Homemade whole grain sourdough crackers with asiago cheese and fresh rosemary are perfect for snacking. They taste delightfully cheesy and have a lovely light crunchy texture. You can top them just as you’d top any cracker or use them for scooping up your favorite dip.
Why homemade crackers?
I love making things myself because then I know exactly what is in them, so I’ve been intrigued with the idea of making my own crackers for years. I have, in the past, attempted homemade crackers, but until I tried making homemade sourdough crackers, I never could quite get the texture or flavor I was craving in a cracker. I don’t know what it is about the sourdough, but it makes the dough so much easier to handle and roll out, and it gives the crackers an extra dimension of flavor … and in case you’re wondering, no, they’re not sour.
These homemade crackers just taste better … and if you’re into sourdough but find yourself with extra starter on your hands, these crackers are the perfect way to help use it up. If you’re not into sourdough, I totally encourage you to give it a try! It’s not hard to get started … all you need is flour and water and time.
Another benefit: no preservatives or strange ingredients! Thanks to the sourdough, these homemade crackers keep for several weeks without preservatives. And sourdough is at work here … our bodies digest sourdough differently, so you’re not going to get that blood sugar spike like you do with most crackers.
Are homemade crackers hard to make?
Not at all! You can stir together the dough in minutes. Let it rest overnight, then you’re ready to roll out your crackers and bake them.
I find that scoring/cutting the cracker dough is easiest with a rolling pizza cutter, something like this. (We have a couple rolling pizza cutters at my house, one that was a freebie I picked up at a conference and the second one is a hand-made version I bought at an arts festival. The plastic freebie is the one that gets used the most!) If you don’t have a rolling pizza cutter, a dough cutting tool works well too, or in a pinch, use a knife, but be careful to protect your cutting surface if you’re using a knife. You don’t want to be “cutting” your table to make crackers!
What makes them whole grain?
I used oat bran and white whole wheat flour to keep the crackers whole grain and add some fiber, and the best thing about it is that the texture doesn’t look or feel like “whole wheat” at all. It has a light golden brown color and feels light and airy, with a nice crunch.
For the top of the crackers, I used some black sea salt a friend of mine had brought back from Hawaii for a gift. I found the black salt added a beautiful color contrast, but I think the salt on top actually made the crackers a bit too salty. I found I preferred the ones that I forgot to put the sea salt on, so if you are putting salt on top, you might want to skip on adding salt to the cracker dough.
I took these crackers to yoga with me one night and gave out samples to my yoga friends … and my friends kept asking “can I have another sample?” … it’s always a good sign when people say that. They said they loved the cheesy taste. Yeah, me too. I could snack on these crackers forever. Sometimes I used them to scoop up tuna salad or dip … sometimes I like them with slices of grass-fed cheese on top … and other times I eat them when my tummy is feeling a little off and I find the crackers have a settling effect on my stomach. Sourdough does that … it soothes your tummy.
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Rosemary Asiago Sourdough Crackers
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 9 hours
- Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oat bran
- 5 Tablespoons grass fed butter, softened
- 2 oz. finely grated Asiago cheese (preferably grass-fed cheese)
- About 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt or kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the sourdough starter in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the flour, oat bran, butter, cheese, rosemary, garlic and salt until well mixed. You might need to use your hands. Knead the dough briefly right in the bowl. Cover and let sit for 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide dough into three sections. Using a rolling pin, roll out each portion very thin on a floured surface, silicon baking mat or parchment paper. If desired, add a little coarse salt (like black sea salt), then roll the rolling pin gently over the top to press the salt into the top of the crackers.
- Score the dough in small squares, using a rolling pizza cutter or a sharp knife. Prick each square with the tines of a fork to keep the dough from puffing up as it bakes.
- Slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet or take the crackers off and set them on a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat. Bake at 350 F for about 15 – 25 minutes, checking frequently after 10 minutes to make sure crackers are not getting too brown. You may need to remove the outer rows of crackers before the center rows are fully baked, as the entire tray of dough does not always bake evenly. Crackers should be nicely browned, and thoroughly dry to the touch.
- Cool on a rack, separating any crackers that did not already break apart at the score lines. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
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