Crisp Seeded Mega-Crackers

I love all sorts of crackers and I recently came across a cracker recipe that caught my attention....A Mega-cracker?! Wow...I was thrilled to try it! The following recipe makes crisp large sized crackers that look lovely as an addition to any bread basket. They go wonderfully well with dips , soft cheeses, hummus or even with eggplant dip. Hope you enjoy...

Dough Ingredients:

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2/3 cup toasted sesame seeds or a blend of your favorite small seeds( I used raw sesame and poppy seeds)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 cup cool water

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, seeds, and pepper. Stir in the olive oil, mixing thoroughly, then add the water, tossing with a fork until the dough becomes cohesive.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead and turn it over a few times to smooth it out.

3. Divide the dough into eight pieces and allow to rest , covered , for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 deg F.
If you have a baking stone be sure to use it (that is what I used). Just preheat the stone as well. It will make the crispiest crackers. (If you do not have a baking stone, bake these on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet set on the middle rack of your oven. Just increase your baking time by a couple more minutes on each side).

1. Roll one or two pieces of dough ( as many as will fit on your baking stone at once) as thin as possible; you'll make make rounds 8 to 9 inches across.

2. Using a peel or giant spatula, transfer the rounds to the stone and bake them for about 4 minutes(mine took about 5-6 min), then flip them over and bake about 2 minutes(mine took an additional 3 min.). Just make sure they are golden brown on both sides.
3. Remove the crackers from the oven as soon as they are brown and transfer to a rack to cool. Store crackers in an airtight container.