Sesame Spelt Crackers for BBD#65

The theme for Bread Baking Day #35 is Crispy Breads. And, you know me, any chance to make crackers or crispy breads and I’m there.

I ran out of month before I got to this challenge so I’m getting my submission in on the last day. Fortunately, these Sesame Crackers are quick and easy. 

Eva from Kochpoetin invited us to bake crisp breads risen by yeast, sourdough or without any rising agent. These crunchy breads could be made of whole meal, a mixture of different kinds of flours or simply made of whole purpose flour. We were also encouraged to add seeds, cheese, nuts, dried fruit, or to just let our imaginations run wild!

My flour of choice for these crackers was spelt. I used a combination of whole grain spelt and white spelt flours. These crackers are risen with yeast and enriched with butter, honey and topped with lot’s of sesame seeds.

These crackers are rolled out really thin and cut into long thin strips, then baked.  After you remove them from the oven, you break them into the size you want for serving with cheese, fruit, hummus or just plain for snacking. 

 

Sesame Spelt Crackers

Adapted from: Sesame Crackers from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads

Makes: 8 Eighteen-inch-long strips (or more if you roll them out thinner/smaller)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole grain spelt flour
• 2 cups all-purpose spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm,
• Extra melted butter or olive oil, for brushing
• ~1/2 cup sesame seeds for sprinkling

 

Directions:

Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

I made these crackers by hand, but you can use a mixer or the EZ DOH if you prefer.

Add 1 cup each of white and whole grain spelt flour (or regular bread flour/whole wheat flour if desired) and add the yeast and salt.

In another container, mix together the hot water, honey, and melted butter.  Slowly pour the liquid mixture into flour mixture.  Mix thoroughly with a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon.  Add the remaining white spelt flour, 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Add sprinkles of flour if the dough is sticky.

Lightly grease or butter a bowl.  Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let the dough ferment for 1 hour.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. before you start the shaping process to give it time to heat up.

Divide the dough into 2-4* pieces.  Work with one piece at a time and cover the remaining pieces with plastic wrap.

Press one ball into a rough rectangle on the parchment paper.  Roll the dough into a thin rectangle the length of the parchment paper (or baking sheet) about 6” to 8” wide. Focus more on getting the dough really thin than on the size of the rectangle. If the dough fights with you – i.e. snaps back as it’s being rolled, just let it relax for a few minutes. This would be a good time for you to take a break as well.

*The first time I tried this, I divided the dough into 2 pieces and rolled out the dough as much as I could on the parchment paper.  The crackers weren’t as thin as I would’ve liked so I divided the 2nd ball into 2 pieces. This allowed me to roll it out thinner. That worked better for me.

Cut the dough into long strips about 1 1/2 – 2-inches wide using a pizza wheel or sharp knife. Prick each cracker with the tines of a fork. Brush with melted butter or olive oil (I tried both, the olive oil was easier). Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Gently press the seeds into the dough so they’ll stay on a little better.

 

Place the crackers (on the parchment paper) on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven.  Bake until the crackers are golden brown and dry.  The thickness of your crackers will determine the baking time.  It will range anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. The thinner crackers around the edge are prone to burn so you’ll need to watch the crackers carefully.

Remove the crackers from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.  Break the long strips apart and then break them into smaller pieces.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls. Or, cover the remaining balls with plastic wrap and bake later. The dough can be refrigerated until the next day.

I served these crackers with spinach and artichoke hummus for an appetizer/dinner. They work really well for dipping and munching.

 

These crackers should keep well for 2 or 3 weeks if they are stored in a tightly covered container.  Mine won’t last that long because I like to snack on them.

Thanks to Eva from Kochpoetin for choosing nibble, nibble, crunch, crunch as the theme for Bread Baking Day #65.  And many thanks to Zorra for creating this event many years ago.

 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Sesame Einkorn Crackers

I’m revisiting Einkorn this month. I keep hearing good things about this grain so I decided it warranted further experimentation. I’m curious to find out how it performs and tastes in recipes that typically call for modern whole wheat flour. For this experiment, I made crackers using only Einkorn flour.

 

Einkorn is called the grain of the ancients. It has a unique light, rich taste and is twice as high in protein and many trace minerals as modern wheat. Some people with gluten sensitivities can tolerate Einkorn’s natural gluten because it is a different species of wheat (T. monococcum). Modern wheat evolved from wild emmer (T. dicoccoides). Einkorn is not related to emmer or modern wheat, and has been untampered since ancient days.
Source: http://www.growseed.org/einkorn.html

I’ve made these crackers a few times.  The first time I made them with home-milled whole grain Einkorn flour and another time, I used 80% extraction Einkorn flour.  Both versions tasted great. The dough for these crackers also includes sesame seeds, olive oil, and a little bit of salt and water.

The Einkorn crackers are simple to make and very healthy.  Plus, they taste great!  My taste tester came over a couple of days after I made them and asked if he could try them. I had a sheepish grin on my face because I had almost eaten all 4 dozen of them, but I did have a little bag left that I shared, reluctantly… I mean gladly. 

 

 

Sesame einkorn Crackers

Yield: About four dozen crackers, depending how thinly you roll them and how small you cut them

Adapted from Homemade Whole Grain Crackers, New York Times, May 2, 2011

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups Einkorn flour (80% extraction or whole grain flour)
• 1/2 cup toasted (or untoasted) sesame seeds
• 5/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
• 2 to 4 tablespoons water (more or less as needed)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the oven racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Mix together the Einkorn flour, sesame seeds and salt in a mixing bowl.

 

3. Add the oil and cut in with a fork.

 

4. Add the water, and mix with your hands, until the dough forms a ball.

 

5. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.

 

6. Cut into desired shapes and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheets.  The crackers should be close together but not touching.  I used a pizza wheel to cut squares. 

 

7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Halfway through baking cycle, rotate the baking sheets from front to back and top to middle. Allow the crackers to cool on wire racks before serving.

I liked these crackers and so did my taste tester.  They are addictive. They have a unique and nutty flavor.  They could use a bit more salt, but other than that, they tasted great.

 

Storing the crackers: These will keep for about a week in an airtight container, but they taste so good, they probably won’t last that long.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy