Daring Bakers July 2012 - Crazy for Crackers

Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.

There were four cracker recipes posted, and I decided to make versions of two of them.  The crackers you see above are based on the recipe for "Cheddar and Walnut Icebox Crackers" from The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen (3rd ed.). John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ: 2008.

They are "icebox" crackers because they have butter, and are shaped into logs similar to how many sugar cookie recipes work, then sliced and baked after chilling.  I made them based on what I had in the pantry, so they turned into cheddar, pepita, and rosemary crackers (rosemary from my garden!).

The second recipe is based on Alton Brown's recipe for seedy crisps, only made into a gluten free cracker.  I used all chickpea flour, and they feature three kinds of seeds - poppy, sesame, and the recently trendy chia seeds.  I didn't set out to include chia seeds, but they jumped into my hands at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe, a local market and cafe featuring organic and local foods.  (Anyone with other ideas of what to do with chia should leave a comment to teach me more!).  I served the crackers with smoked swiss cheese and homemade chilled tomato soup.  It was a lovely light dinner for summer! 

After the chickpea flour was fairly successful in the crackers, it makes me want to experiment further with other high-protein flours, such as coconut.