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Ottolenghi's Olive Oil Crackers

Ottolenghi's Olive Oil Crackers

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5 from 3 reviews

Crisp, with a hint of sea salt, these Olive Oil Crackers are the best reason to get the rolling pin out. The seeds add a lot of crunchiness.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 25 medium

Ingredients

Units
  • Scant 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Scant 1/2 cup (115ml) water
  • 5 teaspoons (25ml) olive oil, plus extra for brushing
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Sea salt flakes and sesame seeds, (for sprinkling)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
  2. Add water, and olive oil.
  3. Mix with a fork first and your hands then, to form a soft dough. It needs to have a firm consistency, but add more water if too dry, a few drops at a time.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This is necessary for the dough to relax so it can be stretched.
  5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF / 220ºC.
  6. Line baking sheets with wax paper.
  7. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface or countertop, lightly dusted with flour.
  8. Cut pieces of dough, about the size of a whole walnut.
  9. Roll each piece until as thin as possible without tearing. You need to work with several pieces at a time, stretching them as much as you can and letting them rest. Then go back to the first one and stretch it a little bit more.
  10. Place the dough rounds on the sheets, brush them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with sea salt flakes and sesame seeds. Press lightly into the dough so they stay put during baking. 
  11. Bake for about 6 or 7 minutes, until blistered, golden, and dry.
  12. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.
  13. Keep in a tin or airtight container.

Notes

Resting: once you have a good dough - no dry spots, not overly wet either - let it rest for 1 hour. The dough needs to relax in order to become pliable enough to roll thinly. Flour has gluten and it develops when you work it. The resting period makes this gluten structure relax and allow the dough to become more elastic.

Rolling: the dough nuggets need to be rolled thin, otherwise, your crackers will be thick and not crunchy enough. If you see that you roll the dough and it shrinks back, it needs to relax some more. Leave it covered with a clean kitchen towel for a few minutes and try again. Eventually, it will roll to the desired thickness.

Toppings: I brush the rolled pieces with water and sprinkle with Maldon salt and sesame seeds. Press them gently so they adhere to the dough. Many of them will fall anyway after baking, so you might consider adding the sesame seeds when you make the dough ball. So you have the seeds in the dough and not as a topping. Or omit them altogether.

Keeping: they keep well for a week if kept in airtight tins (ideally) or containers. Metal tins with good lids are the best.

  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 75
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Category: Crackers
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: International

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/25
  • Calories: 52
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 47.5 mg
  • Fat: 1.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 8.2 g
  • Fiber: 0.5 g
  • Protein: 1.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg