Easy Homemade Cracker Recipe

By request! I hope you make it. I'd love to hear how they turn out or any variations you try!

This is a super easy recipe and can be adapted to make all sorts of different crackers. I have found that our guests are always really impressed when I break out the homemade crackers to go with cheese, dips or spreads. Little do they know how simple they are to make!

Basic Cracker Recipe

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor (fitted with the chopping blade), and pulse until combined.
3. With the food processor running, slowly pour the water in through the feed tube.
4. Process until the mixture forms small balls (about 1/2 cm).

• To test the dough, turn the processor off (!) and push the balls down with your fingers.
  
• If they stick together easily but do not stick to your fingers, perfect!
• If the dough sticks to your fingers: add more flour, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulse, and test again.
  
• If the dough crumbles and doesn't stick: add more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulse, and test again.

5. Roll dough out on a flat surface to 1/8" thin or less, as thin as possible.
6. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet, and prick all over with fork*

• *Important! I always forget to do this. Don't forget or they will puff up. Though if they do puff up, they're kind of like those mini pita puffs you can buy in the store. Still very tasty, just not as convenient for dip/spread/cheese.

7. Score lightly with sharp knife if you wish to break into rectangles later on. Or leave in free-form shape that you can break into shards. Or use the rolling cutter from a pasta machine, if you have one. Or use a pizza cutter. Or cookie cutter if you're fancy like that.
8. Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Cool on rack and store in airtight container.

Okay. That's the basic version. NOW is the fun part - variations! You can do pretty much anything you want with these, so experiment. Here are some versions I've come up with that make us happy:

seed crackers: substitute half whole wheat flour, and add any seeds you have on hand - flax, cracked wheat, sesame, caraway, mustard - whatever! This makes a good topping cracker, not overpowering in flavour.

cheese crackers: These taste sort of like 'Cheese Nips' only WAY better. 1/2 cup grated cheddar and about 1/2 tsp chipotle sauce - YUM. Add a dash of paprika if you want them to be even more orange.

'Indian' crackers: These taste a lot like pappadums! Add 1/8 tsp turmeric, about 2 tsp cumin seeds, about 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Add cracked black pepper if you like it.

L-R: Indian crackers, cheese crackers, seed crackers

If you want seeds (or coarse sea salt) on the top, brush with egg whites after pricking them and sprinkle the seeds on. The egg whites will stick the seeds onto the crackers and give a shiny surface as well.

Seriously, you can't go too far wrong with these, so try something new. Changing out some of the water for sour cream and adding dill might be fantastic. Substituting different flours, in whole or part is good, too (rye flour with caraway seeds? yum!). Minced garlic, and olive oil instead of butter - why not! Take a look at the gourmet cracker varieties, or even chips, in the store if you need some more inspiration. Basically as long as you get the consistency of the dough right, you're golden.

I usually make two or three batches at a time, while the food processor's already dirty (I hate washing that thing).
:)