How to Make Crackers

World, witness the way Americans prefer to consume cheese. I’m not sayin’ it’s right, I’m not sayin’ it’s wrong, it’s just the way we do it (and that’s before our main meal, not after). Crackers are a low-effort bit of savory bakery with a high payoff. (“Excellent crackers!” Thank you, you know I make them myself). They taste unlike anything you can find in stores…in a good way. Start by combining your ingredients in a bowl, in the bowl of a mixer or a food processor.

Work the dough until it’s smooth and uniform. Here you can see it’s rather wet. Don’t worry about that…

…because after a several-hour chill it will take on a notably firmer character (this is mostly a result of the butter re-firming).

Preheat your oven to 375. Place a piece on a well-floured board. Flour your dough and your pin and roll it out quite thin, about 1/16th of an inch.

Here I rolled out a pretty small piece. Why, I don’t know…it really doesn’t matter.

The crackers can be cut to any size you like.

Transfer to a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Dock them with a fork to allow steam to escape.

You can bake these as they are, or you can get a little fancy with the toppings. I generally paint on a little melted butter…

…then sprinkle on some large-crystal salt.

And if I have them on-hand, a few fresh herbs.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. You can eat them right away, though I think they’re even better after they’ve staled and dried a bit.