Time really flies and we are now at Bake Along event no. 45 already! I have thought of skipping this post but since I was experimenting on crackers, I thought I may as well give this William Sonoma's recipe a try too! I must say this recipe came out more flaky and crispy than the other two crackers that I have baked using another recipe. The original recipe just bake it in a sheet and then break it up into smaller pieces after baking. I decided to put my pasta machine to good use and roll the dough as thin as I could and then cut out the shapes. Overall a nice texture but too salty as I have forgotten I have used salted butter! I would reduce or omit the salt the next time I make this.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt(omit if using salted butter)
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds(used mustard powder instead)
1/2 Tb. solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 Tb. cold unsalted butter(I used salted)
1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more, if needed
Directions using hand power method:D
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, pepper, poppy and sesame seeds. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of peas. Pour in the 1/4 cup cream and mix with a fork until a rough mass forms.
Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently squeeze it together. Add a few more drops of cream if the dough will not hold a soft shape. Gently press the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or for up to 1 hour.
Preheat an oven to 350°F(Mine at 160DegC) . Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unwrap the dough disk and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangular sheet as thin as possible without tearing, dusting it with flour as needed to prevent sticking to either the work surface or the rolling pin. Trim the edges of the dough to fit the prepared pan, then carefully transfer the dough to the pan. Alternatively, using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the sheets of dough into shapes and place on the pans. (I used the pasta machine to roll out the dough before cutting into rounds and bake).
Bake 1 sheet of crackers at a time until they are crisp and brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely until crisp. If you have baked the dough in sheets, break each sheet into shards.
The crackers are best when eaten fresh, store unfinished crackers in an airtight container to retain their crispiness.
I am linking this post to Bake Along event hosted by lena of frozen wings who chose this crackers recipe, Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids. Please click on the link below to see the rest of the bloggers' posts.
