Parmesan & Mixed Herb Crackers

Today I decided to make some crackers, as a quick recipe to post on the blog.  I wanted something that didn’t take much baking, as it is excessively warm in the UK at the moment.  We are about a month into very warm weather, with the promise of more to come. So I thought about some crackers that would be good to eat with some cheese, or to break over soup, etc.

For the crackers I thought I would use up some parmesan that I had in the fridge, and add some dried mixed herbs as well . Then I thought that a few chia seeds would add a little extra to the look and the texture. 

The crackers, of course, need to be very crunchy as they are eaten, and the cheese and herb flavour needs to come through well.

Mine turned out very well indeed, they taste great and I love the texture.

They are simple to make, and take very little time, so they can be produced just before they are needed.  But they can also be stored, once cooled, in an airtight container to be eaten over the next few days.  The baking time will depend on the thickness that the dough has been rolled out to, so if yours are thicker than may take long to bake to a crispy texture.

                             

     Parmesan & Mixed Herb Crackers – Video            

Ingredients:

• 190g(1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 45ml(3 tbsp) olive oil
• 120ml(1/2 cup) cold water
• 50g(1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chia seeds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
2. Get two baking sheets and three sheets of parchment paper of the same size as those baking sheets ready.
3. In a large bowl place all the dry ingredients and mix them around to combine.
4. Add the oil and the water and mix with a fork until you have a sticky mass of dough.
5. Use your hands to work the dough, kneading it until it is only a little tacky.  Use some more flour if necessary.
6. Divide the dough into two equal sized pieces and roll each out in turn, between two sheets of parchment paper, until you have a rectangle and the dough is about 1/8th inch in thickness.
7. If necessary cut and patch the dough to achieve a rectangle.  Then cut the dough in half along its’ length and cut each half into pieces about 2 inches in width. (you can make these any size you wish, as long as they are rolled thinly).
8. Place the dough crackers, on the parchment paper, onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they have browned nicely and they look crisp.  If they don’t seem to be crisply baked you can leave them in for longer.  It will depend on the thickness of the crackers.  If some seem baked and others not just remove the baked ones and leave the others for a little longer.
9. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Then store in an airtight container until you wish to serve them.