These crackers are like crack.
Only much MUCH easier to make yourself. (So I gather.)
I’m really excited to be sharing this recipe with you all! Crackers are one of those things that I feel are almost surprising to have a recipe for. As if crackers magically grow on a cracker tree next to the marshmallows, candy bars, and those little cookies with fudge in the middle, then get delivered in secret to the middle of the grocery store by elves or something. There is no magic tree that crackers come from, and actually, they’re ridiculously easy, fun, and satisfying to make at home.
Making these crackers has become somewhat of a ritual for me around here because:
a.) I love that they’re filled with only the good stuff – amazing whole grains + no preservatives or stabilizers,
b.) they use up my sourdough starter (though you don’t need one for this recipe!)
and
c.) they make cocktail times, snack times on the bike, on the mountain, on a road trip, and when you’re standing at the counter deciding what to enjoy next so so SO delicious.
Salty, crunchy, cheesy – daymn. (Pats self on back.)
Before we go any further, YES, I said “sourdough starter.” But don’t fret if you don’t have one! (If you DO have one, have you seen my slice and bake cookie dough yet?!) I’ve developed a little hack so that even if you aren’t a sourdough nerd like me, you can still enjoy these cheesy beauties. The recipe below is versatile, and will literally meet you wherever you’re at in the kitchen with respect to equipment, ingredients + preferences.
Without further ado – THESE CRACKERS!
These crackers are…mostly flour. And cheese. And this is actually awesome because the flour itself is awesome. Not all flours are created equally. While no bag of flour is doing anything “wrong,” there are many bags of flour that are doing more “right.”
If you’re reading this and you’re not yet aware that our modern industrialized food system, including the intensive farming practices that produce grains and flours in the United States, has a deep, negative impact on climate change and global health, then I do apologize but here is your wake-up call. That homey, familiar bag of flour on the grocery store shelf, stripped of its flavor and practically devoid of nutrition, is part of the problem, unfortunately.
But, flours milled from heirloom grains grown with organic, regenerative farming practices help nourish our soils, heal our planet AND vitalize our bodies. Heirloom grains are unadulterated, still intact as nature intended – this is what makes them “heirloom.” Thus the nutrition and flavors are maintained, they’re more nutritionally dense, digestible, delicious, and healthy for our agricultural system, our farmers, and your body.
Whenever possible, I use small-batch heirloom flours milled right here in Boulder for my baking needs. It’s a decision that is a bit more pricey than buying flour at the grocery store, but it’s worth the expense because I really taste and feel a difference. When I first started making the switch, it was easy to get overwhelmed; there are so many different flours to choose from, so many different flavors, and they all have different best-purposes!
My friends at Dry Storage recognized this barrier to heirloom flour bliss, and they took the guesswork out by packaging their flours in blends that are easy to plug and play. For these crackers, I use their All-Purpose Blend – a mix of Rouge de Bordeaux and White Sonora wheat, grown organically and regeneratively in the San Luis Valley, which they mill, sift, and formulate in house to mimic the All-Purpose flour you are used to from the grocery store shelves. Its texture and protein level are ideal for making breads, cookies, cakes, and crusts, and PERFECT for cheesy crackers.
To help get you addicted to these flours + this way of baking, Dry Storage is offering you – dear readers – first dibs on 20% off your purchases when you use the code LENTINE20 on their website.
So, go flour shopping, then get baking!
Now – as I mentioned – this original recipe was designed to use up all my sourdough discard. For the uninitiated, sourdough discard is the combination of flour and water that is tossed out when you “feed” the starter so that it continues to propagate the powerful little culture that makes delicious, leavened bread. This flour/ water combo is comprised of 50% water and 50% flour by weight plus a little sourdough culture that makes the crackers bubbly (just the same way that the culture helps sourdough bread to rise.)
If you’re NOT using sourdough starter discard, substitute ⅔ cup Dry Storage All Purpose Heirloom Flour (or another whole grain flour) and ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp water (or milk!) hydrated overnight instead. (If you have a scale, you can use it instead to substitute with ~113 g each flour + water!)
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