homemade herb crackers

Crackers are something that our house is rarely without - being versatile as an accompaniment to lunchtime or starter soup or salads, an after school snack, or on an after dinner cheese board. Homemade herb crackers are something special, and provide a wonderful flavour, whether eaten on their own, or when added with something else. These herb crackers are delicious and very more-ish, so they won't last long in the cupboard!

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Olive Oil & Herb Crackers

Ingredients: 
192 grams wholewheat flour
192 grams plain flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus a bit extra to coat the dough)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried basil 


How to make olive oil & herb crackers: 
(1) In a medium/ large bowl, combine the flours and sea salt.
(2) Slowly add the warm water and olive oil, stirring with a wooden spoon ( or the dough attachment if using a mixer)
(3) Continue stirring/mixing until the dough is 'tacky' (5-7 minutes with the mixer on medium). Add more flour or water if necessary to reach a 'tacky' consistency.
(4) When combined, shape the dough into a large ball, then divide the ball into 6 - 8 pieces, rolling them into smaller balls.
(5) Cover each ball with a light coating of olive oil. 
(6) Place the balls on a clean plate, cover with a clean tea towel, or a piece of cling film, and leave to rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
(7) Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celcius.
(8) Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough balls and roll them out as flat and even as possible. *
(9) Using a knife, or pizza cutter, evenly cut each piece of dough evenly into cracker sized pieces.** 
(10) Without overcrowding, place the cracker-sized pieces, onto a baking sheet with greaseproof paper, to avoid sticking. Poke each cracker a few times with a fork, to prevent puffiness.
(11) Sprinkle with sea salt and bake.***


*Top Tips:  
(1) When rolling out the dough balls, make them as thin as possible. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cracker. 
(2) When cutting the dough into cracker-sized pieces, be sure to make the crackers the same size, as during baking, smaller crackers will burn before larger crackers are ready.
(3) When baking the crackers, watch them closely. They can  transform from being perfectly cooked to being burnt very quickly.

Enjoy!!


*This recipe is courtesy of Lacey Baier, a sweet pea chef at www.asweetpeachef.com