Buttery Rosemary Crisps
Crisp homemade crackers are possible if you
cut the butter into the flour as opposed to rubbing the butter into the flour.
If the dough is handled gently the result is a crisp buttery cracker.
I adapted this from a recipe I found in a magazine.
Crackers
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried
rosemary
½ teaspoon Fleur de
Sel or sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly
ground Tellicherry peppercorns
3 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, softened
3 tablespoons ice
water
3 tablespoons Cabernet
Sauvignon
1 tablespoon organic butter, melted
Toppings
(select one or try a little of each): Parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper,
Fleur de Sel, garlic salt, sesame seeds, pizza seasoning or poppy seeds.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Measure the flour into a medium bowl.
3. Crush the rosemary and salt in a mortar with a pestle for a few seconds.
Rosemary will not be completely crushed.
4. Stir salt, rosemary and pepper into the flour with a fork.
5. Use two knives to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly.
6. Mix the water and Cabernet together and add to the flour mixture all
at
once. Stir with a fork
just until all the flour is moistened. Press dough with
fingertips to form a soft dough but resist kneading the dough. If
absolutely
needed add another tablespoon water.
7. Press dough gently onto a floured breadboard and roll out to an 1/8
to 1/16
of an inch thick.
8. Cut out shapes with a small biscuit cutter or small cookie cutters.
Transfer
shapes to one baking
sheet. Use a fork to prick crackers at least three times
each.
9. With a pastry brush, brush melted butter over crackers. Sprinkle with
topping of your choice.
10. Bake at 350°
for 15 minutes and then raise heat to 425° and bake for an
additional 5-8 minutes or until toasted.