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A new Ottolenghi favourite of mine. I have never dabbled with cracker making before and these were so simple to do and an absolute hit for a warm tapas style entrée with a dip or just to eat cold as a snack along the way. As it says in the book “you will never need to buy crackers again” or want to for that matter. The first batch I made I will confess to not even having had a rolling pin for, instead I had to improvise with a wine bottle wrapped in cling-film (saran wrap for those of you in the States); you maybe happy to hear that since I have become a little more refined and invested in one.
Olive oil crackers
[Makes about 25]
250g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 tsp baking powder
115ml water
25ml olive oil (plus extra for brushing)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Simply put all your ingredients into a large bowl and mix together to form a soft dough. I do this by hand, but if you have a mixer with a dough hook then I’m sure it’s much faster. Work the dough until you get a firmer consistency and it holds together, then cover with cling film (saran wrap) and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour or so.
Heat up your oven to 220C/Gas 7.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface (have more flour standing by for dusting as & when needed). With a sharp knife cut off walnut size pieces (roughly 15g each) from the dough and roll out as thinly as possible with your rolling pin; the thinner you can get them the crispier they will go. They should end up looking like long oval shaped tongues.
Place the crackers on a tray lined with baking paper, brush with plenty of olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but I am sure they would also work wonderfully with other herbs or spice combinations. I will report back soon – Lorna
