Homemade crackers--Gracie, KCSoccer et al

[BeachBum]

This article from today's Boston Globe makes cracker-making sound simple and delicious. There's a few recipes, too. Has anyone ever made their own crackers? how did they turn out?

I really wanted to see those recipes from the Boston Globe, Graciebut couldn't access it, even searching their site. By chance did you save them and be willing to post?

I'm looking for a basic cracker that isn't too thick, but also isn't like crackle bread. More like a Wheat Thin, or Harvest Crisp. Any suggestions or other recipes?

KCSoccer, I saw the recipe from Yankee Mag you linked to and it looked good, but I'm thinking it comes out like a crackle bread consistancy?

Thank you guys for your help :)

[KCSoccer]

Hi Beachbum!

The Yankee magazine cracker recipe comes out crispy. I like to roll it out really thin (I use my manual pasta rolling machine to do this) so it comes out like cracker bread. But if you roll it out a bit thicker, they're more like a Wheat Thin but still crispy. If you're wanting a more Ritz-cracker type of cracker, I think you'll need more fat (butter, shortening, etc.) that will give the cracker a flaky texture, like pie crust.

The Yankee recipe is really good. And I usually use all water and don't mess with the wine in the recipe (I just drink the wine :D )

Hope this helps!

[BeachBum]

Thank you! I think I'm going to give it a try, rolling it out a bit thicker than you do. :)

[Searcher]

BeachBum, Here's a recipe I found in my files. I think it might be a Martha Stewart recipe and I've never tried it but it looks more like a saltine.

Simple White Crackers
Makes about 4 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup milk
Coarse salt for sprinkling

1. Heat oven to 325ºF. In a food processor, pulse flour, table salt and sugar until combined. Add butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add milk; process until dough comes together. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and allow to relax at room temperature, for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Unwrap dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll into 17 ½ x 17 ½ inch square, 1/16 inch thick (if dough continues to spring back, allow to relax again, covered with plastic wrap for another 10 minutes). Sprinkle dough lightly with coarse salt. Gently press the salt into the dough with the rolling pin.
3. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 2 ½ inch squares. With a thin spatula, transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Liberally pierce with fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp, rotating sheets if needed for even cooking. Let cool on wire rack. Keep crackers in an airtight container, at room temperature for about 1 week.

MSL


Ooops, yes it is a Martha recipe.

[Gracie]

Originally posted by BeachBum


I really wanted to see those recipes from the Boston Globe, Graciebut couldn't access it, even searching their site. By chance did you save them and be willing to post?

Beach Bum - I did not save them and they are not on the website anymore. You have to pay the website to have access to old Boston Globe articles, but recipes are available through a search function (but the crackers weren't listed).

I sent a request to Boston.com to see if they can give us the recipes.

Loren

[sugaree]

I copied the recipes to my computer in the somewhat feeble hope I'll have time to make them someday. Obviously, I haven't tried them yet, but here they are:

Rye crackers with cumin seeds
This is a rich buttery cracker with the surprise complement of cumin seeds.
Yields about four dozen.
1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
1 egg white, beaten for the glaze
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours and salt. Pulse for a few seconds.
2. Add the cut-up butter and pulse several times until the mixture is pebbly.
3. With the machine running, add the milk through the feed tube. Mix until dough forms a ball.
4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Add a little white flour and knead into a ball. Dough should not stick to your hands. Flatten and wrap with foil. Refrigerate for several hours.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Remove dough to a buttered baking sheet (with no sides is best) and flatten with the palm of your hand into a circle.
7. Sprinkle flour over the dough and roll into a rectangle to about 1/4 inch.
8. Sprinkle cumin seeds evenly over the surface of the dough. Press the seeds into the dough by lightly drawing the rolling pin over the surface.
9. ***** the dough all over with the tines of a fork. With a pizza wheel or pastry wheel, make 4-5 vertical cuts and 7 or 8 horizontal cuts.
10. Brush dough with egg white.
11. Bake crackers about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.
12. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.
Adapted from ''The Way We Cook'' by Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven

