Cracker-tastic!

Everyone loves crackers! They're crunchy and tasty and ever-so-nice to snack on. Snack crackers!!


Out here in Australia, 'cracker' is a savoury biscuit of some kind. In the USA, I hear it's a derogatory term for white folk. So, if I put some additives in my crackers and they come out a less pale colour, can I describe them with another adjective?


I don't like what I've been tasting from the supermarket on the few odd occasions I buy crackers. Maybe the quality is changing or maybe I'm more discerning, but the taste is no longer as appealing.

I thought to myself, "So - why not make your own crackers?" After all - I've made rather a lot of very tasty bread. Time for some crunchy savoury goodness!


Sourcing around for different recipes, and trying those, has caused me to form the impression that Americans can't cook. Ingredient combinations, flavour errors, cooking times, dough thicknesses and even worse errors were culled out by testing to arrive at a simple, plain and tasty recipe which anyone can do with a minimum of equipment. If you remove the parmesan from this recipe, it becomes the most basic of crackers which can then be re-tailored to any taste.


Here's the recipe for you:

• 100 grams plain flour
• 20 mls olive oil
• 45 mls water, room temperature
• 10 grams dried parmesan (yes, that crap from the 1970s)
• A sprinkle of whatever fancy salt you like
• Some dried herbs to suit your taste

Combine the flour, water, oil and knead until it becomes a silky dough. Adjust flour and water to suit, adding oil to maintain the proportions.


Leave the dough to relax for about 30 minutes.


Preheat your over to 220C.


Roll the dough nice and thin on a sheet of baking paper, place onto a baking tray (a nice flat tray with low walls). Sprinkle the salt and herbs on top and allow to rest for a further five or ten minutes while the oven warms up.


Cut the dough with a blunt knife, pizza cutter or cookie cutters into the shapes and sizes you prefer. They will shrink apart naturally.


Cook in the oven for 8 - 12 minutes, or until the crackers are coloured to your liking.



Have fun with mixing and matching flavours with whatever you sprinkle on top of the unbaked dough.


The recipe is scalable. As always, be aware that different batches of flour need more or less water or oil or other additives to make the same result.

And yes, the recipe is quite similar to the piadina recipe in an earlier post. I wonder why...


Happy Cooking!!