Dust Off Your Rolling Pin

When I was in college and working in a doctor's office a traveling book salesman came by peddling children's books and cookbooks. I bought a cookbook mainly to get rid of him (thinking I'd never use it), and in the 15 or so years since I've nearly worn the covers off of the silly thing. My favorite recipe by far is the following one for Crispy Cracker Bread. The only thing I've changed is to add some whole wheat flour. I like it best seasoned with garlic but tonight I went with herbs de Provence. Use whatever you like or whatever goes best with the dip you are serving.


Crispy Cracker Bread
adapted from Land o' Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes

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1 (1/4 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast
1 C. warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 C. unbleached whole wheat flour
1 1/2-2 C. unbleached all purpose flour
1 large egg, slightly beaten
Fresh cracked black pepper
Coarse salt
Herbs de Provence, garlic powder, sesame seeds, or seasoning of your choice
olive oil or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water. Remember you want to give the yeast a nice warm bath to grow in, but not scalding as that will kill the yeast. Gently stir in the sugar and let it sit for a couple of minutes (2-5). You should see some small bubbles that will let you know the yeast is alive. Gently stir in the salt and butter, then gradually add the flours in a cup at a time, using enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and slightly elastic, working in more flour as necessary. Divide the dough into 4 portions with a sharp knife and pat each portion into a ball shape. Cover them lightly with a towel and let them rise for 10 minutes.

While the dough is rising, lightly oil or spray a couple of baking sheets. To form the bread, roll a ball of dough out as thin as you can, using a light sprinkle of flour to keep the dough from sticking. Place the dough on the oiled baking sheet. Brush lightly with beaten egg, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and whatever seasoning you are using. Bake for 10-15 minutes, watching carefully. The edges may get quite a bit darker than the middle. When the edges are browned, remove from the oven and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough. When they are cooled, break or tear the bread into pieces to serve. The thinner parts will be cracker-like and the lighter parts of the bread will be more flexible.

Note: I don't recommend using fresh garlic in this recipe because it tends to get a scorched taste in the darker parts of the bread.

--QC