned and crispy, rotating pans halfway through baking. For very thin crackers, 5-6 minutes total, a few minutes longer for thicker crackers. If you’ve opted to sprinkle parmesan on top, keep a close eye on the oven as it will go from slightly underdone to burnt in a matter of seconds.
9. Cool on the pans. Can be made 1-2 days ahead if kept tightly wrapped.