Olive Oil Crackers Recipe
This cracker recipe makes thin, snappy, rustic crackers - sturdy enough to stand up to a hearty dip. The technique is simple and straightforward (utilizing just a few ingredients) and the dough is a welcoming canvas to all manner of seeds, salts, cheeses, spices, or flavored oils that you might want to use as accents.
Today I'm going to try to encourage you to make your own crackers. It's not that difficult or fussy, and the results are infectiously satisfying. What kind of cracker? The cracker recipe I'm featuring today makes thin, snappy, rustic crackers. Though they are sturdy enough to stand up to a hearty dip. The technique is simple and straightforward (utilizing just a few ingredients) and the dough is a welcoming canvas to all manner of seeds, salts, cheeses, spices, or flavored oils that you might want to use as accents. The crackers are fantastically adaptable in this regard. For those of you intimidated by baking with yeast, no worries, I don't use any here.
You can make these crackers just about any shape you like. You can cut them into wide strips, thin ribbons, precise squares - or simply bake them off in big sheets. They go nicely with the artichoke dip I featured last week. I suspect they'd also be great crumbled over this Caesar salad, or diving deep into Rachel's midnight hummus over on Mighty Foods.
I'm going to list of a bunch of suggested toppings in the head notes of the recipe, but I'd love to hear your suggestions as well. Someone always comes up with a brilliant idea or approach that never would've dawned on me. I think I want to do the next batch topped with lemon zest, poppy seeds, black pepper, and Parmesan...but I suspect I could be persuaded to go a different route ;)...
Update 10/08: Lauren posted a gluten-free version of these crackers on her site.
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Olive Oil Cracker Recipe
If you have trouble tracking down semolina flour, just substitute white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour), it will be make a slightly different cracker but should still work. To get creative with your crackers you can top them with lots of things before baking: freshly grated cheese, artisan salts, cornmeal, a dusting of your favorite spice blend, seeds, or a wash of your favorite flavored or infused oil. You can simply cut the unbaked cracker dough into various shapes using one of those pizza cutting wheels.
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oilspecial equipment: pasta machine (optional)
Whisk together the flours and salt. Add the water and olive oil. Using a mixer with a dough hook attachment mix the dough at medium speed for about 5 - 7 minutes. Alternately, feel free to mix and then knead by hand on a floured counter-top. The dough should be just a bit tacky - not too dry, not too sticky to work with. If you need to add a bit more water (or flour) do so.
When you are done mixing, shape the dough into a large ball. Now cut into twelve equal-sized pieces. Gently rub each piece with a bit of olive oil, shape into a small ball and place on a plate. Cover with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes.
While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Insert a pizza stone if you have one.
When the dough is done resting, flatten one dough ball. Using a rolling pin or a pasta machine, shape into a flat strip of dough - I can usually get down to the 4 setting on my pasta machine w/o trouble. Pull the dough out a bit thinner by hand (the way you might pull pizza dough). You can also cut the dough into whatever shape you like at this point. Set dough on a floured (or cornmeal dusted) baking sheet, poke each cracker with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing, add any extra toppings, and slide into the oven (onto the pizza stone). Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls, baking in small batches. If you don't have a pizza stone, bake crackers a few at a time on baking sheets. Bake until deeply golden, and let cool before eating - you will get more crackery snap.
Makes a dozen extra large crackers.
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Thanks Heidi and Karin! I'm making both kinds today and I'm making the artichoke dip to go with - yum!
Sounds perfect for the Game Night party heidi! In fact, I'm hosting a blog event for the same, and these would be a wonderful addition to that:) Lovely recipe, and so simple too!
Have you ever heard of boia?! I ate some in Seattle but haven't been able to find more information about it...but it's essentially olive oil crackers! Thanks for giving me a recipe that is similar.
I've been intrigued by the idea of making crackers and I think that these look easy enough for my first shot at it! I think that these would be great with skordalia, a Greek dip similar in texture to hummus but made with potatoes. There's an excellent recipe in the Periyali cookbook.
Ms Priss The polenta crackers that I made were the ones Heidi featured. So Good!
/how about fresh cracker pepper as a topping, sun dried tomatoes , blanched almonds & minced garlic and lastly .... think any type of pesto ( just hint for flavor)
i have a really great recipe for a roasted red pepper dip from The New Best Recipe(its like a thousand pages) and i think these would go great with =) but for the top i think ill stick with sea salt and maybe a touch of garlic powder...
You know, my dad and I were discussing a few months ago that crackers just don't taste as good as they used to. They're stale-tasting. Or maybe we're just buying the wrong ones. But I very much like the idea of making them myself! Perhaps it will be an adventure for tonight. I am desperately seeking ways to relax this weekend. :)
As a long-time reader, first-time commenter (bet you've heard that one before!), I want to say again what a wonderful resource your site is. I'm about to go off to college next year, and your recipes continually inspire interesting, simple ways to make healthy food even when resources are slim (think cafeteria salad bars and tiny dorm kitchenettes). I would love to make these crackers for an upcoming party for my parents, but wondered whether you had an estimate for how long the crackers take to bake. Your recipe says "Bake until they're deep golden" - any suggestions on when to start checking them? Would hate to burn these lovely munchables....
I didn't test a gluten-free version. How about this. If you come up with a great GF version of this cracker - post it to your site/blog, and I'll update & link to it from the end of the post. I know I have some really great GF bakers as readers. Mz Priss - here's a link to the polenta cracker recipe I featured. Dee, I'd opt for mixing by hand - the food processor will cut all those nice gluten strands you are trying to build up in the dough. Keegan - Keep the crackers in an air tight container - the'll likely keep for days that way. If you are going to freeze the dough, do it after you form it into the 12 blls and rub with olive oil - place in plastic freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before attempting to use. Keep the topping ideas coming! I already see some great ones! -h
WOW! there are so many gluten free people here! that's sort of an interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say? I wonder what percentage of your readership we make up. I'd love a GF version of this recipe, or perhaps a tip of how to make them GF. I so miss crackers for my hummous...
what about Amaranth flour for the hearty and nutty flavor and rice four for the crunch for a gluten free cracker?
I think I'll try these with your Dukkah topping ... mmmm.
For those of us avoiding wheat, do you think a mixture of rice and graham (chickpea) flours would work? Or, soy flour? As for flavorings, I'm all over the sumac and sesame, but my standby is grated (microplaned) garlic and parmesan.
Sounds like a fun recipe!
I've made your Spicy Polenta crackers a number of times--can't wait to try these.
I like to add cumin and cayenne pepper to my homemade crackers
These sound yummy and I'm making them this weekend. Karin, would you share your polenta cracker recipe? Those sound good too!
I love making crackers. I made the polenta crackers and ended up giving away little packets of them for Christmas. Thank you for these great recipes! I also made the espresso caramels and added a little homemade candied orange peel instead of walnut for a crunchy bitter twist. Thanks again for your great blog.
Do you think a food processor be used instead of kneeding?
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