Making crackers is easy but getting them to be uniform in thickness, and therefore crispiness, is the most difficult part, and the process might seem like a hassle, like baking cookies, to keep track of the time as you bake several sheets and get them all done just right.
Using the pasta maker rolling machine is perfect for working the dough gently and achieving an even thickness.
Mix all dry ingredient in a large bowl add water and oil bring together quickly. Start with No. 1 on the pasta roller, roll through, fold in two, roll again until you have a nice rectangle. Fold and run through on No. 2., then, add spices, seeds or herbs – chopped garlic is pictured here — fold and run through again, and repeat through 3. Steuart brought these down in thickness to No.4 – we decided this thickness is a perfect cracker for cheese or spreading something on, and will accommodate a thicker nut, seed or herb addition. Take them down to No.5, and then brush them with a little oil and eat without an added flavor. In order for salt or spice to stick to the surface they need to be brushed with moister first.
After rolling to the thickness you like, cut in cracker-sized pieces and bake at 400°F for 12 minutes. They don’t need to be separated until after baking.
Ingredients:tea
100g spelt flour
50g ground flax
50g whole wheat (coarse) flour
150g white flour
5g salt
175g water
4 T olive oil
On April 7, 2020 we went out for Happy Hour – to the living room because of the coronavirus and Colorado’s stay at home order. We put on some John Prine, and drank a gin & tonic with our cheese and cracker selection. The gin was delivered by the Denver Distillery, not far away, but closed during the pandemic. The cheese had just been delivered from St. Killian’s – a long bike ride away – so we’re taking advantage of the request that we don’t go out and order in, instead. St. Killian’s has some of the best cheddar in our city, great local cheeses and for us tonight: Comte with Truffle Salt Crackers (left), Roquefort with Garlic Chive and Caraway Crackers (middle) and Emmental with Plain.
We offered our appreciation to an ailing John Prine as we listened to his anthology from the 1990s, but it wasn’t enough and Dear Mr. Prine died from the coronavirus, today.