This is an easy and simple recipe to have always fresh crackers and the fun thing is that you can spike with whatever herbs or spice you want.
First of all I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your love ones…my “couple” weeks off turned out to be almost one month…I was on vacation in Taiwan for 2 weeks and then I got sick right after getting back…so I decided to rest and put everything on hold. Thankfully I am back on my feet and so happy to be functioning as usual…with all that said, this supposed to be a simple post, but end up being so long…forgive me…I usually like to be brief knowing that everyone is so busy and just want to get straight to the point…
I got an invitation from HOPE FOODS to try their hummus and decided to make some crackers to go with it…so before I continue I would like to let you know that I got these hummus free of charge and I did not receive any compensation for this post and all the content and opinion in this post are solely mine.
HOPE hummus are organic and they come in a variety of flavors from avocado to chocolate, yes you read it right “chocolate”. I decided to try Spicy Avocado and Thai Coconut Curry Hummus…both were slightly spicy and so tasty…I especially like the Thai Coconut Curry Hummus maybe because it was very different. I was planning to use the hummus to make some dish, but we end up eating it all with homemade crackers and vegetables, this must tell you how much we enjoy it. I hope you get a chance to try…
With the holidays approaching, it is always good to have easy and flexible food around the house…and crackers are a “must have” for any gathering. Crackers go well with cheese, dips, jams, salad, you name it…and to think that homemade crackers are so easy to make, the recipe is pretty much the same as making bread, as a matter of fact when making bread sometimes I take half of the dough and add herbs, spices, whatever I feel in the mood to add in the crackers. So in one mixing I will have a loaf of bread and crackers…
Now, if I am planning to make crackers only I will substitute the butter for olive oil…so here is the basic recipe for homemade crackers, please feel free to mix and match all kind of flours such as rye, whole wheat, oat, flaxseed and so on.
Ingredients:
- 500 g bread flour or mixture of various flours
- 6 g salt
- 6 g yeast
- 30 g sugar
- 60 g olive oil
- 250 g water
Method:
In the mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix until a smooth ball forms.
Divide the dough into half or thirds, depending on how many “flavors” you want.
Now the fun part…”coloring” or flavoring your dough…here are some examples and please feel free to mix and match…fresh finely chopped rosemary, oregano, thyme or any other herb, celery seeds, cumin, cardamom, ground pepper, curry powder, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, turmeric…and so on…the options are endless…
Add the amount of desired flavors to the dough and knead until they are all well incorporated.
Let the dough rise until it doubles of its original size.
Flat the dough (approximately 175 to 200g) using a rolling pin, as thin as you can on a silicone mat (42 x 30cm or 16 x 11.5 in). Cover and let it rest for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Just before baking, punctuate the cracker sheet with fork to avoid air bubbles during baking. If desire, spray the cracker sheet with water and sprinkle sea salt.
Bake the cracker sheet in a preheated oven of 325F for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Make sure to check often as the thin dough can burn very easily.
Let the cracker sheet cool in a wire rack. Break the cracker sheet randomly and store in an airtight container.
If you feel that the crackers are not totally crisp after cooling. Turn the oven to 300F and place only the crackers that need more baking for approximately 10 minutes and turn the oven off and leave the crackers inside until dry. Let it cool and store.
I hope you get to try making these crackers since they are so flexible…