Multiseeded crackers
Yields about 20.
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup water
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and butter.
2. Pulse for 30 seconds until mixture looks pebbly.
3. With motor running, pour the water through the feed tube, just until the mixture forms a ball. Add more water by tablespoonful if necessary.
4. Flour the top of a surface and roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.
5. Sprinkle seed mixture on top of dough and, with rolling pin, roll the mixture lightly into the dough.
6. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with oil. Sprinkle on flour.
7. With a spatula, slide rectangle onto baking sheet.
8. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, and light pressure, make about four vertical cuts and five horizontal cuts, giving you about 20 crackers.
9. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crackers begin to brown.
10. As crackers bake, they will separate. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.
Store in airtight container.
Note: Try substituting 1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour or add 1/4 cup wheat germ.
Seed mixture
This makes more than needed for recipe. Keep in airtight jar and use on breads.
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1. Mix together in a bowl. Store in airtight jar.
Adapted from ''How to Cook Everything'' by Mark Bittman

100 percent rye knackebrod
This is a gluten-free, high fiber, very crunchy cracker. It is great with Danish butter, strong cheeses and a cod roe fish paste called Kalles (available at Cardullos in Harvard Square). You can make in large rounds or cut into rectangles.
Yields four large rounds.
1 package dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 cups rye flour
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Let sit for five minutes.
2. Add salt and rye flour, one cup at a time. Mix into a firm dough.
3. Spread some rye flour on a work surface and knead dough about three minutes.
4. Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 475 degrees

[BeachBum]

You guys are the best!! Thanks for all your words of wisdom! and thank you so much sugaree for posting those!
I plan to make at least one batch this week and I'll let you guys know what happens.

[Gracie]

BeachBum, I see you got the recipes. Boston.com answered my request and gave me the article as well as the recipes. Here they are:

Dear Loren,

Thank you for writing to Boston.com. Here is the article you were looking for. We hope this helps. Please feel free to write back at any time in the future.

Thank you,
Customer Support
Boston.com
-----------------------------
TIME TO STEP OUT OF THE BOX AND MAKE YOUR OWN CRISPY CRACKERS
THEY WON'T STEAL LIMELIGHT FROM SPREADS
Author: By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent Date: 06/19/2003 Page: H6 Section: Life At Home FOOD & ENTERTAINING
[A PUBLISHED CORRECTION HAS BEEN ADDED TO THIS STORY.]
[CORRECTION - DATE: Saturday, June 21, 2003 and Thrusday June 26, 2003: CORRECTION: BECAUSE OF REPORTING ERRORS, A RECIPE FOR 100 PERCENT RYE KNACKEBROD IN THURSDAY'S LIFE AT HOME SECTION INCORRECTLY STATED THAT THE CRACKERS ARE GLUTEN-FREE. THEY ARE WHEAT-FREE. THE RECIPE FOR RYE CRACKERS WITH CUMIN SEEDS SHOULD INCLUDE 6 TABLESPOONS OF CUT-UP BUTTER INSTEAD OF 6 TABLESPOONS OF SALT.)
Munching away happily on a variety of crackers gathered in a basket, a friend was incredulous when informed they were all homemade. "Get outta town!" she exclaimed. "These are awesome!"

If you can make cookies, why not crackers?

According to Merriam Webster, a cracker is "a dried, thin, crispy baked bread product that may be leavened or unleavened." Easier to make than cookies or bread - and with far fewer ingredients - crackers are simple to put together and a snap if you have a food processor. The dough is like a well-behaved pie crust that is easy to handle. You can roll the dough directly on a floured baking sheet. That light-brown color and the crunch comes from baking at high temperatures for short periods of time.

Like the child who should be seen but not heard, we expect so much of crackers. They should hold moist spreads without getting soggy, stand up to cheeses without over-powering them, provide a backdrop that is both attractive and has texture. They should be the perfect partner, but never the star.

