- Makes about 40 crackers INGREDIENTS:
- 1 teaspoon SAF instant yeast
- 1 cup (145 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 scant tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 1 cup (130 g) rye flour
- 3 cups (435 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 6 tablespoons Dukkah (Chapter Small Plates)
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole flax seeds
DIRECTIONS:
- To grind flax seeds, put them in a food processor or a coffee grinder reserved for grinding grains The Swedes have a special rolling pin for these crackers. It looks quilted and has sharp points on it so that as it rolls the dough—very, very thin—it makes holes in it and gives the crackers a sort of quilted look. This keeps them flat during baking.
- Place 2 cups (500 ml) very warm water in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yeast and ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour, stir, and let sit until the yeast foams on top of the water. Add the remaining whole wheat flour and stir, then add the salt and stir. With the machine running, or as you stir, add the rye flour, then add 1 cup of the all-purpose flour and mix well. Let the mixture sit in a warm spot until it bubbles and doubles in volume, about 1 hour.
- Add another ½ cup of the all-purpose flour to the dough and mix well, then stir in the sesame oil. When it is thoroughly incorporated, add the dukkah and the seeds and mix well. Add enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a fairly firm dough, and when the dough is too firm to stir in the machine or by hand, turn it out onto a heavily floured surface and knead in enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands, flouring the work surface and the dough regularly as you knead. You will probably use a total of 2 to 2½ cups of all-purpose flour to achieve this. When the dough is kneaded, place it back in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel. Leave it to rise in a warm spot (68° to 70°F/20° to 21°C) until it has nearly doubled in bulk.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Dust several baking sheets with flour or semolina.
- Punch down the dough. Cut it into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface, making sure to flour the top of the dough as well so the rolling pin doesn’t stick to it, until it is paper-thin and about 8 inches in diameter. Cut each piece into the shape and size of cracker you want. Transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets. The crackers can be right next to each other, but they shouldn’t be touching.
- Poke each cracker several times with the tines of a fork to make holes for the steam to escape as they bake. Let the crackers rise for about 15 minutes, just long enough that the gluten in them relaxes slightly, then bake them in the center of the oven until they are golden on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Turn the crackers and continue to bake them until they are crisp and golden on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes longer, or as long as you like to achieve the cracker you prefer. Turn off the oven, open the oven door, and leave the crackers in the oven to dry thoroughly, up to 2 hours. Remove the crackers from the oven and transfer them to cooling racks. Serve or store in an airtight container when completely cool for up to 1 month. Notes:
- Variations in the crispness and color of the crackers can be achieved by adjusting the thickness and oven temperature
- Flax seeds are best ground for better nutrition
- A special rolling pin is used in Sweden to make these crackers thin and flat during baking
