Plain Soda Crackers

These crackers are delicious and crisp - goes well with dip or cheese on top. Makes about 100 crackers.


Ingredients
1½ cups bread or all-purpose flour, approximately
1 package dry yeast (I use 1 tsp yeast)
¼ teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup hot water
½ teaspoon malt syrup
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons butter, melted


Method
1.Combine all the dry ingredients.

2.In a small bowl combine the hot water, malt syrup, shortening and butter. Stir to blend and pour the liquid into the dry ingredients

3.Stir vigorously to blend with a wooden spoon or with the mixer flat beater to a rough mass that can be worked under your hands or with the dough hook. If the dough is sticky, add liberal sprinkles of flour.

4. (At this stage, the dough will be too sticky to knead - I left it in the fridge for an hour). Knead until smooth, about 4 minutes.

5. Drop the dough into a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in fridge to relax for 1 hour or overnight.

The longer the better, up to 18 hours.

6. Roll the dough no thicker than 1/16". Fold the dough from the short ends, brushing off excess flour, to make 3 layers. Roll again - with the rolling pin or put through a pasta machine.

7. Prick the dough evenly with a fork. This keeps the crackers from excess blistering during baking. The closer the marks, the flatter the crackers. (In the bottom pic, I forgot until I saw the blisters when it was in the oven. Some say they preferred the blistered cracker )

8. Cut into desired shape with a knife or cookie cutter.



9. Place crackers close together on a baking sheet and sprinkle salt about 12" above the crackers.

10. Bake 10-20 minutes in 180C until lightly brown (watch carefully - it can get brown very quickly)



11. Brush the crackers with melted butter before removing them from the tray to cool on metal rack ( I did not do this)

Variations :
For sesame-onion crackers - add 4 tsp each sesame seed and grated onion
For herb crackers - add 4 tsp each fresh parsley and chives and 1/2tsp dried dillweed
or 4 tsp caraway seed or 2 tsp poppy seed

I have tried adding bacon stock - it was good.

Recipe : Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads (adapted)


This basket is weaved entirely from the plain soda cracker.



Redneck says……
Great with homemade dip.