Often, crackers share the limelight in the cookie aisle of the supermarket. Many crackers that are popular with Americans are salty, fat-laden, contain some form of sugar, and often are flavor-enhanced. No wonder they are placed next to cookies.

However, crackers made with whole grains, little if any fat, and no preservatives are gaining in popularity. An excellent source of fiber and low in calories, many of these brands, including Wasa, Kavli, and Ryvita, are from Europe. They have body, taste, and texture and are a great size for holding a slice of cheese or a smear of peanut butter. They are also a dieter's delight at about 25-30 calories per significant slice.

Supermarket shelves reflect the culinary passions of the host population. Like aisles of pasta in Italy or rice in Japan, aisles in a Scandanavian country are filled with knackebrod, or crisp breads. The packages are works of art. Twelve-inch wheels of rye crackers stacked five deep are wrapped in paper with beautiful folk art. Stacks of rectangular packages with whole wheat, rye, graham, and oat flours are but a few of the staggering number of combinations available. Used for lunch and snacks, these crackers need to stand up to a host of strong flavors like smoked and vinegared herrings, codfish roe and liver pastes, and pungent cheeses. And they do. They share equal billing with these toppings.

Knackebrod, also known as hardtack, comes in a variety of shapes. The large, circular, dimpled rounds with holes in the center were originally made by Swedish farm wives only a few times a year. They never worried that these hard, air-dried crackers would get stale. The knackebrod was hung from poles or broomstick handles in the home. The family shared a round by breaking it up and serving it with butter. These hardtacks also were a staple for sailors on long sea journeys.

The dimples were created by using a special tool with multiple tines in a circular pattern. The dough was pricked all over. Carl Hansen of Bedford has the wooden tool his grandmother, Johanna Hoyer, brought with her when she left her parents' farm in Sweden to become a house maid in South Dakota in the late 1800s. With 16 hobnails densely set into a thick wooden circular platform with a handle, it is the perfect tool for the job.

When asked what the tool was called, Signe Hansen, Carl's wife, joked, "a knacke-pricker of course!" The tines of a fork will also work but is not nearly as much fun to use or say.

You do have to look hard for recipes for homemade crackers, but they are around. Some recipes use only flour, salt, and water. Other will have yeast or butter.

Experimenting with various flours produced a variety of results. In making the Swedish knackebrod, all rye flour was used. The dough was soft and set to rise once, producing a dense, crispy, flavorful cracker. A large pie plate served as a pattern for the circle and a shot glass made the hole in the center. The knacke-pricker made short work of piercing the dough. At another try, the tines of the fork performed admirably.

A shortbread-like rye and white flour cracker, as well as a cheddar sesame cracker, were some of the simplest doughs I have ever made. The process took less than 15 minutes and the crackers were rich and delicious. They are perfect on their own, and just great with a glass of red wine. A cracker with a white flour base and a minimal amount of butter was made special by concocting a multi-seed topping I rolled into the dough.

To make the crackers a little fancier, you can pre-cut them with a ruffle-edge pastry wheel. Some well-placed tine punctures and a watchful eye on the oven will produce some special results. It will be an "I can't believe I made these" moment.

RYE CRACKERS WITH CUMIN SEEDS
This is a rich buttery cracker with the surprise complement of cumin seeds. Yields about 4 dozen.

1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
1 egg white, beaten for the glaze

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours and salt. Pulse for a few seconds.

2. Add the cut-up butter and pulse several times until the mixture is pebbly.

3. With the machine running, add the milk through the feed tube. Mix until dough forms a ball.

4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Add a little white flour and knead into a ball. Dough should not stick to your hands. Flatten and wrap with foil. Refrigerate for several hours.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

6. Remove dough to a buttered baking sheet (with no sides is best) and flatten with the palm of your hand into a circle.

7. Sprinkle flour over the dough and roll into a rectangle to about 1/4 inch.

8. Sprinkle cumin seeds evenly over the surface of the dough. Press the seeds into the dough by lightly drawing the rolling pin over the surface.

