Thursday, September 4, 2008

Crackers

I have a new favorite obsession. Homemade crackers. It really started just the other day. My kids were asking me to buy them snacky food that they could take in their school lunches. I just couldn't do it. One, because I get tired of all the junky ingredients in a lot of those snacks. The other reason is that I have a ton of whole grain flours that are screaming to be used (and hey, I could save money at the same time). So rather than head out to the store, I headed to the kitchen and started making crackers.

The crackers are so incredibly easy to make, almost easier than making cookies. They also contain healthy ingredients, most of which we all have sitting in our pantries. And the best part? My kids absolutely loved them! They polished them off and asked for more. Being the sneaky mom that I am, I said I would show them how to make them. That way, when the craving hits, they might actually try and bake themselves up a batch. Well, you never know.

Feel free to play around with the flours or seasonings. I did find that my kids preferred the crackers when I used half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat. I also discovered that they not only baked better on a Silpat (silicone pan liner), but they practically flew off the baking sheet. If you have one of those nifty pastry wheeler/cutter, it works really well for gently cutting the crackers into squares. Otherwise you can just roll the dough out thinly in the pan, bake, and then break into pieces when cool.

Here's the recipe for those of you who would like to try your hand at homemade crackers. I promise you it's painless and fun! It's also a perfect project to do with young kids or on a rainy day. Once you go homemade you'll never go back.

Julie's Rosemary Garlic Crackers
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp granulated garlic
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper, optional (but good!)
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt crystals, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a bowl, mix together the flours, nutritional yeast flakes, baking powder, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the water and oil, stirring until dough comes together. If dough is too dry to mix, add another tablespoon of water or as needed. Divide dough in half.
3. Roll the dough out very thin. If you have a small little rolling pin, simply roll the dough right out in your pan. Transfer the dough to a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Score the dough into squares so that it's cut, but not separated into pieces. If desired, sprinkle a little coarse salt over the tops of the crackers and lightly press into dough with the rolling pin. Repeat with second piece of dough.
4. Bake crackers in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and crackers look crisp. Let crackers cool in pan before removing. They will crisp up as they cool. If crackers are still a little soft, place bake in oven and bake for another five or so minutes until crisp.

Copyright © 2008 Julie Hasson


Here's some pics of the cracker-making process.

Dough

Rolled dough in pan

Scored/cut cracker dough, ready for baking
(with the pastry wheel/cutter)

Baked and cooled crackers. You can kind of sea the little salt crystals on the tops.

28 comments:

Veronica said...

Oh, this a great idea! I love the idea of making snack foods - more wholesome ingredients and less waste from packaging.

Amy said...

Oh YUM! And I bet the kids will have a ball helping me make some too :D (plus I hate all the additives I tend to send off to school with them too).

mel said...

I tried making crackers once, but the recipe called for a lot more oil than yours and I almost felt guilty eating them all. I'm excited to try this!

Unknown said...

Thanks Julie those look really tasty, will try them for my little ones soon!

Bex said...

these look awesome and I am totally broke and looking for things to make that I have ingredients for. Thanks Julie!

Jennifer said...

Wonderful! My little one loves crackers. I'll have to bake some up for her this weekend.

Heather said...

looks so yummy, do u think i could add sunflower seeds and not have them burn? hanna will be blowing in tonight so this will be great to keep the kids busy tomorrow THANKS!

julie hasson said...

Hi Veronica. Thanks! It's really nice to be able to cut down on unnecessary packaging.

Hi Vegetation! Thanks. I hope your kids like them. Feel free to play around with the seasonings to accommodate your kids tastes.

Hi Mel! I know what you mean about the oil. I can't wait to see what kind of flavor combos you come up with.

Hi Anna. Thanks! You can cut them out with cookie cutters too.

Hi Bex. Thanks! Hope you like them.

Hi Jennifer. How fun! I hope your daughter likes the crackers.

Hi 3veggies. I think you could definitely add sunflower seeds. I would make sure though that they're raw seeds, so that they don't burn. I think the crackers would be great with sesame seeds too. Let me know how they come out. I hope Hanna passes quickly!

BitterSweet said...

Homemade crackers are so much fun to make, I just love them! It's also a good way to use up small bits of leftover flours and things (I always buy a million different types) and it always works out anyways.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Mmm! I've been meaning to make crackers for ages & these sound awesome!

Meghan said...

mmm...this sounds like the perfect vehicle for that sun-dried tomato hummus i made yesterday.
thanks!

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

These look scrumptious. I can almost taste the rosemary, garlic, and salt.

Alexis Cruikshank said...

I only have 1 baking sheet in my NYC apartment so I made a 1/2 batch of crackers today. The recipe was super easy to throw together and the crackers came out yummy. Unfortunately I wasn't watching them closely enough so all the outside (thinner) crackers burned. The middle crackers were unharmed. I will definitely check them sooner on the next batch! Thanks for the great recipe Julie.

Patricia Wooster said...

I can't wait to try this with all of the herbs I have growing out back.

Lisa -- Cravin' Veggies said...

Definitely making these today!! I love finding recipes where I have *all* the ingredients on hand!!!

nasty_wench, AKA sharon-lizette said...

When using a Silpat, do they still come out crispy? They look delish!

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

I love the wrinkled edges! You are so fancy, Julie. I have noted to make these~

Jenn said...

Ditto Melisser - I have been thinking about crackers and meaning to make some... this will give extra incentive.

I might have to do it with pumpkin seed oil and raw pumpkin seeds...

Destiny's Kitchen said...

Pretty! I don't know why, but I am so lazy about making things that involve rolling out dough. It's weird. But I will definitely make these as a snack to take to school this Fall. Thank you!

aTxVegn said...

Wow, these crackers look so good! A few years ago I went through a phase of trying to make my own perfect crackers (and ketchup) without much success. I gave up when my son convinced me it was much quicker and cheaper to buy them at the market. BUT your lovely looking crackers make me want to try again!

Norm Schoen said...

The crackers look great! Nice to see another Portlander food blogging.

Lily Girl said...

Thanks for the recipe! I finally got a chance to make them, my sun-dried tomato-basil version are cooling on the counter as I write this. They are delicious, quick, and super easy, forget ever buying crackers again!!! I can't wait to try out more flavors :)

Barbara said...

We made a version with curry powder, rosemary and 100% whole wheat flour and they taste like chicken soup in a cracker! Thanks so much for the recipe

Sylvia said...

I love homemade crackers. My mom does a quick non-vegan version of saltines with chex mix seasoning and throw 'em in the oven. It's a great easy way to dress up boring crackers!
-Sylvia
Ananta Watches

aleksandra daina said...

i have spent so much time looking for a good vegan cracker recipe. they ranged from blah to absolutely inedible, but these were simply excellent! i thank you sincerely!

Demiter said...

wonderful. my husband likes something crunchy late at night. It is too cold to shop in between grocery trips. I usually have all these items in my pantry. thanks for sharing

Jennifer said...

These look great, I will have to try these this week. You have a great blog here, thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Hi Julie,
We're launching a new recipes edition and would love to feature this recipe! If you could email intern@vitaljuice.com at your convenience, that'd be great.

Best,
Christine