Buttery Crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2/3 cup cold water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

coarsely ground sea salt, for topping

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Place flour, baking powder, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
  • Add butter and pulse to combine.
  • Add vegetable oil and pulse to combine.
  • With food processor on low speed,slowly drizzle in the water until the dough begins to form a ball. Remove dough from food processor and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough as thin as possible. (Thinner than pie crust if possible, thin like crepes works best.)
  • Cut the dough into your desired shapes with a cookie cutter, or cut rectangles or squares with a knife or pizza cutter and arrange on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
  • Gather scraps of dough and re-roll until all dough is used. (If you struggle to get the dough to roll thin enough, let it rest for another 10 minutes, then come back to it. The gluten may need to relax a bit.)
  • Using a toothpick, prick several holes in each cracker. (Don't skip this step- you will not have nice, flat crackers if you don't.)
  • Bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Recipe: Snappy Sweet Potato Crackers
INGREDIENTS
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 2-1/2 tablespoons baking powder (another recipe uses 2.5 teaspoons?)
  • 1/2teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 1/4cup milk
  • Coarse salt
  • Sesame seeds
  • Cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl.
  3. Add butter and by hand work it into the flour mixture until it becomes a coarse mealy texture.
  4. Cook sweet potato in boiling water until softened. Cool, remove skin and purée with milk to make a smooth mixture.
  5. Beat 1 cup of the sweet potato purée into flour and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
  6. Knead well about 80 turns. Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll each very thin. Cut into rounds or squares; sprinkle with salt, sesame seeds and a little cayenne, if desired.
  7. Bake in oven on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes until bottoms are slightly browned. Turn over and bake 3-4 minutes more. Cool on rack before storing in a airtight container.

Number of servings (yield): 8

Nutrition per serving(6 pieces): 149 calories; 3 g protein; 23 g carbohydrates; 1 g dietary fiber; 5 g total fat

Graham Crackers

Do you know why graham crackers are called graham crackers? Sylvester Graham, a minister who lived and preached in the first half of the 19th century, carried on a dietary crusade in favor of whole wheat flour, arguing that to separate the bran from the rest of the wheat berry was against the will of God. Thus whole wheat flour, or graham flour — flour milled from the whole wheat berry, rather than just the endosperm. And thus graham crackers — sweet, crisp crackers made from whole wheat flour.

  • 1 cup King Arthur Premium 100% Whole Wheat Flour,Organic Whole Wheat Flour, or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  • 1 cupKing Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flouror Organic All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspooncinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
  • additional milk for glaze
  • cinnamon-sugar, optional; for topping

Directions

  1. Combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the oil, honey, and 2 tablespoons milk. Stir this egg mixture into the dry ingredients until you have a fairly stiff dough, adding additional milk if necessary.
  3. Wrap the dough and chill it until firm, about 1 hour (or longer, if it's more convenient).
  4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until it holds together. Roll the dough out about 1/16" thick; make sure the rolling surface is well-floured, or you'll have trouble transferring the crackers to the baking sheet.
  5. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment.
  6. Cut the dough into 3" squares, prick each square several times with a fork, and place them on the prepared pans. Brush the tops with milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar if you're so inclined.
  7. Bake the crackers for 10 to 20 minutes, or until they're lightly browned. Baked goods this thin are especially susceptible to slight variations in temperature; and since temperatures in home ovens vary, we recommend keeping a close eye on your crackers, checking them early and often.
  8. Remove the crackers from the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack, and cool completely. Store, well-wrapped, at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.

Crunchy Parmesan Crackers

This recipe comes from Pam Correll of Brockport, PA, grand prize winner inEatingWellmagazine's 2012 Whole Grains Makeover contest, sponsored by King Arthur Flour and the Whole Grains Council. You'd never know these tender/crisp, very cheese-y crackers are 100% whole wheat — they're a great example of how white whole wheat can step in for all-purpose flour in all kinds of baked treats.

