Seeded Crackers Alton Brown Recipes

SEEDY CRISPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl whisk together both flours, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt, and baking powder. Add the oil and stir until combined. Add the water and stir to combine and create a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• For a thin snacking cracker: On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough to 1/16-inch and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. If there is room on the sheet pan, repeat with a second piece of dough. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 4 minutes then flip and bake for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. When cool, break into desired size pieces. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
• For a thicker dipping cracker: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough as above but to 1/8-inch thick. Bake for 6 minutes on the first side, then flip and bake another 4 to 6 minutes.
• For super even thickness and easy rolling: Roll out using a lightly floured pasta roller. Flatten the dough until it will pass through the first setting and go to the highest number that your pasta roller will allow without tearing the dough. Bake according to the thin cracker instructions.
• Note: Baking times will vary depending on exact thickness of dough and oven temperature, so watch them closely. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

GRAHAM CRACKERS

Steps:

• Place both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the molasses, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball, approximately 1 minute. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Unwrap the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick. Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough, using a rolling pizza cutter into 2-inch square pieces, by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Trim off any excess. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dough. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

SEEDED CRACKERS - ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• Combine in a medium bowl: both flours, both seeds, salt, baking powder. Stir well. Stir in oil. Add water and stir until just combined.
• Turn dough out onto a floured board. Knead a few times, to ensure dough is evenly mixed and smooth. Cut into 8 pieces and cover with a towel 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Flatten one dough ball and pass through a pasta roller at the widest setting. Reduce the pasta roller and continue rolling through and tightening down until dough is about 1/8" thick. Place dough sheet on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using pizza cutter, cut sheets into 2x2" squares, removing any leftover irregular edges. Bake 8-12 minutes or until browned and crisp. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Store in a zip top bag with as much air removed as possible. Use within 2 week.s.

ALTON BROWN CHEESE CRACKERS

Steps:

• In a medium glass bowl, with clean hands mix together 4.5 ounces flour and 4.5 ounces water.
• Next, you want to cover the glass bowl with the use of a tea towel and allow it to sit undisturbed at room temperature until the mixture is full of bubbles and has nearly doubled in size, this should take usually from 2 to 3 days.
• Meanwhile, the yeasts and bacteria from both the air and flour will set up housekeeping in the bowl.
• You want to peel back any crust that might have formed and transfer 20% of the culture to a wide-mouthed jar.
• Next, you want to stir in 3.5 ounces flour alongside 3.5 ounces water then loosely screw on the lid, and stash at room temperature for about 24 hours.
• You need to repeat the previous step every 24 hours for 5 days, by then you will notice that the culture smell yeasty-sweet-sour, which means you're ready to put the starter to work.
• Keep in mind that your Alton Brown cheese crackers are to be made with the discarded percentage of the starter.
• Start by whisking flour, cheese powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
• In a work bowl of a stand mixer that is already fitted with the paddle attachment, go ahead and place 3 tablespoons of the butter alongside the starter, work on low speed until creamy and homogeneous, it should take about 1 minute.
• When done, stop the mixer and sift the flour mixture over the creamed starter, then set the mixer to low and work again until you end up with a soft dough, it will take about 1 minute.
• Next, spray some flour on your working surface then turn the dough out onto it and divide it into 4 equal pieces.
• After dividing, press your dough pieces into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle then wrap each of them in individual pieces of plastic wrap then refrigerate between 8 and 24 hours.
• Now, place 2 racks near the center of the oven and allow it to heat to 350 degrees F, meanwhile, line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
• At this point, you want to get one piece of the dough from the fridge and dust it alongside your pasta maker with flour as this will prevent sticking.
• Start on the widest setting which is labeled "1" and feed the dough through the roller then fold the dough into thirds, as you would a letter, turn 90 degrees, and run it through the pasta maker again.
• Now you want to fold the dough again into thirds and pass it through the roller.
• After this, make sure to adjust your pasta maker to the next setting which is "2" and roll your dough through 3 more times but without folding, repeat this step for both the 3rd and 4th settings.
• When you are done with rolling the dough you want to transfer it to one of the already prepared half-sheet pans, of course, you want to repeat the process with the remaining dough.
• Next, go ahead and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush it onto the dough and don't forget to sprinkle a generous pinch of kosher salt.
• Dock your dough thoroughly with the use of a fork and cut it into 1-inch squares with a pizza wheel.
• When prepared, bake your cheese crackers for 10 minutes, then turn the pans 180 degrees, and rotate from top to bottom, continue baking them for 8 to 10 minutes or until you start to see brown edges.
• When baked, remove your crackers from the oven and immediately transfer them on the parchment to a wire rack to cool completely before serving, about 20 minutes.

ALTON BROWN SEEDY CRISPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl whisk together both flours, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt, and baking powder. Add the oil and stir until combined. Add the water and stir to combine and create a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• For a thin snacking cracker: On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough to 1/16-inch and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. If there is room on the sheet pan, repeat with a second piece of dough. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 4 minutes then flip and bake for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. When cool, break into desired size pieces. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
• For a thicker dipping cracker: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough as above but to 1/8-inch thick. Bake for 6 minutes on the first side, then flip and bake another 4 to 6 minutes.
• For super even thickness and easy rolling: Roll out using a lightly floured pasta roller. Flatten the dough until it will pass through the first setting and go to the highest number that your pasta roller will allow without tearing the dough. Bake according to the thin cracker instructions.
• Note: Baking times will vary depending on exact thickness of dough and oven temperature, so watch them closely. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

GRAHAM CRACKERS - ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, flour, brown sugar and graham flour. Pulse to combine. Add very cold butter and pulse until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
• Add molasses, milk and vanilla. Pulse until a smooth dough forms. Press dough into a 1/2" thick disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Roll dough between sheets of parchment to 1/8" thickness. Cut into 2x2" squares with a pizza cutter (or an accordion cutter, if you have one). Prick each cracker 3 times with the tines of a fork (or a docking roller if you have one). Remove irregular edges and bake in preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes until the color has gotten slightly paler. Allow to cool completely IN THE PAN. Store in zip top bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 14 days.