Everyday Food: Impress guests with easy-to-bake crackers
Turn a simple cheese platter into something special with homemade crackers. The dough for these savory slice-and-bakes comes together in minutes — and keeps in the freezer for months.
When you assemble excellent cheeses, cured meats and other accompaniments for a spread of hors d’oeuvres, don’t let the crackers be an afterthought. Sure, you can buy good ones, but homemade versions are even better — and economical.
Each of these three recipes uses just a handful of ingredients. Make a batch — or two, or all three — and form the dough into logs. (Double the recipes for a bigger stash.) Pop them in the freezer and slice off rounds whenever you want to serve freshly baked crackers with cheese — or on their own.
Storing: Wrapped well in plastic, the logs of dough will freeze for up to three months. When it’s time to bake, let the frozen dough stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften a bit before slicing. A sharp chef’s knife is the best tool to use for slicing.
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Whole wheat and sesame crackers
Makes about 36
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus more for topping
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for topping
1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sesame seeds, sugar and coarse salt. Work butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Stir in cream with a fork until dough forms. Shape into a 2-inch-wide log. Wrap in plastic; freeze 1 hour or up to 3 months.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt. Bake, rotating sheets once, until edges are golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Let crackers cool on a wire rack.
Nutritional analysis per cracker: 34 calories, 2 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 6 milligrams cholesterol, 40 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber and 56 percent of calories from fat.
Cheddar-and-Gruyere crackers
Makes about 36
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more for topping
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup finely grated sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt and poppy seeds. Work in butter with fingers until crumbly. Stir in cheeses. Whisk together milk and mustard; stir into flour mixture with a fork until dough forms. Shape into a 2-inch-wide log. Wrap in plastic; freeze 1 hour or up to 3 months.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake, rotating sheets once, until edges are golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Let crackers cool on a wire rack.
Nutritional analysis per cracker: 34 calories, 2 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 68 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber and 48 percent of calories from fat.
Fig and almond crackers
Makes about 36
- 8 dried Black Mission figs, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup port
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1. Soak figs in port 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor, pulse almonds, flour and salt until finely ground. Add butter; pulse just until crumbly. Transfer to a bowl; stir in figs and port with a fork until dough forms. Shape into a 2-inch-wide log. Wrap in plastic; freeze 1 hour or up to 3 months.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets once, until edges are golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Let crackers cool on a wire rack.
Nutritional analysis per cracker: 46 calories, 2 grams fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 60 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber and 44 percent of calories from fat.
This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Everyday Food: Impress guests with easy-to-bake crackers."