Daring Bakers: What A Cracker

Sarah  from All Our Fingers in the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers' host and she challenged us to use our creativity in making our own crisp flatbreads and crackers. I was quite pleased with the challenge simply because I love eating crackers and flatbreads and this was the impetus I needed to actually get down to baking some for myself (sometimes when it comes to munchies like crackers, I find myself buying them rather than making them).

As I looked at the recipes Sarah left on the Daring Bakers site, my eyes lingered on the one for Onion and Poppyseed Crackers. I love everything and anything onion and poppy seeds are such a delighful addition be in cakes, breads or even crackers. I read through the recipe and was intrigued at how Sarah uses real onions, not a flavouring in her crackers and we're not talking about a hint of onion, we're talking about a whole cup of pureed onions (which in my case came from 3 medium onions that were chopped and then blended). 

Whoa, this has to be one helluva onion cracker. I was pleased. I decided to add a couple of ingredients o the recipe: cheese (for I do love my cheese and a cheese cracker is just the most perfect crunchy snack) and chilli flakes (for I am an Asian who needs heat in anything I eat). 

Sarah's recipe (you can get it from her blog, or by clicking here) was a breeze to follow and her method was uncomplicated. The only bump in the road I encountered had nothing to do with the recipe but my execution of it. My first batch of crackers turned out more puffy than crisp simply because I didn't roll the dough out thin enough. As it turned out, the puffy, chewy crackers were delicious also, so that wasn't too much of a  bump!

I made these crackers in the morning and took them with me to the office. They were gone by midday. Everyone loved them .. well, not the onion haters as the flavour of the allium was definitely apparent. The addition of the cheese and chilli worked out well too, the kick of the chilli and the saltiness of the cheese (I used cheddar) added punch to an already delicious cracker. 

You're so very cheesy, cracker!

I love cheese crackers, cheese-flavoured pretzels, cheese straws, cheese puffs, cheese anythings. I even love cheese-flavoured Twisties! And Cheezels. Cheetos? Oooooh, yeah. The key word, as you may have already figured it out, is cheese.

So, when I found this recipe for homemade Goldfish crackers (you've seen them in the grocer, surely, right?) in Tasty Kitchen, I was delighted. What? Make my own Goldfish crackers? Dozens of crackers for myself? Yay!

The problem? I didn't have a cookie cutter in the shape of a goldfish. Or any fish for that matter. Drats. What did I do? I tried to improvise. Didn't work. My fishes looked like mutated whales. Moby Dick wouldn't be pleased. they looked like tadpoles, almost. Urrgh. 

So, I gave up and made crackers in all shapes. I had a fish platter though, as if that helped.

After I got over the initial disappointment of not being able to make actual goldfish crackers (I know, I am quite ridiculous), I got on with the job, all the while waiting in anticipation to eat the cheesy crackers while watching the latest episode of TV series, Homeland.

Turns out, the crackers are easier to make than I imagined. Mix grated cheese, flour, salt and butter together an add some ice cold water and voila — rows of deliciously orange crackers that are cheesy, puffy and crunchy all at once. It's definitely a snack I will be making over and over again. And again. And again. Get the picture?

Not Goldfish Crackers

225 g cheddar cheese (sharp or mild, it's up to you), grated
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

60g cold butter, cut into cubes

2 tbsp cold water

Whisk together the cheese, flour and salt till incorporated. Add the butter and pulse (in your food processor or mixer) till it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water one tbsp at a time till the crumbs come together. Use your hands to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 20 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Once the dough is chilled, remove and roll out and cut into shapes. Gather the scraps and roll again. And cut. Arrange the shapes on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or till the crackers have puffed up and crispy. 

Let's all get cheesy

How good is The Good Wife, right? I could watch episode after episode after episode (I'm halfway through the second season), ignoring the laundry that's spilling out of the basket (so easy to forsake) and the dog that's whining for attention (not so easy cos he's persistent and just so darn cute). I was kidding... about the dog. He watches the Good Wife with me though I don't think he's that fond of it.

So now you know. I've been up late most nights watching episodes of The Good Wife. And you know as well as I that a good TV marathon requires good snacks.

So, before I settled comfortably in front of the telly, I baked myself a few batches of one of my all-time favourite snacks: cheeses crackers.

Loaded with cheese (sharp, sharp cheddar), these crackers are buttery and so crunchy but not brittle. The They aren't pretty to look at but that's not important. They taste divine.

The ingredients for these crackers are few: cheese, flour (plain + bread flour) and butter. The seasoning, you can play around with. I added some smoked paprika and sea salt. You can add some dried herbs, cracked black pepper and add some parmesan with the cheddar.

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups grated cheddar, at room temp
1 cup plain flour
1 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
150g unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Sift the flours and add the chilli flakes, paprika and salt and whisk to mix. Cream the butter and cheese till well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix with your hands to form a dough. Chill for 15 to 30 mins.

Roll the dough out till the dough is about 1/4 of an inch thick.

Cut into squares or rectangles.

Bake for about 20 mins or till the crackers are lightly brown and slightly crisp on the outside. It's ok if they seem a little soft in the centre; they will harden as they cool.

Sprinkle with some paprika and salt and you're ready to snack.

WARNING: These go down real easy so make time for the gym real soon!