Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers

RECIPE

Crisp rosemary sea salt crackers capture the delicious taste of the best artisan bakery flatbreads. With accents of lemon, rosemary and flaky sea salt (seriously addictive!), these homemade crackers will quickly become favourites for every day and special occasions.

Homemade crackers are surprisingly easy to make and cost only a fraction of the price of the crackers you buy at the store. Baking at home, you can use high-quality ingredients, make and freeze batches, and experiment with flavours of your choice. Fresh from the oven, I predict you’ll be eating these before they have a chance to cool.

Yield: Makes 36 crackers
(5-by-15-centimetre, or 2-by-6-inch oval crackers)

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of 2 lemons (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water

olive oil for brushing
chunky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC). The oven must be very hot before baking.

Use a fine grater to zest the lemons. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and rosemary. Make a well in the center and add the oil and water, stirring gradually. When the dough becomes soft and shaggy, knead it gently a few times to form a smooth ball.

Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Work one piece at a time, keeping the others covered with plastic. Divide a piece into 6 smaller pieces.

Two ways to roll out the dough:

1. Using a rolling pin, on a piece of parchment paper, roll out each piece of dough into an oval shape, dusting with flour as needed. It’s important to roll the dough as thin as possible—so thin you can almost make out work surface beneath it. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cracker.

2. Or, use a pasta machine to roll out each piece of dough. The machine helps to get very thin, crispy results—usually at its fifth setting. Run a piece of dough 3 times through on the first pasta machine setting. Each time, add flour and fold over the dough. Run the dough 1–2 times through the #2 and #3 settings on the machine. Add flour if needed to keep the dough smooth and pliable. Finally, run the dough through on setting #5. You should end up with a thin-as-pasta oval of dough.

Place the rolled ovals on an oiled tray. Lightly brush each cracker with olive oil, and sprinkle sparingly with chunky sea salt.

Bake 5-7 minutes until crisp and golden brown at the edges.

Store crackers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze these crackers in airtight bags for up to 6 months.

More Make the Basics Recipes:
Pie Crust 101: The Easy Science Behind Pastry Making
Vegan Mayonnaise