I thought crackers were hard. From the outside they seem fussy—requiring a full dose of attention to detail, improved with a side of precision. As it turns out, they are damn easy and foolproof and can be made in the cracks of a day. Once prepared, they will hold for longer than it will take you to eat them.
Yield: Two sheet pans of crackers
| INGREDIENTS | METRIC (GRAMS) | VOLUMETRIC (APPROXIMATE) | BAKER’S % |
| Whole wheat flour | 93 | ¾ cup | 40% |
| All-purpose flour | 70 | ½ cup + 1 tablespoon | 30% |
| Any combination of rye, buckwheat, millet, or lentil flours, or cornmeal | 70 | ½ cup | 30% |
| Water | 113 | ½ cup | 49% |
| Salt, fine | 5 | scant 1 teaspoon | 2% |
| Yeast, dry instant | 1 | heaping ¼ teaspoon | 0.50% |
| Sugar | 7 | 1¾ teaspoons | 3% |
| Seed blend, for the crust (flaxseeds, sesame, cumin, black pepper, and coarse salt) | |||
| Cayenne pepper | Pinch | Pinch. | 0.30% |
| Butter, unsalted | 41 | 1½ tablespoons. | 17.50% |
| Total Weight | 400 | All. | 172.30% |
PREPARE
Melt the butter.
MIX
Calculate temperatures. See Setting Temperatures for instructions. Desired dough temperature: 76°F
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, yeast, and cayenne. Add the water and the melted butter. Mix with your hand or the handle end of a wooden spoon until the dough forms a shaggy mass. With some doughs you may have to knead for a few strokes in the bowl to incorporate everything. If you find it easier, after some stirring, scrape the dough out of the bowl with a plastic scraper onto a counter or bench and knead briefly with your hands just until the dough comes together. Resist the urge to add more flour.
DIVIDE
Divide the dough into 2 pieces weighing about 200 grams each. See Dividing for instructions.
Stretch and preform into rectangles; this will make it easier to make a rectangle shape after chilling.
BULK FERMENTATION
Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
SHAPE
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two 13 by 18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper. If you’d like to bake these crackers on a baking stone, you’ll still want parchment paper to make an easier transfer into the oven.
Place a generous blend of salt, pepper, and seeds on your work surface. Flaxseeds, sesame, and cumin seeds along with black pepper and a little salt are a flavorful combination. Fennel is a wonderful addition. Look in ethnic food stores for interesting blends you may not have thought of. No rules here!
Place a chilled dough piece on top of the seeds, turning once to coat.
Roll the dough, turning it over periodically to fully coat both sides with seeds, to a rough 10 by 15-inch rectangle, or to dimensions that match your sheet pan. Try to keep the dough at an even thickness so it will bake evenly. The seed blend will keep the dough from sticking. If the dough begins to stick, add more seeds.
Gently transfer the rolled dough to the prepared pan or paper. You may find it helpful to roll up the cracker dough on the rolling pin, and then unroll it on the sheet pan.
Score with a pizza wheel, cutting diamonds, rectangles, or squares. Scoring makes for evenly shaped crackers that can be snapped apart after baking. You may also prick the dough with the tines of a fork.
BAKE
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until nicely browned.