SESAME-ANISE OLIVE OIL CRISPS

When I ate my way through Barcelona’s bakeries one summer, I discovered—and fell in love with—the trio of sesame seeds, anise, and orange in all sorts of pastries: breakfast buns, flaky tarts, and crunchy tortas. Tortas are a cross between crackers and flattened puff pastry, with olive oil rather than butter enriching the dough. I’ve kept the same flavors but transformed them into ultrathin crisps. Whole wheat pastry flour keeps the rounds from getting tough, and the yeasted olive oil dough bakes into especially snappy crackers, perfect for a cheese platter.

TIPS:

•  A fruity Spanish olive oil, such as Arbequina, tastes best here.

•  You can substitute an orange for the clementine.

makes about 3 dozen

vegan (dairy-free, no eggs), no nuts

1. Stir ½ cup warm water and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir the olive oil into the yeast mixture. Zest the clementine into the bowl. Squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from the clementine and stir it in.

3. Whisk both flours, the salt, sesame seeds, aniseeds, and the remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes. The dough should puff a bit.

4. While the dough rests, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.

5. Pinch off a 1-inch ball of dough. Roll out on a 6-inch square of parchment paper with a lightly floured rolling pin into a very thin round, 4½ to 5 inches in diameter. Flip the round onto one of the prepared pans and peel off the parchment. Repeat, spacing the rounds 1 inch apart, until the pan is filled. Brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with raw sugar, sesame seeds, and aniseeds, if you'd like.

6. Bake until the crisps are light golden brown with some darker golden brown spots, 5 to 6 minutes.

7. While the first batch bakes, prepare a second pan. Slide the parchment with the baked crisps onto a wire rack to cool completely, and slide the second pan into the oven. Rinse the first pan under cold water until cooled to room temperature, dry it, and line with parchment. Repeat until all of the dough is rolled and baked.

MAKE AHEAD

The crisps will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.