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Flatbread Crackers

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Crackers for Lent and Other Times

We are heading into lent while under coronavirus lockdown. My church (yes, Raechel – you represent the ENTIRE church) has asked me to teach the congregation how to make their own bread for our virtual Maundy Thursday service. Somewhere there is a very strange video of me making these crackers – I hope everyone who sees it gets a good laugh. It seemed like crackers would be a natural fit – they are quick, relatively easy, and taste great.

Homemade crackers are a special sort of thing in our house – they honestly don’t happen very often. Under normal circumstances, we totally support whoever makes Triskets and Wheat Things.  But we aren’t under normal circumstances, and these crackers are kind of nice to make when you have a little extra time and want something special. If you are making them for this Thursday’s service, I hope you find some extra love in your heart knowing that a few other people may be doing the same thing.

Some Cracker Tips

  • Make them your own – these crackers are not meant to be perfect. If you don’t have an ingredient – substitute and use whatever you have around the kitchen. No olive oil? Melted butter or canola oil will be fine. No rolling pin? Use a wine bottle, you get the idea.
  • You can use any kind of flour you have around. Whole wheat flour works great. Throw a couple tablespoons of rye in there if you have it.
    • I’ll even attempt to give a gluten free alternative: substitute the white flour with a gluten free flour mix – if you have xanthin gum around, add 1/2 t if it isn’t already in your flour mix. Instead of kneading the dough, you’ll add just enough water to pat the dough into a ball with your hands. You probably won’t be able to knead your dough. And you may need to roll your dough between parchment paper.
  • Don’t be intimidated by kneading the bread dough. If you have never kneaded dough before, all you have to do is gather the dough into a ball, take the end of the ball that is farther from you, pull it over the dough, and gently push with the heel of your hand, then give the ball a quarter of a turn and repeat. In this recipe, the point of the kneading is simply to give the dough a better elasticity and cohesiveness.  If you are still nervous about kneading, check out this video.
  • I wrote this recipe based on doing the mixing and kneading by hand. This works well for this dough, but if you have a mixer or food processor, you can adapt the recipe to your tools.
  • You may find that your dough shrinks back when you roll it out. In this case, the gluten needs to relax a bit – so let the dough rest a few minutes longer.
  • If you wonder if your dough is rolled thin enough, then it probably isn’t thin enough. If you have a few holes from being rolled too thin, that’s okay. Think of these crackers as rustic.
  • I like to cut the dough into long strips before I bake it. The strips can be as thin or thick as you like. The strips allow the centers to get crispy without the edges getting too brown. I also like how the crackers break from the strips, they have a little consistency of width, but still have some rough edges. However, if you don’t want to cut the dough, you can cook the rolled dough in one big piece and see what you think. On the other end of the spectrum, if you want more consistently shaped and browned crackers, you can cut them all into even squares – just be aware that moving the crackers from the cutting board to the baking sheet can be time consuming. The easiest way to do this is by rolling and cutting the crackers on parchment and then moving the parchment and crackers to the baking tray in one big motion.
  • Finally, for the sourdough lovers out there, use 200 grams of sourdough starter (unfed is fine), and reduce your flour down to about 1 cup plus 2 T (132 grams). I’m assuming your starter is at 100% hydration, meaning for every gram of flour you feed it one gram of water. I suppose that making these with sourdough starter technically no longer makes these flatbread crackers. You can keep this in mind, if you are really looking for unleavened bread for lent.

 

