27 September 2013

Gourmet-Style Crackers


You know those crunchy, pillow-shaped gourmet Italian crackers that come in bags?  That's these, only I made them myself.  My friend Josi was the one who told me you could make crackers using a pasta machine, so today, I thought I'd give it a try.  These are easy to make and take almost no time at all.
Preheat your oven to 450°F/225°C. 

Start with about 1-2/3 cups of self-raising flour (or plain flour and about 3/4 of a tbsp of baking soda) and work in 1-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (you can sub any oil here, really and you can add more or less oil to make them lower in fat or to give them a richer flavour) either with your fingers or the back of a spoon.  Add a scant 1/4c of soymilk (or water or whatever) mixed with a tiny splash of vinegar or lemon juice (you could probably skip this, to be honest, but I was going for a buttermilky flavour) and knead all that shizzle together.

Then, either roll the dough flat with a rolling pin or run it through a pasta machine, score it into wee squares with a knife or pizza cutter, and use a flipper-type spatula to transfer the squares to a flour-dusted or nonstick baking tray.  Salt that shizzle (or not, maybe you are on a low-sodium diet), and pop it into the oven for 10-12 minutes.  The crackers will puff up and start to brown.

You can make a few different variations of this, by adding chopped rosemary, or black pepper and lemon zest, oil, or extract, or subbing tomato juice for the soymilk.  You could even use a dab of toasted sesame oil with whatever oil you're using and add some sesame seeds and have some fancy sesame crackers.

I like these plain, but you might prefer to dip these in something, such as Ghetto Hummous, Sprouted Chickpea Hummous, White Bean Pesto Pate, ZOMG Roasted Bell Pepper Salsa, or Big Momma's Salsa.  Maybe you would prefer these in soup?  Why not try them with Bodacious Borscht, Gazpacho, or Cream of Mushroom Soup?

Come up with your own cracker flavouring ideas and food pairings, and leave them in the comments section!

2 comments:

  1. I miss eating at your place. Lol! Someday, I will once again have a kitchen of my own and be able to try some of these great ideas for myself! :D

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    1. What did I make while you were here? I just remember that it rained a lot and I got to go out (to the pub!) without my kids for the only time (because doctor, dental, and hair appointments don't count). :D

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