Garlic- Parmesan- Chipotle and Sesame Seed/Sea Salt Crackers for "the Project"

I can whip these out in my sleep.  Really, I think I can.  I was inspired to make these from a recipe I read in"The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread" book.  I made a few changes (of course), but the basic recipe is a dream for cracker lovers.  Since the first time I made these 4 months ago, I have made than at least every other week for me, but also, they are so dramatic looking and taste so good that I make them whenever we have stateside company...


Like this week.


Long time readers know we are coming to an end of our island adventures.  We are only about a month away from D-Day (departure day).  In fact, we bought our plane tickets home today.  Sometimes we get a little depressed about the idea of leaving.  So, sometimes, I just need my Mommy.  And she is coming, and I am making her crackers.  And now I have to deal with my deep seeded mommy issues.  I don't think I was toilet trained properly, and that explains a lot.  It's all her fault.


But, for the week, I will ignore all that and spend time showing Mom my little corner of paradise.  Can't wait!


So, when I am excited, I cook...


And these are among my favorites to have on hand when company comes that first night.  Bad airport food and the pain in the arse of airline travel make these a welcoming treat.

Garlic Parmesan Chipotle Crackers

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon instant Yeast
1 TBS Honey
1 TBS Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Water


You can be creative with the toppings, here is what I used...
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbs Chipotle Spice

• Mix the first 6 ingredients together to form a ball.
• Move to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes
• Lightly oil a bowl and drop the ball into the bowl. Turn to coat all sides.  Cover and allow to rise to double the size ... About 90 minutes, but can be 2 hours if you fall asleep.
• Now it's time to form the crackers... Mist the counter with spray oil.  Take the dough and form into a rectangle with your hands.  Use a rolling pin to get the dough thin.  Paper thin will get a very crisp cracker, 1/8th inch thickness will get a slight center chewiness around the crisp.
• lift the dough and wave a bit.  cover with a towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

• Do an egg wash.  Simply whisk an egg and brush the egg over the top of the crackers.  This aids the toppings to stick, and helps get that deep rich color.
• Time to flavor the crackers... First, take a pizza cutter and make a few wavy cuts.  I didn't want a square cracker, but you can easily cut into squares.  This photo was from the first time I  made these, I did different spices in rows to test what I liked. and what worked for others...  the first layer is a black and white sesame seed mixture, combined with a little sea salt.  Next was some sweet paprika, next some mustard powder and finally some fresh cracked pepper.
• Bake for 17 minutes, until you get just a bit of brown on the edges...

My step father was coming.  He does not eat cheese, so I made a few with a mixture of equal parts white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds and sea salt.  The smell from the baking sesame seeds really makes your kitchen smell like heaven!

Serve with some of the simple Cream Cheese Dip, made with "Not your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence".


And now, I gotta go... I am due to be visited by an angel... and an angel fish...

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