Flatbread Crackers
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cup flour (use your favorite – I like 1 cup of white, 1/2 cup of whole wheat, but add in 2 T of rye for fun)
  • 2 t fresh herbs or 1/2 t dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, herbs de Provence)
  • 1/2 – 1 t coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1-3 t seeds (optional – sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds)
  • 1/2 c, finely shredded Parmesan (optional)
  • 3/4 t fine salt
  • 1 t sugar
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 c cold water
  • Optional Toppings
  • sesame seeds
  • poppy seeds
  • garlic flakes
  • course sea salt
  • seed mix (such as Everything Bagel seasoning)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
  2. Combine the flour, herbs, black pepper, seeds, cheese (if using) salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon to combine.
  3. Add oil to bowl and stir.
  4. Add all but 2 T of water to bowl to combine. Add remaining water 1 T at a time until the dough just forms a shaggy ball.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-4 minutes until it is smooth. Add flour just so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.
  6. Let the dough rest, covered with a towel, on the counter or in the bowl for 10 minutes.
  7. Divide the dough into 4 smaller balls.
  8. One at a time, roll each ball as thin as possible. If the dough shrinks back as you roll it, then allow to rest a few more minutes before continuing to roll it out.
  9. If you are adding a topping, sprinkle the topping on the dough and use the rolling pin to lightly roll the topping in place.
  10. Using a fork, poke the dough all over to prevent large air bubbles from forming.
  11. Cut the dough into 3-4 strips, place strips onto a baking sheet, and bake for 4 minutes. At four minutes, check the crackers, you can turn the strips over at this point to help them crisp or just leave them to cook on the first side. Either way, check every 2 minutes until they are crispy and lightly browned.
  12. When the cracker strips are crisp and slightly golden on the edges, remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack.
  13. Repeat rolling and baking process with remaining dough.
  14. Snap into smaller pieces.

 

Whole Wheat Bread – Single Loaf

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This is my go-to daily sandwich bread recipe. I normally make it in a large batch so I only have to bake bread once a week, but I know that approach isn’t necessary for everyone. Over the years of baking this bread, my technique has slowly morphed into the recipe that follows. If you’ve taken a class with me in the past, you may notice a few small differences between this recipe and the one you learned in class, but the essentials are the same. Likewise, I suspect that many of you have modified that first recipe to make it fit your kitchen and needs. The search for perfect bread is a long one, but this loaf comes pretty darn close, in my book.

Whole Wheat Bread – Single Loaf
Recipe Type: bread
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 loaf
This recipe is my basic go-to sandwich bread in a single loaf recipe size. Search my site for a 2-loaf recipe and a 6-loaf recipe. The flavor and taste of this bread depend greatly on the quality of the whole wheat flour – use freshly ground if you can find it.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of warm water (baby bath temperature)
  • 2 T oil (I like coconut oil or olive oil)
  • 2 T sugar (I use honey)
  • .5 cups of high protein white flour (such as King Arthur flour – red bag)
  • 2.5 cups of freshly milled whole wheat flour – divided (If you can’t find freshly ground, use 1 cup of bagged whole wheat flour)
  • 2 t instant yeast
  • 2 t salt (fine texture – if you only have course salt, dissolve it into a small bit of the water before adding it to the dough)
Instructions
  1. With the dough hook in your mixer, combine the warm water, honey and oil in the base of your mixer. Add 2 cups of the whole wheat flour and stir until combined. Let rest for 10-30 minutes. This will help strengthen the protein and gluten in the whole wheat flour.
  2. Add the instant yeast to the mixer bowl and pulse to combine.
  3. Add the white flour and the salt to the mixer. Turn the mixer to low speed and let combine. Add enough of the remaining whole wheat flour to the dough until it clears the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. You may not need all of the whole wheat flour. Turn the mixer to low-medium speed and allow it to knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable.
  4. Roll the dough it a little olive oil (or other cooking oil) and allow to rise in a large, covered bowl in a warm spot for about 45 minutes until it is just doubled in size. You should be able to poke the dough and it will feel soft and you’re finger will leave a slight indent.
  5. Oil your bread pan. Whole wheat breads do best in smaller pans – this loaf should fit nicely in a 4″x6.5″ pan, and weigh about 1 pound 6 ounces uncooked.
  6. Gently deflate the dough and shape it for your loaf pan. Shape by gently patting into a rectangle slightly wider than your pan. Roll the dough along the long length and gently pinch and seal the seam. Tuck the edges under towards the seam and place the loaf, seam side down, into your oiled bread pan.
  7. Oil the top of the loaf. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for about 30-45 minutes until the top of the dough is about 1 inch above the edge of the pan.
  8. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  9. When the dough has risen, gently move the pan into the oven and reduce the oven temp to 350. Cook for 30 minutes, until it is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the outside.

