Ok, this is genius. Until reading this post, it really never occurred to me to make crackers. But since I love a good cheese platter, I didn’t think twice before marching over to Whole Foods for spelt flour and Humboldt Fog cheese. This was going to be good.
The time it takes to whisk, knead and roll takes about ten minutes, maybe less. After I placed them in the oven I said out loud “that was easy,” and happily began typing my thoughts for this post. But I was so excited I forgot to sprinkle the sea salt on top before placing them in the oven. I quickly pulled the rack out to correct my error. I also didn’t add dried rosemary to half the cracker sheet (my original plan), and had no sesame seeds in the pantry so sea salt had to do. And boy did it.
When I smeared some cheese greedily over one of these crackers, I vowed to never by store-bought crackers again. But let's be honest, I got caught up in the moment. However, it is wonderful to know that crackers are much, much easier to make then I ever imagined.
Spelt Everything Crackers
Via Smitten Kitchen: Adapted from the New York Times Magazine, 11/28/08 who adapted it from the Hungry Ghost in Northampton, Mass.
Makes 1 large cracker sheet
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white spelt flour, plus more for flouring surface
Coarse sea salt, dried onion bits, poppy seeds and sesame seeds (for the everything bagel effect) or a seed combination of your choice
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve the salt in 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir in the spelt flour until combined. Knead the dough a few turns until a ball forms.
2. Flour an overturned 12-by-17-inch cookie sheet and roll out the dough on top of it, using as much flour as needed to prevent sticking, until the dough covers the sheet from edge to edge. Do your best to get them as thin as possible, because the thicker parts become quite hard when baked. Using a spray bottle filled with water, spray the dough to give it a glossy finish. Prick the dough all over with a fork. If you choose, sprinkle with sea salt or seeds. For neat crackers, score the dough into grids.
3. Bake until the dough is crisp and golden and snaps apart, 15 to 25 minutes. (Check after 10 minutes to make sure it does not overcook.) Break into pieces and serve.
