MAKES ABOUT 36 CRACKERS
We knew we were going to be selling a lot of clam chowder at CRU, but I hated the thought of giving our guests oyster crackers in small plastic bags. I loved the idea of serving little biscuits alongside the chowder but they would need to be crispy, with the texture of a cracker. This recipe hits the mark. It starts like biscuit dough but uses much less liquid. We even repeatedly stack the dough as it is being rolled out to create flaky, biscuit-like layers. An added plus: the dough may be rolled into sheets and frozen until ready to use.
INGREDIENTS
1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled, plus 2 tablespoons melted
½ cup whole milk
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Lightly crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl; stir in the crushed fennel seeds.
Work the chilled butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers, until the butter is pea-sized. Add the milk and melted butter to the dough. Gently mix until it forms a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough in half and stack one half on top of the other. Roll it out to a 6-inch square; repeat the cutting, stacking, and rolling two more times. Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness and square off the edges. Cut the dough into 1-by-1-inch squares and place on parchment-lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Can be stored for a week.
NOTE: A glass or ceramic container will keep the crackers crisper than plastic.