 

Whole Wheat Bread – Large Batch

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This is the exact recipe and method that I use at home for my family’s whole wheat sandwich bread. My mom and sister were recently visiting and watched me as a baked a big batch of whole wheat bread. Their comments while we were baking made me realize that it may be useful to write this down for anyone else who needs a refresher.

For this bread, I use a Bosch Mixer and freshly milled flour from my Nutrimill Grain Mill. This recipe is written exactly for this mixer and flour. I make no guarantees about whole wheat bread success if you are using different tools or ingredients. If you have a smaller capacity mixer, you may want to check out my recipe for Small Batch Sandwich Bread.

When I teach classes, I use this same exact method in my classes. If you took a whole wheat bread class from me a while back, it is quite possible that this recipe has evolved slightly since we baked together. The main change being that I now consistently add one cup of white, organic flour (store-bought!) to the batch of bread. I’m still using vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer, but the white flour seems to help greatly with a great rise on the bread.

As my sister, mom and I were baking, we also talked through lots of little techniques that can help with a great loaf of bread. We spoke about bread pan size, oiling the tops of the loaf, and the type of oil that I use. Every time I bake bread with someone, some specific questions come to light – maybe the sugar, type of salt, or oven temperature. Bread baking is also different during every season of the year, it’s one of the challenges that allows the baker a certain amount of pride when the loaves turn out perfectly.

If you want to learn this method in person, or just need a refresher course, give me a call or email me for more information.

Whole Wheat Bread – Large Batch
Recipe Type: Bread
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 loaves
This recipe uses a Bosch Mixer and freshly milled flour from a Nutrimill Grain Mill. If you want more information on the equipment or ingredients, let me know – I’m always happy to consult!
Ingredients
  • 6 cups of warm water (think, baby bath water)
  • approximately 16 cups of freshly milled flour using a Nutri Mill Grain Mill
  • 1 cup of organic, white flour
  • 2/3 cup (or 5 ounces) of olive or safflower oil
  • 2/3 cup (or 6 ounces) of honey
  • 2 T Vital Wheat Gluten, L’equip brand
  • 2 T Dough Enhancer, L’equip brand
  • 2 T instant yeast, SAF brand, not quick rising
  • 2 T fine sea salt, I use RealSalt brand
Instructions
  1. Add water to bowl of Bosch Mixer fitted with the dough hook.
  2. Add olive oil, honey, white flour, 8 cups of whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer and yeast.
  3. Turn Bosch to speed one and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
  4. Dough will be very wet, more like a batter consistency. Cover with bowl lid and let rest for 10 minutes. If you are short on time, you can skip this step.
  5. After ten minutes, open lid, add 4 more cups of whole wheat flour, and salt. Pulse a few times until combined.
  6. Turn Bosch to setting one and slowing add remaining flour about 1 cup at a time until the dough just cleans the side of the bowl and pulls away from the center post. For the last cup or so of flour, add it about 1/4 cup at a time. The dough can be slightly wet, as it will continue to absorb liquid as in kneads.
  7. Turn the machine to speed 2, replace lid and knead for 8 minutes.
  8. Remove dough onto a large oiled bread board or counter top. Divide into 6 portions. I measure mine into 1 pound 6 ounce portions. This is the perfect size for the 8.5″x4″ bread pans. Note that bread pans may have a different rise since the whole grain breads seem to rise better in a narrower pan.If you have larger pans, you may need to make 5 loaves or make more dough to make 6 loaves. To make 6 larger loaves, increase water in step one to 7 cups and add about 3 cups of flour to the recipe – everything else can stay the same.
  9. Shape bread and place into oiled pans.
  10. Oil the tops of the bread with olive oil.
  11. Allow to rise in a warm spot, away from drafts, until the bread is about 1 inch above the top of the pan – about 45 minutes.
  12. While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  13. Once the bread is risen, bake for 30 minutes until it is golden brown.
  14. Remove the baked bread from pans immediately and cool on racks.
  15. Allow to cool 3 hours before you bag it. These loaves can be frozen at this point.

