Crackers

I have a cracker boy.  My son, Zander, will eat crackers any hour of the day, so I don’t know why it never occurred to me to try and make homemade crackers before.  I had been thinking about some of the things that we don’t have around as much when Andy is not working, and crackers are one of those things.

Surprisingly, crackers are really easy to make!  In fact, now that I know how to do it, I can whip up a batch of crackers with little effort, and little time.  The hardest part is with baking them. I found that it didn’t take long at all for the crackers to go from underdone to overdone- so when they just begin to look like they are browning, keep a close eye on them.   Burnt crackers are not so well received.

These crackers taste a lot like Wheat Thins, only they don’t have all the preservatives.  I used a pizza cutter to cut it into pieces, and didn’t concern myself with whether or not they were all the same size.  I think a basket of rustic shaped crackers set out for a dinner party would be a fantastic addition, and if I can come up with the time, I’ll be making homemade crackers with homemade cheese spread as part of our “Three Days of Thanksgiving”.  I just need to find a cheese spread that we’ll all enjoy.

Thin Wheat Crackers

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds (I used black ones this time)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 TBS butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• Sea salt

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sesame seeds, sugar and salt.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles tiny crumbs.  Stir in the milk, adding just enough to form a workable dough.  Knead it just until it comes together.

Divide the dough into three workable pieces.  Roll it out ultra-thin, one piece at a time.  Get it as thin as you can manage, while still being able to move it in pieces.  (1/16th of an inch thick if possible.)  Sprinkle the dough with sea salt and use the rolling pin to press the salt in just a bit.

Cut the dough into 1 x 2 inch rectangles.  Transfer the pieces to baking sheets and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the just begin to brown.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes about 8 dozen crackers.