This year, (and most of last year), I’ve been trying to make a lot more staples at home instead of relying on store-bought.
I can’t remember the last time I actually bought a loaf of bread because I’ve been baking up my own for months now. It’s tastier and I feel like it’s always a much better choice.
I’ve now extended that effort to making my own crackers. These homemade flatbread crackers are delightfully whisper-thin and savory, and throughout this post, I’ll walk you through the easy steps to bake them up yourself.
I think these are the prettiest crackers all piled up in a serving bowl.
And I keep a batch on hand in a plastic baggie for quick and easy snacking.
A stack of these homemade flatbread crackers also make for lovely gifts, and I’ll share more about that further down in this post.
This dough comes together very quickly with only a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Use a food process to mix everything. Once the dough comes together, you may need to pull it together into a ball by hand to capture any loose pieces and/or crumbs.
Separate the large dough ball into 4-5 small discs for better managability for next steps.
Initially, I tried rolling out the cracker dough using a rolling pin, but it’s so much easier to just run the dough through a pasta press.
The press also gives the dough an even, thin and uniform cracker with the same depth.
I used a pastry wheel to cut the cracker sizes, but you could just as easily use a paring knife because the dough is so super thin and easy to cut.
The first time I made a batch of these, I used a ruler to measure each one to make sure they were perfectly sized and symetrical.
I think that’s fine but just cutting them in random sizes works just fine too. In fact, the irregular shapes is not only easier and faster, it also gives the crackers a more rustic appearance which is just as appealing.
It’s kind of cool to create these crackers in various assorted sizes and shapes.
You can whip up your own spices for a topping, or buy it ready-made. but I used a seasoning called Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, with Sea Salt, Garlic and Onion, from Trader Joe’s.
Meanwhile, I continue to work on my food-on-the-move videography series, and I’ve included my latest Food in Motion video featuring these Homemade Flatbread Crackers for your viewing pleasure.
You can watch the video fullscreen within this post, or you can click over and watch it full screen over on YouTube.
If you opt to watch this video on YouTube, please consider subscribing to my channel, as I continue to try to grow my audience on that platform too.
Food in Motion
Homemade Flatbread Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus small amount for dusting dough discs
- 1-1/4 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 tbsp water
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees, Farenheight.
- Pulse flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in food processor until thoroughly mixed.
- Mix remaining ingredients in a small, separate bowl until well-combined.
- Add wet ingredients to the food process and mix until a crumbly dough develops.
- Fold all dough together and knead lightly to catch any dough pieces and crumbs.
- Separate the dough ball into 4-5 sections, cover in plastic wrap and press into a square or disc shape.
- Allow covered dough to rest for 1 hour.
- Cover multiple (2-3) baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Lightly dust each piece of dough with flour on both sides before running through the pasta press.
- Run the dough through the pasta press on the number-1 setting, and continue running the dough through the various settings (mine goes up to setting-8).
- Cut the dough strip in half and drape both pieces across a cutting surface.
- Use a small pastry cutter, or paring knife to cut the dough into cracker-size strips.
- If you want to be super precise and make every cracker identical, you can use a ruler to measure the strips. I don't think it's really necessary because I like the more rustic look of irregular-shaped crackers.
- Whatever way you opt to cut them, try to keep the size consistent so the crackers bake evenly in the oven.
- Beat egg and use a pastry brush to lightly add the egg wash to the top of each strip of cracker. Immediately, sprinkle desired topping to the top of each cracker. (I used a seasoning called Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, from Trader Joe's.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- For the first batch, keep an eye on the crackers in the oven to determine the desired browning. You may need to add less time or more bake-time depending on how your individual oven heats and how brown you want your crackers.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
These crackers bake up beautifully with practically no spreading so, you can fit a lot of crackers fairly close together on one baking tray.
Meanwhile, if you like these crackers, here are a few links to other recipes below that you may enjoy from previous posts.
I’ve eaten these solo or with a thin spread of plain cream cheese.
And I especially like them with Tzatziki dip whose tangy, cucumber flavor pairs well with these crispy, wispy crackers.
Of course, you can pair these with your dip of choice. Get creative.
Just look at that paper thin depth. Very cool, right?
That pasta press makes all the difference when it comes to getting these crackers just the right size.
Meanwhile, these crackers are not only great little snacks, they would be wonderful added to a charcuterie board.
Your guests will marvel that you made them yourself.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, these homemade flatbread crackers also bag up beautifully for gift giving as you can see in the above picture.
Just stack them inside a cookie baggie, add a lovely ribbon and a handcrafted gift tag, and you’ll have a beautiful and delicious gift that looks more like it came right out of a fancy food boutique, instead of your own kitchen.
If you want to be even more extra (which I am), include a small jar of homemade dip to go along with the gift of homemade crackers.
This simple dip here includes whipped cream cheese, chopped spring onions, onion powder, garlic powder and we bit of of salt, all added to taste.
Also, I found the cute little glass jars at Walmart for just a few dollars and they look so cute in the gift bag with the crackers.
I hope you’re inspired to make these Homemade Flatbread Crackers yourself, and don’t forget add a flavorful homemade dip to go along with the bake.
That’s all for now. Thanks so much for popping by.
See you back here next time.
xoxo
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