If you are curious, here is short video of my Bosch kneading this recipe.

Video of Bosch kneading 9 lbs bread dough

Applesauce Cake

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This is a quick, simple cake that is great for using up the bottom of a jar of applesauce. My grandma used to make applesauce cake and while this isn’t her exact recipe, it does stir up fond memories. My favorite part of this cake is how the top turns into a crunchy layer while the cake is soft.

Applesauce Cake
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup of softened butter
  • 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups of flour – freshly milled whole wheat flour is the best!
  • 2 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 2 cups of applesauce, unsweetened
  • 1 cup of chopped walnuts
  • 2 T sugar, for topping
  • 1/2 t cinnamon, for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil bottom and sides of 8×8 cake pan.
  2. Beat butter in the bowl of your stand mixer using cake whisks. Add sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
  3. Combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Add dry ingredients alternately with applesauce to the butter mixture. Scrape bowl between additions.
  5. Stir in chopped walnuts.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  7. Combine 2 T sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon and sprinkle over top of cake.
  8. Bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick in the center comes clean.
  9. Let cool in pan before serving. We like to eat it a little warm.

 

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with a Chocolate Swirl

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Check out that chocolate swirl!

Check out that chocolate swirl!

Banana bread is almost a staple in our household. When I married my husband, he came with a banana bread recipe. For years, I’d worry that he’d notice if I’d messed with her recipe. But I have slowly managed the transition to my own recipe. Some of the changes have included switching up to whole wheat flour, reducing the sugar, and adding a little yogurt. But none of those changes compare to the most recent upgrade – adding peanut butter. I was messing around making homemade peanut butter (more about that later) and happened to look over at the brown bananas in the bowl. Suddenly banana bread and peanut butter had merged in my brain. The rest is history.

First, a bit on the bananas. You probably already know you want the brown ones. They are sweeter, have more flavor and mash better. But did you know you can peel and freeze the brown ones and then your banana bread making never needs to be controlled by the bananas again! Just pull out the bananas and give them 5 or 10 minutes to thaw before mashing. And I just use a potato masher to squash the bananas.

As a matter of fact, I usually make this recipe in a bowl and combine it with a wooden spoon, dough hook or rubber spatula – honestly, whatever is closer. The trick being not to over mix once you add the dry ingredients to the wet.

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Making the swirls

The chocolate swirl often seems like a lot of extra work to me. While it does put this bread up a notch, you can skip it and just fold the chocolate chips into the finished batter. Not as dramatic, but it does save time and a couple dirty dishes. And it still tastes great. Along that line, you can also leave the chocolate out completely. I’m not recommending it – but it is theoretically possible.

To make the swirls, spoon the two batters into the bowl in layers. Try to distribute the chocolate batter around the pan and once the batter is all in, use a knife to cut a wave pattern into the batter from one end of the pan to the other. Don’t make it too complicated – it will turn out great no matter how you do it.

And while we are talking about pans – use a larger 9×5 pan for this recipe. And remember to oil the pan. Even in my super non-stick awesome pan, the chocolate parts seemed to stick differently than the non-chocolate and it can make for a messy looking bread.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know how it turns out!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with a Chocolate Swirl
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16 slices
A fun take on a classic banana bread!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups of flour – I use freshly ground whole wheat flour for the best taste and nutrition
  • 3/4 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t fine sea salt (if using salted butter, reduce to 1/4 t)
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup (2 oz) of coconut oil or butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9×5 bread pan.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
  3. Peel bananas and mash in a large bowl – I use a potato masher for this!
  4. Add oil, sugar, peanut butter, eggs, and yogurt to the bananas and whisk to combine. You may still have banana lumps in the batter – that’s fine.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until flour is moistened. Don’t over mix.
  6. Melt the chocolate chips in a small bowl. I heat at high in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Add another 30 seconds in microwave and stir until the chips are melted. Let the chips cool for a couple minutes.
  7. Add one cup of the bread batter to the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
  8. Alternately spoon the batters into the prepared bread pan. Swirl with a knife.
  9. Bake for 75 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Depending on your oven, you may need to add 10 minutes (or even subtract 10 minutes). If your bread starts getting too brown towards the end of baking, cover with tin foil for the last part of the baking time.
  10. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.
  11. We wrap our uneaten bread in tin foil and store in the fridge. I hear it will keep days like this, but ours never lasts that long!

