Homemade Artisanal Crackers
by Dec 30th, 2010 // Appetizers, Recipes, Sides, Snacks
Homemade Artisanal Crackers
My dad knows how to make two things: frozen pizza and homemade artisanal crackers. I know it seems incongruous… a man who only knows how to heat up a pizza can make such a beautifully delicious cracker. As the story goes, my parents first tasted these crackers at the home of Chuck and Kay Carlson a mere 32 years ago. My father fell in love with the thin, crispy taste and the rest is history. What I mean is that it is literally a part of my family history.
Every year since that fateful first taste, my brothers and I would convene in the kitchen with my father for our annual cracker making extravaganza. There was a job for each of us. A roller. A painter. A poker. A sprinkler. We’d always make a double batch. (My kid wanted all 4 jobs!)
The crackers were to be made between Thanksgiving and New Years and would be served whole or broken up with various dips to holiday visitors. Each year folks would ask for the recipe, but no one was as devoted as my father.
There’s just something about a homemade cracker that’s extra special. Something almost indescribable that makes all the work worth it. Something you should definitely try with your own kids. You won’t be sorry you did. And who knows, it may just become a part of your family history too. Now for the recipe…
Homemade Artisanal Crackers
Prep Time: 3 hours (mostly unattended) Cooking Time: 8 to 10 minutes (per batch)
Ingredients
2 Packages dry yeast
2 cups warm water 110F
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted + cooled
6 cups of white flour
egg glaze (1 egg mixed with 1/4 cup water)
sesame seeds
course salt
oregano
In the bowl of a mixer combine yeast and water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt and butter to yeast mix and stir in 4 cups of white flour until evenly moistened. Mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment for 5 minutes. Push dough off paddle and stir (by hand) 1 1/2 cups of flour in to mixture. Use your dough hook to kneed the dough. Add 1/2 to 1 cup more flour if necessary. Kneed until dough is smooth and pulling away from the edge of the bowl. Remove from bowl, oil the bowl with cooking spray and return dough to oiled bowl turning to coat it evenly. Cover with a damp cloth until it has doubled in size. (About 2 hours.) Punch down dough and knead lightly to release bubbles. Divide dough into twelve even balls place on cookie sheet about 2″ apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for a second rise. This should take about 45 minutes. Prepare your egg glaze by beating an egg lightly with 1/4 cup of warm water. Arrange racks in your oven with one on top and one on the bottom and then preheat to 400 degrees. Roll out dough balls on a well floured surface to 12″ diameter until paper thin. Roll dough on to rolling pin and unroll on to ungreased baking sheets. Brush lightly with egg glaze. Sprinkle some with sesame seeds and course salt and others with oregano and course salt. Prick surface with fork lightly. Place on lower rack and bake for 4 or 5 minutes. Move to the upper rack and bake for 4 or 5 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Cool crackers on wire rack. Continue rotating in new baking sheets until dough is used up. Store in air tight plastic bags. Break upon serving. Makes 12 giant crackers or many more small ones.
Yum! I would love some homemade crackers…
Sounds delish. Will have to try them with the stew this weekend.
Mmm sounds good.
what a great tradition! this is why i bake for/with the kids…so they have some awesome childhood memories! thanks for sharing…the crackers look so tasty!
…. I think I know what I'm doing this afternoon…
I'm going to make these soon. We eat so many crackers at our house.
yum!
If I'd known that making homemade crackers was so easy I would've done it before! I always presumed it was harder than making bread… I'm not sure why. Doesn't appear to be too bad! I bet they're delicious with hummus….
Do you think it's necessary to have a stand mixer? Is there a way to do this without one?
At first glance I thought the title said 'animal crackers'… I'll be trying to make these regardless…