February 4, 2015

Easy Crispy Crunchy Homemade Crackers

As a big fan of all things crispy, I have been longing to experiment with making crunchy crackers with the fewest possible ingredients. This recipe is it. Easy Crispy Crunchy Homemade Crackers. There’s almost nothing to them.

You just mix flour, water, salt and pepper and you have the dough. You use more flour (under and on top when rolling it out) and olive oil (under and on top when spreading and baking it), but overall, that’s it!

You roll it out. Then keep rolling it out. Thinner and Thinner. Divide it among as many greased pans as you can. And be generous with the olive oil. You’ll have to roll and press quite a bit as it wants to bounce back.

I LOVE how super forgiving and super easy this recipe/ingredient combo is. Exactly what I was looking for in a “easiest ever” cracker.

For me, eating these is all about the texture. Crunchiness is satisfying to me. And the S&P give it a subtle flavor. (And think how easily you can adapt this with herbs and spices.)

If you have any crackers leftover, put them in a plastic bag. When you are ready for more crunching, reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes and their crisp texture comes back. Pretty cool.

The crackers go great with salads. I also love them with cheeses or dips. The recipe makes a sizable batch and literally costs cents to make. Cents! And that makes a lot of sense to me!

-Cyndi

p.s.  If you want a delicate, thinner version, try this ethnic cracker bread recipe from legendary chef Joanne Weir. Karen Cope (pictured below), a longtime state fair competitor made that recipe in 2014 and won a “Best of Show” baking award in Minnesota. I got a taste and it was SO tasty!

Easy Crispy Crunchy Homemade Crackers

3 cups Gold Medal bread flour

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste + extra for sprinkling

1 teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste + extra for sprinkling

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, pepper, and warm water until dough forms. Divide dough in three. On a floured surface and with flour sprinkled on top of dough, roll out in rectangle shapes and transfer to baking sheets brushed with olive oil (use flat, sideless ones to easily roll out the dough further). Once the dough is most evenly rolled out and thin, brush tops with olive oil. Bake 10-14 minutes, depending how thin or thick your dough is. Let cool slightly and break or cut into smaller pieces.

-Recipe from the Blue Ribbon Group