 

Sourdough English Muffins

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Sourdough English Muffins

A fresh batch of sourdough English muffins

I believe that these Sourdough English Muffins are reason enough to maintain a jar of sourdough starter in your fridge. They are not super difficult to make, but they do take a little bit of time and love. But they are so delicious and so much healthier for you than the store bought version. Once you get spoiled with homemade breads, it really gets hard to go back to the mass produced stuff.

Sourdough English Muffins

Sourdough Starter

Like most sourdough recipes, you’ll need to do a little planning for these muffins. You’ll make your dough the night before and it should rest in the fridge overnight (8-12 hours). Make sure you put the dough in the fridge during the rest period. If you leave it on the counter, they won’t have any rise left in them for baking and you’ll end up with hockey pucks. And along that line, be sure to use instant yeast in your recipe. I use SAF red instant yeast – it has a different lifespan that the normal quick rise yeast that you typically find in the grocery store. the quick rise will die off by the time your long rise is over and you’ll end up with the hockey puck problem again.

In the morning, you pull the dough out of the fridge, shape your muffins, and “bake” them off. You could also start the process in the morning and finish off that evening – but you’d loose the beauty of fresh English muffins for breakfast. And, really, what’s the point of that?

Once you pull the muffins out of the fridge, I divide the dough into muffin sized portion. The engineer in me always weighs each portion to make sure they are all about the same size. Normal people probably don’t do this. But, I find that 1.7 ounces of dough makes a nice, small muffin that is still big enough to hold an egg sandwich. 2 ounces is a medium sized muffin and 2.3 ounces would be a monster size around our house. When I do 1.7 ounce portions, I usually end up with about 2 and half dozen muffins. Once I have the dough portioned out, I shape them into flat rounds. This is one of the best parts of the recipe. There is just something about handling a nice bread dough. Place the rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet. You can sprinkle course ground corn meal or semolina on the parchment so you have a little crunch to your final muffin. It is a nice touch, but my corn meal usually ends up burning on the cast iron skillet. I guess its a little give and take that way.

Sourdough English Muffins

Muffins cooking on stovetop

And speaking of baking, English muffins aren’t really baked. They are cooked on the stovetop – kind of like tortillas. I cook mine on a cast iron skillet. They will puff up as they hit the heat and it’s a pretty fun thing for the kids (and grownups) to watch. Sometimes mine brown too quickly and aren’t quite done in the centers. If that happens you, can finish them off in  a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until the centers reach 190 degrees. I don’t really ever stress about the centers being done. I usually end up splitting most of the muffins and freezing them. When I’m ready to eat the muffins, I toast them – so the centers get finished that way.

As written, this recipe for English Muffins does not rely entirely on the sourdough to give the rise to the muffins. It is kind of a cheater recipe for sourdough. Which makes it a great recipe for anyone who is just starting out with sourdough and is working at gaining confidence in their skills. If you want to convert it to 100% sourdough, then you should 1) make sure your starter is fed and active and 2) eliminate the instant yeast and optional citric acid.

I hope you enjoy these sourdough English muffins!