9. ***** the dough all over with the tines of a fork. With a pizza wheel or pastry wheel, make 4-5 vertical cuts and 7 or 8 horizontal cuts.

10. Brush dough with egg white.

11. Bake crackers about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

12. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.

Adapted from "The Way We Cook" by Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven

MULTISEEDED CRACKERS
Yields about 20.

1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and butter.

2. Pulse for 30 seconds until mixture looks pebbly.

3. With motor running, pour the water through the feed tube, just until the mixture forms a ball. Add more water by tablespoonful if necessary.

4. Flour the top of a surface and roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.

5. Sprinkle seed mixture on top of dough and, with rolling pin, roll the mixture lightly into the dough.

6. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with oil. Sprinkle on flour.

7. With a spatula, slide rectangle onto baking sheet.

8. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, and light pressure, make about four vertical cuts and five horizontal cuts, giving you about 20 crackers.

9. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crackers begin to brown.

10. As crackers bake, they will separate. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Store in airtight container.

Note: Try substituting 1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour or add 1/4 cup wheat germ.

SEED MIXTURE
This makes more than needed for recipe. Keep in airtight jar and use on breads.

2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1. Mix together in a bowl. Store in airtight jar.

Adapted from "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman

CHEDDAR SESAME CRACKERS
Yields at least three dozen.

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. In bowl of food processor, place flour, pepper, and butter. Pulse until mixture resembles pebbles.

3. Add grated cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse until dough forms a ball.

4. Remove and flatten slightly. Wrap in foil and chill for 1 hour.

5. On a well-floured board, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. With a shot glass, cut out cheddar rounds and place on cookie sheet.

6. Sprinkle sesame seeds on each cracker and lightly press into dough with fingertip.

7. Bake for 10 minutes.

Note: You can also pull off pieces of dough and roll snake-like between the palm of your hands. Roll in sesame seeds or multi-seed mix. Store in airtight container.

Adapted from "The Joy of Cooking"

100 PERCENT RYE KNACKEBROD
This is a gluten-free, high fiber, very crunchy cracker. It is great with Danish butter, strong cheeses and a cod roe fish paste called Kalles (available at Cardullos in Harvard Square). You can make in large rounds or cut into rectangles. Yields four large rounds.

1 package dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 cups rye flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Let sit for five minutes.

2. Add salt and rye flour, one cup at a time. Mix into a firm dough.

3. Spread some rye flour on a work surface and knead dough about three minutes.

4. Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 475 degrees

6. For large cracker wheels, divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Using an inverted pie plate as a guide, cut into a circle. Make a hole in the middle with a shot glass and ***** the entire surface with the tines of a fork.

7. Place on a baking sheet (one to a sheet) and bake for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

8. Remove to racks and let air dry. Traditionally they were stored on poles inside a Swedish farm kitchen. A large well-sealed plastic bag will do.

Note: These can be made in smaller rounds of 4 inches in diameter as well. Make the center hole with a chopstick, enlarging it to an inch in diameter.

[Missi]

Canice posted this recipe recently and I LOVE it. I've made the recipe as is and also a variation using dried minced garlic for the zest, garlic pepper for the black pepper, and water instead of lemon juice.


Lemon Pepper Crackers

1 cup flour
2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. cold water, if necessary
coarse salt

In a bowl, blend the flour, pepper, zest, a pinch of salt and butter with two forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream and lemon jice and toss the mixture until it just comes together. If the mixture seems particularly dry, add 1 tsp. water and mix again. Add up to 1 more tsp. of water if necessary. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and gently press into a disk. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove dough from plastic and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/16 inch. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut circles of the dough and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of each cracker with a pinch of salt.
Bake crackers for 12 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 32 2-inch crackers.