Kitchen

If I tell you there’s cheese on the moon, bring the crackers.

Tyronn Lue

Nothing beats a good cracker! It’s more than just a vehicle for dip or cheese, a cracker needs to be able to stand up on its own merit.

I love short, crunchy crackers. Flakey, melt-in-my-mouth, moorish crackers.

And while today’s post headline might be a tad over the top for me, it’s not bragging if you back it up.

These crackers are always popular, especially when you admit you made them yourself. They don’t need to know that this recipe is easier to make than playdoh, although much more delicious!

So without any further ado, allow me to present…

The BEST Cracker You Will Ever Make!

• 1 cup plain flour
• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• 4 Tbsp of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Step 1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir together until the dough just comes together.

Don’t be tempted to overwork this dough. A just-together dough makes for flakier, puffier crackers.

Step 2. Put wrapped dough in the fridge for 20 minutes to rest.

Step 3. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius.

Step 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Step 5. Remove the cracker dough from fridge and cut into 8 pieces.

Step 6. Sprinkle flour on your board and rolling pin and roll your dough as thin as you can, at least 3mm thick. Place the dough on the sheet whole, or cut into shape or lengths, depending on your preference.

Step 7. Roll out the remaining dough until it has all gone or until your baking trays are full.

Step 8. Place crackers into oven and set timer for 5-6 minutes. Take out tray and rotate to ensure even baking. Cook for a further 5-6 minutes until golden.

Step 9. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

Step 10. Store in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long!)

There you have it, a good stash of crackers, ready to go in less than an hour.

Perhaps you are wondering at this point

“Is that it? It looks too easy!”

Yes and yes!

That is the beauty of this recipe. Because as lovely as these crackers are plain, they are also a blank slate, perfect for experimenting with your favourite flavours.

Vegan Cheese Crackers

To your dry ingredients add,

• 2 Tbsp of Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 1/2 tsp of mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• An extra splash of water as needed.

Add your oil and water to the dry mix and mix dough. You may need to add a touch of extra water to bring the dough together. Rest the dough and bake as per recipe.

Sesame and Sumac Crackers

To your dry ingredients add,

• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp of black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp of sumac
• Extra splash of water as needed.

Add your oil and water to the dry mix and mix dough. You may need to add a touch of extra water to bring the dough together. Rest the dough and bake as per recipe.

Cracker Variations

Don’t like olive oil? Swap with milder grapeseed oil.

Want a nuttier cracker? Swap olive oil with walnut oil.

Want a more textured cracker? Substitute half the plain flour for fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal.

Want a sweet cracker? Add two tablespoons of sugar, honey or date syrup. (watch while sweet crackers cook in the oven, they will burn fast!)

Cracker Toppings

You can also add flavours to your crackers at the roll out stage.

Simply roll out the cracker, sprinkle your topping on the dough. Gently press into the dough with your roller. Brush with extra olive oil and bake.

You can try…

• Poppy seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds,
• Crushed nuts & seeds like almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds,
• Dukkah, lemon pepper seasoning, citrus zests,
• Salt flakes,
• Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley or minced garlic,
• Spices like sumac, smoked paprika, fennel, coriander, cumin and crushed pepper.

The moral of this post…

I confess, the headline of the post wasn’t the entire truth, simply because, the BEST cracker you will ever make, is still in your head.

I have shared with you with a basic foundation, but it is now up to you to create your signature cracker flavour and share it with your friends and loved ones.

And, I hope you’ll share it with me too! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram or Twitter with your #bestcrackerever!