Crackers YOU can make!

On my further quest to create yummy food for my family, I came to learn (thanks, Calli) that you can actually MAKE crackers. Yes, they are not born in boxes, unlike I had previously thought. My initial suspicians were the same as yours are now: oh, that must be time consuming/expensive/take fancy ingredients. But NO! Crackers are easier than bread, satisfying to the snack-craving, and delightfully free of additives, preservatives, corn and milk products (for those of you who care about that).

As I was rolling out my second batch of these little guys, I thought "I need to share this" because, hey, who doesn't like easy homemade food, right? So, here you are. A basic basic recipe that can be changed innumerable ways with a bit of creativity and a spice cabinet.

Basic Crackers


The Ingredients:
3.5 cups all white flour, or 1 3/4 c wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp salt (plus some to sprinkle on top)
Some other spices (to taste- I used garlic, basil and rosemary)
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
Small bowl of Harry and David's Chocolate Fruit for snacking while cooking (omit this ingredient if you have dietary restrictions, include it if you are, like me, a bit addicted)


Mix dry ingredients together. Here's where you can have fun with this recipe. You can add cheeses like parmesan, cheddar, swiss. You can add chopped nuts or sunflower seeds. Be crazy here. I know, I know, I am a recipe lover, too. I'm telling you, it's a hard thing to mess up here. For mine, I used probably 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp basil, and 1 tsp garlic.


Now, mix in your liquids. Just use a wooden spoon, nothing special. When it looks about like this, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and mush a couple of times until it forms a ball. This does not have to be perfect, just "together".


Glance nervously at dwindling supply of chocolates. Debate getting more out, but decide that probably, you should just hurry up and finish the recipe.
Here's the hardest part of the recipe. Roll it out. Really, really flat. It's kind of a tough dough, so be patient with yourself. It needs to be less than 1/8 inch thick. After a few passes, you are going to be like "Tracy! What did you get me in to?" But then, give yourself a few breathers and remember that it counts for a daily workout AND that you are using those calories, storing them up so you can eat more crackers! And truly, if a two year old can do it...maybe you should give it a shot.
When that dough is all flat and your arms feel like spaghetti, slide it onto a cookie sheet. I used a pizza cutter to trim off the overhang, and then placed those onto a second cookie sheet. Then, lightly mark out the cracker shapes on the dough (don't cut through, though). Brush the whole thing with oil, sprinkle some salt on top, and prick MANY times with a fork. (Otherwise, it will grow and puff and look strange, not that I found out.)
At this step I added a sprinkle of sesame seeds which gave them some extra flavor at the end.

Bake these at 375 degrees for 15-25 minutes, until they are a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool. Break them apart and enjoy! They are good right away, but great the second day for some reason. Try them with cream cheese. Mmm!