Rye Crisps

[BakerAunt]

Rye Crisps

The original recipe appeared in The Baking Sheet 13.1 (Holiday 2001), pp, 18-19. I've made some changes, by substituting in some buttermilk and deleting some specialty ingredients like dough relaxer and caramel color, and if you omit the deli rye flavor--as I did because I do not have it--they are still tasty. I reduced the salt by 1/2 tsp. These make a great crisp cracker. If you want to use water instead of the buttermilk, delete the baking soda and use 2 tsp. baking powder.

1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups medium rye flour (pumpernickel may also be used)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. or 2 tsp. caraway seed
[optional 2 tsp. Deli Rye Flavor]
2 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg white

Glaze: 1 egg yolk and 1 Tbs. milk or water

I proof my yeast in the water in the pan of the bread machine. Then add the buttermilk, oil, and egg white. Stir together the dry ingredients and add. Mix, using the dough cycle on the machine for 5-8 minutes until it becomes a cohesive mass. Cancel cycle. Remove dough to greased bowl and let rise at room temperature for one hour. Then refrigerate dough for several hours or overnight (up to 24 hours).

Note: If you use a mixer, the dry ingredients should be combined, then the oil mixed in before the other ingredients are added. (It's to inhibit some of the gluten development.) Don't overmix.

The first time I made these crackers, I rolled the dough out on parchment paper to a 14 x 17-inch rectangle on a little less than 1/8th inch thick, as the recipe directed. However, that was as large as my baking sheet, and the ones around the edge were a bit browner than desirable (although still tasty), so next time, I will divide the dough in half and work with a half at a time, so a 7 x 8 1/2-inch rectangle.

Prick the dough all over with a fork. Use a pizza wheel to cut into squares of desired size. (It's a lot easier to use centimeters in the quest for uniform squares.) You don't need to separate them. Mix up glaze and brush tops. I used my salt grinder to sprinkle some coarse salt on top. Let rest for 20-30 minutes while pre-heating oven to 375F.

Bake the crackers for 10 minutes at 375F, then reduce the temperature to 325F for 30-40 minutes. My crackers only needed 30 minutes. [Perhaps check earlier if you bake just half the dough at a time?]. Remove from oven. Break crackers apart and cool on rack.

Note: If the version with water is used, and a substitute is used for the egg wash, these crackers would work for vegan diets.

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• This topic was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

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