Sourdough English Muffins
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 30 muffins
As with all things whole wheat, if you aren’t using freshly milled whole wheat flour, you can substitute a high quality store a combination of 1/2 store bought white whole wheat flour and white flour, but your final product will be slightly different than mine in taste, texture, and nutrition.
Ingredients
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (110-115 degree F)
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 T instant yeast (optional if you are using active, fed sourdough starter)
  • 1 c sourdough starter, fed or unfed; fed will give you a more vigorous rise
  • 7-8 cups white whole wheat flour – freshly milled flour strongly recommended!
  • 1/4 c (4 T) butter, at room temperature
  • 1 T salt
  • 1/4 t citric acid (optional, for added sour flavor)
  • semolina or course corn meal, for coating
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients, except, flour and semolina, in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Add flour until dough is soft and at the right consistency for kneading. If using a Bosch universal, you should add flour until the dough just cleans the sides of the bowl. If using an Ankarsrum the dough should pull from the sides of the bowl and form a donut around the kneading arm. The dough can be a little sticky – it will continue to absorb moisture as it rises.
  3. Knead using the mixer for 6-12 minutes (Bosch or Ankarsrum mixers will need 6 minutes while other mixers may need 12 or more minutes) until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
  4. Oil dough, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or lid. Refrigerate over night or 8-12 hours.
  5. About 1-2 hours before you are ready to make muffins, take dough out of fridge and let come to room temperature. This step can be skipped, if you don’t have time.
  6. Portion dough out for muffins (1.7-2.3 ounces, depending on size preference) and shape into flat rounds.
  7. Warm cast iron skillet on stovetop to a low or medium low setting.
  8. Rest muffins on a cookie pan coated with course ground semolina.
  9. Cook muffins in pan about 5 minutes each side until dark brown. Internal temperature should be 190 degrees. If the muffins brown before being done, they can be finished in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes on a baking sheet.
  10. Split using a fork. Extra muffins freeze perfectly and are perfect for toasting for breakfast.

 

Whole Wheat Crackers

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Whole Grain Crackers

I feel I should start this recipe description with a warning – these crackers are addictive! Now we can move on.

Crackers are one of the few foods that we still buy in packaged form. The man loves Wheat Thins and even though I rarely buy them for him, I will occasionally find boxes in the pantry after I’ve sent him to the store for other things. And to be honest, Wheat Thins are not all that bad as far as processed foods go – there are not many ingredients and I can pronounce all of them.

But I have this desire to be able to bake things myself instead of having to buy them. If you need a box of crackers at the last minute, it often seems like it should be easier and quicker to whip some up instead of heading out to the store. And crackers really don’t seem like they should be that hard. And they aren’t – but I have had a difficult time finding a good recipe. I’ve tried several different recipes over the last year or so and I basically gave up looking because nothing was as good, quick or easy as the boxed ones. But I was recently inspired to try some new recipes and this time I’m pretty sure I hit the cracker jack pot.

The recipe itself is super simple – basic ingredients that you’ll probably have on hand.

You can play with the flours you use in these crackers

You can play with the flours you use in these crackers

If you know me, then you can probably guess that I’ve been making these crackers with freshly ground whole grain wheat flour. I’ve been playing with different heritage wheat varieties such as Einkorn, and I’ve also played with subbing some buckwheat flour for the wheat flour. The buckwheat made the crackers a little chewier that the all wheat version. If you aren’t milling your own flour and don’t have any on hand, this recipe will also work with a good store bought whole wheat or white flour.

Your dough should be sticky.

Your dough should be sticky.

When you mix up the dough, it should be sticky. Just be generous in flouring your dough as you roll it out.

I like a few seeds on my crackers. For my favorite seed mix, I combine equal amounts of caraway seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds in a little jar and then sprinkle away. This mix is one I use on bagels and dinner rolls. You could really use any seed, herb or finely ground nuts as the topping – have fun with it. To get the seeds to stick, I rolled the dough out just a tiny bit thicker than I want it at the end. Then I sprinkle the seeds on and finish rolling the dough out. This way you won’t have seeds everywhere in your kitchen except where you want them.

Using your rolling pin, lightly roll the seeds onto the crackers.

Using your rolling pin, lightly roll the seeds onto the crackers.