  • 2 cupsKing Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • a few grinds fresh black pepper, optional
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup whole, 2%, or 1% milk
  • coarse sea salt, dried herbs, and/or grated Parmesan cheese, optional; for topping

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Get out several large baking sheets; no need to grease them.
  2. Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and Parmesan.
  3. Add the cold butter, working it in until no large pieces remain; a mixer works well here.
  4. With the mixer running (or stirring all the while), drizzle in milk until the dough comes together; you may not use the entire 1/2 cup.
  5. Gather the dough into a ball, and squeeze it a few times to bring it together. Divide it into three pieces. If you have a scale, they'll weigh about 6 1/2 ounces (187g) each.
  6. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten it into a rough square, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough 1/8" thick; it'll be about 10" square (or an 11" circle, if your rolling efforts result in a circle).
  7. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment or aluminum foil. Using a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or pastry wheel, cut the dough into 1" squares; don't separate them. You may trim the edges first, if you like, in order to separate the "good looking" crackers from the raggedy ones around the edges.
  8. Lift the piece of parchment/crackers onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the crackers with coarse sea salt, additional grated cheese, and/or dried herbs, if desired.
  9. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  10. Bake the crackers for about 15 minutes, until they're a medium golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan.
  11. When the crackers are cool, store them airtight at room temperature.
  12. Yield: about 200 small (1") crackers.

Tips from our bakers

  • While the original recipe calls for sprinkling with coarse sea salt, we've made that an optional step here; we feel the crackers are salty enough without adding more on top.
  • As you bake the crackers, the ones around the edge will brown more quickly than the ones in the center. If you're not a fan of darker crackers, remove the pan from the oven, carefully transfer the crackers around the edge to a cooling rack, and return the pan to the oven to continue baking, until the remainder of the crackers are golden brown.
  • Remove from oven, brush the tops with melted butter, and immediately sprinkle with coarsely ground sea salt. (If you don't sprinkle the salt on the melted butter right away, it won't stick.)
  • Remove from baking sheets and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  • cinnamon sugar flatbread crackers.
  • byJessicaonFebruary 18, 2011 1171
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sugar + 3/4 tablespoon cinnamon for sprinkling
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Combine flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Add water and olive oil and mix until a dough forms, using your hands at the end. Form it into a bowl.
  • Dust a baking sheet with flour and roll the dough as thin as you can with a rolling pin. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture all over top and cut with a pizza slicer into small or large crackers. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Let cool completely.
  • Cinnamon & Sugar Crackers
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    5 tablespoons sugar, divided
    3 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
    2 tablespoons half & half
  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • 2. In a food processor, combine the butter, flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Pulse for about 5 seconds and until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
  • 3. On a lightly floured surface, using a heavily floured rolling pin, roll the dough roughly into a 13 by 7-inch rectangle that is 1/16-inch thick. With a pizza cutter wheel, trim off the sides into a 12 by 6-inch rectangle. Next, cut the dough into 1 by 1-inch squares.
  • 4. Using the blunt end of a skewer make a hole in each cracker. This will make sure the cracker doesn’t over puff when baking. Gently transfer the crackers (I needed to use a sharp knife to get them off the table) to a parchment lined baking sheet. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best.
  • 5. In a small bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon and sugar and mix. Liberally sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture all over the crackers.
  • 6. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the baking sheet on a rack to cool
  • Yields 50 crackers

Sourdough Starter Crackers

Here's the perfect solution to your discarded sourdough dilemma. The rosemary, while optional, complements the tang of the sourdough perfectly. We're addicted to these crackers, dipped into some healthyhummus.

  • 113g King Arthur Premium Whole Wheat Flour orWhite Whole WheatFlour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 248g unfed ("discarded")sourdough starter
  • 57g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons dried herbs of your choice, optional
  • oil for brushing
  • coarse salt (such as kosher orsea salt) for sprinkling on top

Directions

  1. Mix together the flour, salt, sourdough starter, butter, and optional herbs to make a smooth(not sticky), cohesive dough.
  2. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a small rectangular slab. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a couple of hours, until the dough is firm.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  4. Very lightly flour a piece of parchment, your rolling pin, and the top of the dough.
  5. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough to about 1/16" thick. The dough will have ragged, uneven edges; that's OK. Just try to make it as even as possible.
  6. Transfer the dough and parchment together onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil and then sprinkle the salt over the top of the crackers.
  7. Cut the dough into 1 1/4" squares; arolling pizza wheelworks well here.
  8. Prick each square with the tines of a fork.
  9. Bake the crackers for about 20 minutes, until the squares are starting to brown around the edges.
  10. When fully browned, remove the crackers from the oven, and transfer them to a cooling rack. Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.
  11. Yield: about 100 crackers, 20 servings.