Bake Your Own Rosemary Crackers

By Lee Price on October 7, 2011 in Food

If you have ever found yourself walking out of a deli having over-spent on cheese, crackers, dip and pâté, you are not alone. There’s something about the awesome variety, lovely packaging, and free samples that can see you quickly parting with your hard-earned cash.

One way you can save around 90% of the cost of the store-bought flatbread crackers is to bake your own. Crisp and golden, these are bound to be the talking point at your next barbecue. Your friends will think you are some sort of domestic goddess when you casually mention, “I made these myself”.

Serve these crackers on a cheese board with several varieties of cheese, pâté, quince paste and fresh grapes. They also work well as a side for a soup or salad. In terms of flavours, rosemary and sea salt are just the tip of the iceberg. Why not try:

• Parmesan and black pepper
• Sun-dried tomato and oregano
• Sesame and poppy seed with garlic salt

These crackers are also a great gift idea – simply wrap in clear cellophane and secure with a festive ribbon. Or hide them in the back of the cupboard and eat them all yourself.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups plain flour
1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary plus some extra for garnishing
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus some extra for brushing
Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C and place two baking trays in the oven to warm up.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the chopped rosemary. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix the ingredients while you add the oil, and then the water. Bring the dough together and knead carefully for about 15 seconds on a floured surface.

3. Divide the dough into three pieces and place one of them on a large piece of baking paper. Cover the other two pieces with cling film. Roll out the dough – the shape doesn’t matter, as long as it’s super thin. Brush the dough with some olive oil and add a few pieces of rosemary, pressing into place. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

4. Place the dough and paper onto the warmed baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until it looks golden and has a few darker spots. Cool on a wire rack and continue with the other two pieces, using fresh baking paper each time. It’s best not to oil and salt the dough until you are just about to put it in the oven.

5. Once completely cooled, break up into pieces and serve, or store in an airtight container in the cupboard.

Have you got a great recipe that you would like to share? Send it through to operationjamjar@y7mail.com and you could see it in a future issue of The Beast.

For more recipes and thrifty cooking ideas visit operationjamjar.blogspot.com.