Crisp Rosemary and Sesame Flatbread....made into Crackers

Crisp Rosemary Sesame Flatbread....made into Crackers. I hardly ever buy crackers anymore...for some reason I find they taste much better homemade...plus, I know exactly what goes in them. Making the crackers at home also allows you to play around with seasoning. You can add various spices, nuts and herbs to your liking. This actual recipe comes from a 2008 Gourmet Magazine issue, that is also posted on Epicurious. I was actually inspired to make it after I saw it on several blogs....including Smitten Kitchen. It seemed that everyone loved this simple-to-make flatbread/cracker. So, I decided to make it. When making crackers, I usually like to make my Parmesan-Sesame crackers or the Goldfish crackers. But this sounded easy to do, plus I had plenty of fresh rosemary in my garden. The crackers are easy to make, as long as you make them in large discs(tortilla style). If you decide to make them in assorted shapes, it will take you a bit longer, just because of all the cutting and re-rolling of the dough. But I think they look cuter....especially the flowers:). I did manage to make some "football" shapes so that it wouldn't be all girlie:). But however you make them, these crackers are delicious. It is important to roll the dough pretty thin... Try to keep the edges of the rolled out cracker the same thickness(or thinness) as the middle part. Otherwise, the outside edge will brown quicker than the middle. These are just tips...it really isn't that complicated.

The recipe uses heavy cookie sheets to bake the crackers. I don't know about your cookie sheets, but mine always bend at high temps. They make this loud popping noise that always scares me. So, I used my baking stone instead:)...

I decided to add a few other ingredients to mine, just because I wanted to bring in additional flavor...and to make the crackers my own. I added some dried onion, black and white sesame seeds and rosemary. They were really flavorful...I loved the green specks of rosemary peeking through. The black sesame seeds really stood out against the light colored cracker. You can also use poppy seeds instead of the black sesame seeds....or simply follow the original recipe. We loved the crackers plain...and also with some hummus. They were gone before we knew it:). Hope you enjoy...

You will need: adapted from Epicurious

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsps-1 TBS chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1 TBS dried onion flakes~optional

1 TBS sesame( you can use black and white)~optional

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet(or pizza stone~which is what I used) on rack in middle.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, chopped rosemary, sesame seeds(if using), dried onion(if using), baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center. Add the water and and then add the oil. Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon until a dough forms and all the flour is incorporated. Place the dough on a countertop, and knead it gently 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces. Roll out 1 piece on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round Don't worry about making a perfect circle...it can be rustic. Just make sure the dough is thin...very thin. If the dough is not thin it will be "bready". Keep the remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap.

Now I made one round piece, but as always, I like to make it harder on myself by changing a few things:). I decided to make a few different shapes...flower, football shapes, round shapes, big and small triangles.... I liked the flower and the long triangles the best. The long triangles will definitely make a statement in a bread basket...for some reason I didn't take a good picture of those.

Slide round cracker dough~or shapes~with the parchment paper onto preheated baking sheet(or stone) and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. I noticed the time was different on the pizza stone...it took only about 4-6 minutes. It is important to watch the time as the crackers can burn easily...every oven is different, so do keep a watchful eye.

Transfer flatbread to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds or more shapes. Break the round flatbread into pieces. Serve with various dips, hummus, or eat as a snack.