Whole Wheat Crackers
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
These simple crackers are amazingly tasty. Roll them really thin for a super crispy treat or a little thicker if you like your crackers a little chewy.
Ingredients
  • 3 cups of whole grain wheat flour
  • 2 t sugar
  • 2 t salt
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 1 cup water
  • topping, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 and place the rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven.
  2. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Stir oil and water into dry ingredients. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
  4. Divide the dough into halves. Cover one half with a clean towel.
  5. Pat the other half into a rectangle and place onto a floured surface.
  6. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/8″ thickness or thinner. Add flour as necessary to control stickiness.
  7. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the dough and gently roll the topping into the dough.
  8. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1-inch x 2-inch crackers – or whatever shape you fancy.
  9. Poke each cracker with a fork and line up onto an oiled cookie sheet. Place the crackers as close as possible, they won’t spread.
  10. Bake 12-15 minutes, one sheet at a time. Check at 12 minutes for desired doneness. If some crackers bake quicker than others (because they are thinner or in the center of the pan) you can pull them off and bake the remainder a few minutes longer.
  11. Repeat with remaining dough.

 

My Thoughts on Flour

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I’ve been meaning to put this article out here for a while. These are just my personal opinions on flour and food. I make no claims to know what is really affecting so many people’s bodies. Is it gluten? Or is it too much sugar? Too much processing? Too many chemicals? Or a combination of all of these things?
I don’t really know the correct answer – and honestly, I don’t think anyone really does. But, like most people, I have some thoughts on the subject. And once in a while someone asks me why I mill my own flour. People might be aware that white flour isn’t that great for us, but they wonder if there is really much difference between store bought and freshly ground whole wheat flour. And honestly, when I was first introduced to the concept of flour milling, I wasn’t sold on the idea that it was so much healthy. But it didn’t take long for me to be convinced. All I had to do was make a loaf of bread using the freshly milled flour and I was converted. The dough was softer than any dough I’d made using whole wheat flour. And the bread tasted fabulous.
I think that because we don’t hear about flour milling very often that people assume it must be something that is difficult or time consuming. If you’ve been to one of my classes, you already know that it’s neither of those things. If you grind your coffee beans most mornings, then you are already exerting the same amount of effort as I do when I grind flour. So, it’s not hard. And as a mother of four who occasionally fits in a little civil engineering on the side, I honestly don’t have time for anything that adds an extra challenge. But I do make time for things that I feel make a difference to the quality of my family’s food and health – and flour is one of the easiest places I’ve found to make a difference. Plus baking your own bread is a rewarding and relaxing experience in its own right.

Before wheat berries are ground into flour, they can be considered a live food. If they are exposed to moisture, they will sprout and germinate. When they are ground into flour, they immediately begin to oxidize. And just like your coffee beans, the flour will taste better when it is freshly ground. Oxidation also affects the vitamin and nutrient levels in the flour. Most of the vitamins and nutrients are contained in the wheat germ. There is also Vitamin E oil in the wheat germ. Over time, the Vitamin E oil eventually will go rancid in whole wheat flours. If you have ever had whole wheat flour that tastes bitter, it is likely it’s been sitting on the shelf too long. This is one of the reasons that white flour became so popular for mass production – it has the germ removed for shelf stability, but removing the germ also removes the vitamins and nutrients from the flour. White flour also has the bran removed, which contains fiber and helps with digestion. All of this processing means that white flour barely resembles the original whole wheat flour made directly from wheat berries.

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Source for image: http://wbc.agr.mt.gov/wbc/Consumer/Diagram_kernel/

I can go on and on about the flour. But really, in the end, you should decide for yourself. Here’s some ideas to start:

  • Do some research on processed flour. While it can be hard to find clear, non-biased articles, try this one on WebMD as a start and then try googling processed flour. You’ll find that flour is one of the most processed foods in our grocery stores.
  • Take one of my classes or find a local class on whole grain baking. You’ll learn something new and get lots of samples. Try this link through Bosch Kitchen Centers to locate other demonstrators who teach milling and whole grains.
  • Bake your favorite recipe using freshly milled whole grain flour and see if you don’t love it.

 

Sourdough Beer Pizza Crust

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Sourdough Beer Pizza Crust

Sourdough Beer Pizza Crust

Pizza is one of the best yeast breads for beginning bread maker. Since pizza crusts can be thin, thick, crispy or chewy, there is a lot of error in making pizza dough. So, if you’re just starting out with yeast breads, pizza is a good place to start.

