If-You-Like-Raincoast-Crisps Crackers
Photo courtesy of www.101cookbooks.com
I am of the opinion that if you want really delicious crackers you must make them yourself. Raincoast Crisps are the exception to this rule, thin and crisp and bespeckled with such sundry morsels as cranberries, walnuts, dates, almonds and other savoury tidbits. But, being on the pricey side, I am playing around with homemade versions and am having considerable success. There are various versions floating around the Internet, Heidi Swanson's Seed and Nut Biscotti, shown above, and Rosemary, Raisin and Pecan Crisps from a blog called Christie's Corner. Both of these savoury, crunchy treats are excellent companions to the cheese board or can even be enjoyed in their naked glory. I also love them with a good tapenade.
Christie's Rosemary, Raisin & Pecan Crisps
2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 2 cups buttermilk; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup honey; 1 cup raisins; 1/2 cup chopped pecans; 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds; 1/4 cup sesame seeds; 1/4 cup flax seeds, ground; 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey, and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, ground flax seeds, and rosemary and stir until just blended.
Pour the batter into two 8- X 4-inch loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
The cooler the bread the easier it is to slice really thinly. You can leave it until the next day or pop in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thinly as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Reduce the oven heat to 300°F and bake them for 15 minutes, the flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. Try not to eat them all at once.
Culinary inspiration doesn't come in a better package than Heidi Swanson's award-winning food blog www.101cookbooks.com, especially when it comes to healthful, natural foods. Heidi's crackers are loaded with a pantry-full of seeds and nuts, enough goodness to rival the Raincoast Crisp crackers' interesting textures and flavours.
Heidi's Nut and Seed Biscotti - makes 1+1/2 dozen
1+1/3 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour; 2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, hazelnuts); scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt; 2 large eggs; 2/3 cup natural cane sugar, fine grain; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
Preheat oven to 300F degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly butter or oil a 1-pound loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, nuts and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl whisk together eggs and sugar. Add the flour-nut mixture to the egg mixture and stir until combined. The dough will be quite thick. Scoop into the prepared pan and press the dough into place using damp fingertips. You want to be sure everything is nice and compact, level on top, with no air bubbles hiding in there. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes - or until the loaf tests done. If you under-cook the loaf at this stage, it makes slicing difficult. Remove loaf from the oven.
Immediately run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the loaf, remove it from pan, and set the loaf upside down on a cutting board. Let it cool completely. It is actually easiest to slice the loaf if you partially freeze it. When you are ready to bake the crackers for the second time, preheat the oven to 425 F. Using a thin serrated knife (or the thinnest, sharpest knife you have), slice the loaf into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 3 - 4 minutes or until the bottoms are a touch golden and toasty. Pull them out of the oven, flip each one and bake for another 4 - 5 minutes or until nice and crisp. Let cool.
Make more treats, both savoury and sweet, with help from these tomes:
Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Boyce, Kim
Baking artisan pastries & breads : sweet and savory baking for breakfast, brunch, and beyond by Hitz, Ciril.