Seedy Crisps and Cheese Hazelnut Tarragon Crackers

      Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.

      This month I was so busy with my work that I had almost forgotten about DB challenge. At the beginning of this week, however, one of my colleagues mentioned it in a conversation that recently she had stopped buying crackers since their quality nowadays leaves much to be desired. It suddenly occurred to me that I am actually provided with some good recipes for making crackers at home!

       Since Dana asked us to make two different types of crackers, I’ve decided to make seedy crisps (a more healthy variation) and cheesy hazelnut and tarragon icebox crackers (more of a comfort food type). Which one did I like more? Well, shame on me, but whole-wheat crisps didn’t seem so appealing to me as herby Gouda crackers were. My colleagues (who were lucky to taste both types today) shared this opinion with me. 

      Ironically, my co-worker whose remark on the crackers stimulated me for completing this month’s challenge was on a leave today. She always is when I bring some homemade pastry items to the office.  That’s her bad “confectionary” luck! I’m sure she will be upset on Monday when she finds out that once again she has missed the opportunity to try some of my dishes which – let me tell you – were definitely “cracker ones”!

Cheesy Hazelnut and Tarragon Icebox Crackers

 

Ingredients:

115 gm butter, well softened
225 gm grated Gouda cheese
190 gm plain flour
6 gm salt
60 gm finely chopped hazelnuts
2 tbsp finely chopped tarragon

Method:

1. Combine butter, tarragon and cheese in a stand mixer and beat well (can also be done by hand). Add the flour, salt and hazelnuts and stir to combine
2. Form the dough into two tight logs and wrap with cling film. Chill for at least an hour and up to several days. The log can be frozen at this point for several months.
3. Heat the oven to 160°C. Slice a log into 5mm coins and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake about 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown

Notes:

1. Store these crackers in an airtight container and eat within three days.
2. You can try this recipe with different cheeses, nuts and spices.

 

 

 Seedy Crisps

 

 

Ingredients:

140 gm whole wheat flour
140 gm plain flour
50 gm poppy seeds
40 gm sesame seeds
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp baking powder
3 tbsp olive oil
195 ml water

Method:

1. Mix the flours, seeds, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the oil and stir until combined. Add the water until the dough comes together. Knead the dough 5 or 6 times and allow to rest, covered, on the counter for 15 minutes. You can also chill the dough at this point and come back later.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C. Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, either use a rolling pin to reach a desired thickness (thick or thin) or roll out in your pasta rollers. If you use pasta rollers, ensure the dough is well-floured so as not to stick.
3. Place the rolled out dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Use a knife to cut it into desired shapes. Bake the crackers  for 7 – 10 minutes (depending on the thickness), flip them over and bake for 7 - 10 minutes more. If not crispy enough when cooled, crackers can be returned to the oven for further 5 – 10 minutes.

Notes:

Store these crackers in an airtight container and eat within 2 weeks