This recipe calls for durum wheat flour. If you’ve never tried durum or semolina flour, it has a courser texture than most flours. It will give your crust a little extra bite or chewiness.  But don’t skip this recipe just because  you don’t have durum flour, substitute it with whole wheat flour and you’ll still end up with a great pizza crust.

This recipe is a little unique by callinpizza ingredientsg for beer as the liquid. But here’s the thing, you can’t really taste the beer in the final pizza crust. So use the cheap beer in the recipe and save the good stuff for drinking. That being said, I do try to use the good olive oil when I’m baking.

 

 

Sourdough Beer Pizza Crust
Recipe Type: bread
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4 pizzas
If you don’t have durum wheat flour, just substitute it with whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sourdough starter, fed or unfed
  • 1 1/2 cups of room temperature beer
  • 2 t instant yeast
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 1/2 t salt
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups (11 oz) of whole wheat flour, I use freshly milled flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (6.7 oz) of durum wheat flour, I use freshly milled flour
Instructions
  1. Combine the sourdough starter and beer in the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl. Stir until starter is dissolved.
  2. Add yeast, baking powder, salt and olive oil to the beer mixture.
  3. Add flours to remaining ingredients to make a slightly sticky dough. Adjust the flour or add water to make a nice, sticky consistency.
  4. Knead dough until it is smooth, but still a little sticky. Add as little extra flour during the kneading as possible so that the dough stays sticky. Using a stand mixer will help with the kneading.
  5. Let dough rest 2-4 hours on the countertop.
  6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. If you have a baking stone, preheat it in the oven.
  7. Divide dough into 2 to 4 round and shape each round into a pizza. I shape mine onto parchment paper.
  8. Use a wooden peel to slide each dough one at a time onto the pizza stone. If you don’t have a pizza stone, bake the dough on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes until just crisp. Remove from the oven.
  9. Add pizza toppings to the dough and bake another 7 minutes until cheese is melted.

 

Whole Wheat Bread (small batch)

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This is essentially the same recipe that I teach in my bread classes, but it is adjusted for a smaller capacity mixer than the Bosch Universal or Ankarsrum.

The real trick to making this 100% whole grain bread work is using freshly milled flour.  If you try making this with store bought flour, it will end up being a very dense bread.  Consider yourself warned!

This recipe will give you a soft, beautiful loaf – just perfect for sandwiches.  And so much more nutritious than anything you can get from the store.  Enjoy!

Whole Grain Sandwich Bread Small Batch
Recipe Type: Bread
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 loaves
For those of you who are milling your own flour but are using a mixer other than a Bosch or Ankersrum, this is a method for making two loaves of whole grain bread. The results will be similar to using one of my mixers, but you’ll have a little more time involved. Win some, loose some!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups of warm water (bath tub temp)
  • 2 t instant yeast
  • 2 T vital wheat gluten (optional, but helpful if you have it)
  • 2 T dough enhancer (optional, but helpful if you have it) or substitute with 2 T unpasterized apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1/4 cup of coconut oil
  • 2 t salt
  • 1/2 cup of white flour
  • 6 cups of whole wheat flour, approximate – freshly milled is best
Instructions
  1. Combine water through coconut oil in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Add white flour and 2 and 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and stir till combined.
  3. Stir in salt and 1 more cup of the flour.
  4. With machine running, add remaining flour until the dough is soft and not too sticky.
  5. Allow wet dough to rest for 10 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate.
  6. Knead for about 10-12 minutes on the lowest mixer setting, until the dough is smooth and passes the window pane test.
  7. Place the dough in an oiled pan and let rise, covered, until about doubled in size.
  8. Gently deflate dough and shape into two loaves (8.5 x 4 pans work best for whole grain breads), oil tops of loaves with a small amount of olive oil or cover gently with a towel.
  9. Let rise a second time until the dough is about 1 inch above the lip of the pan.
  10. Bake in a 350 degree oven, 30 minutes, until golden brown.
  11. Remove loaves from pans immediately and cool on a cooling rack.