Homemade Olive Oil Crackers
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.
Servings 25 medium
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons scant 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 7 tablespoons water
- 5 teaspoons olive oil plus extra for brushing
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt flakes and sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Add water, and olive oil.
- 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.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This is necessary for the dough to relax so it can be stretched.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn out the dough onto a clean surface or countertop, lightly dusted with flour.
- Cut pieces of dough, about the size of a whole walnut.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake for about 6 or 7 minutes, until blistered, lightly golden, and dry.
- Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.
- Keep in a tin or airtight container.
Notes
Do a test run! This is important the first time you bake these to get a feel of how thin you need to roll them. If they don't dry well, they won't be crunchy and wonderful. So roll 1-2 balls, bake and adjust the thinness and the baking time if necessary.
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Resting the dough: once you have a good dough—no dry spots, and 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, which develops when you work it. The resting period softens this gluten structure and allows 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.
