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Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers
I adapted this recipe from one on the King Arthur website. My sourdough starter is not particularly thick, so instead of 1 cup of flour to 1 cup of starter, I use 1 1/4 cups of flour to 1 cup of starter. I've made some other changes as well. I usually make a double recipe because a single recipe is eaten too fast in our house.
1 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbs. flax meal
1/4 cup cheese powder (King Arthur Vermont Cheese Powder)1 cup unfed sourdough starter (what would be removed before feeding the starter)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softenedGrapeseed oil and coarse salt
Mix together all ingredients until combined into a smooth dough. (I use the flat beater of my Cuisinart stand mixer and mix on speed 2.)
Divide dough in half, weighing to make equal amounts. Flatten into a small rectangle--about 5x4 inches--and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a few days. The dough is easier to work with after that period, and the taste is even more excellent. I've refrigerated it for as long as a week but prefer 3-4 days.
Bring the dough to room temperature. I usually let one wrapped piece sit on the counter, then take out the next piece before I start working with the first one,
Preheat oven to 400F.
On a half-sheet sized piece of parchment paper, place the dough, cover with a large piece of plastic wrap, and roll out to a rectangle with dough 1/16th of an inch thick. I use "pie wands" that are 1/16th inch and a long cylindrical rolling pin to get the dough even. The rectangle should not be too long or too wide; that way the crackers will bake more evenly. Remove the plastic wrap.
[Note: Since posting this recipe, I've discovered that it is best to dock the dough all over with a fork--or if you have one a dough docker--before brushing with the oil.] Lightly brush the dough with grapeseed oil. (I've tried olive oil and canola oil, and I prefer the neutral taste of the grapeseed oil.) Using a pizza wheel cutter, cut the dough into 1 1/4 inch squares or 3 cm. squares. (Hint: measure in centimeters; it makes doing the division a breeze!) Sprinkle with coarse salt. Slide the parchment onto a large baking sheet.
Bake for about 18 minutes, turning the sheet around after 9 minutes. The time will depend on your oven and the thickness of your baking sheets, as well as how thin you were able to roll the dough. You might want to check at 18 minutes. When crackers are lightly browned, remove from oven. I usually break apart any that have not yet separated. I remove the parchment (and reuse it!), push around the crackers so they are spaced away from each other, and leave the crackers on the metal pan so that the heat can continue to crisp them on top of the stove. After 18 minutes, I then move them to a rack to finish cooling.
When completely cool, store in an air-tight container.
Variation: Omit the cheese powder and use 2 Tbs. {Penzey's Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Base.) Their Italian salad dressing blend would probably also work well.
Other Possible Variations: Use 2 Tbs. of the herbs of your choice and add 1/2 tsp. salt. (The salt is omitted in the other versions because cheese powder and spice mixes always include salt.)
The recipe I submitted is for a single batch, but I always double it. Recently, I had to reduce saturated fat in my diet. I found that with a double recipe of these crackers, I can substitute 1/3 cup of canola oil for the butter. To improve taste, I also add 2 Tbs. special dried milk with the flours.
In addition to being lower in saturated fat, and tasting good, the oil version rolls out much more easily and more quickly than the butter version.
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