Daring Baker - February 2013: Crisp Crackers and Flatbread

Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to use our creativity in making our own Crisp Flatbreads and Crackers!

I though I wouldn't make it this month, life is so hectic these days. But spending time in the kitchen feels like a breath of fresh air. Even if the fresh air smells like onion! (which it did). I'm not a peanut, potato chips and crackers kind of girl. I prefer to save up on the appetizer and have a dessert instead. Plus I'm not a fan of buying things that have been ready-made industrialy (and I'm sure, a lot of people are agreeing with me on that these days).

But I was curious on this month challenge, and always ready to do things myself. Many recipes were proposed, some I never heard of, like those raincoast crisps, that I liked a lot. All the flatbread I had in mind were on the soft side, like mexican Tortilla or swedish Tunnbröd. So I tried the onion and poppy seed crackers instead, that turned out to be so easy and addictiv. I'm sure I'll make some more in the futur.

Raincoast Crisps

From Dinner with Julie blog with Julie van Rosendahl
Servings: About 8 dozen

Ingredients
280 gr all-purpose (plain) flour
10 gr baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
480 ml buttermilk
50 gr brown sugar, firmly packed
60 ml honey
180 gr raisins
60 gr chopped pecans
125 gr roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
30 gr sesame seeds
30 gr flax seed, ground
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions
Preheat oven to moderate 180°C
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, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.
Pour the batter into two 8”x4” (20cmx10cm) loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick 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 thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Slice so thin that they are almost lacy. Reduce the oven heat to slow 150°C and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. You can also cut in half before the second baking. This is the way I like them. The size works better. Be careful not to burn.
Storage and Freezing Instructions/Tips: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Prolong the freshness by freezing for up to 3 months.

Onion and Poppy Seed Crackers

From “Menus from an Orchard Table” by Heidi Noble featured on Sarah’s blog.
Servings: About 6 dozen

Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1 large egg
80 ml vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
280 gr all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, puree the onion. One medium onion will yield approximately 1 cup puree. Measure 1 cup puree and liquid from the onion and return to the food processor. Add the egg, oil and salt and blend until well incorporated.
In another bowl, measure the dry ingredients. Mix lightly to combine. Make a well in the center and add the liquids in this well. Mix in one direction until the dough is fully combined. Lightly knead the dough, flouring as needed, for 2 minutes. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to moderate 180°C.
This is a very soft dough and you may find it best to roll it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll as thinly as possible. In fact, it is best if rolled as thinly as a strudel dough. But don't worry if you can't get it that thin. The crackers will still be fine. Cut into desired shapes.
Bake until evenly golden. The time required will depend upon thickness but anywhere from 5 - 15 minutes. If they are thicker, the crackers will puff up like little pitas. Cool thoroughly before storing in air tight container.

Storage and Freezing Instructions/Tips: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Prolong the freshness by freezing for up to 3 months.