Description
This Homemade Gourmet Crackers recipe offers a delicious and wholesome snack option made with a mix of flours, seeds, dried fruit, and a blend of aromatic spices. Baked and sliced thinly, these crackers are perfect for pairing with creamy cheeses and can be stored for weeks.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup / 250 ml milk (any fat % cow’s milk)
- ¼ cup / 50g brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt (Greek recommended)
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup / 75g plain flour (all purpose)
- ½ cup / 75g whole wheat / wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (or 3 tsp baking powder)
- ½ cup rolled oats (or 1/3 cup more nuts of choice)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds (or other seeds or nuts of choice)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit of choice)
Spices
- ½ tsp ground turmeric (optional)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg (or allspice or 1/8 tsp cloves)
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary (or ½ tsp more thyme)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking tin: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F) for all oven types. Grease and line a small loaf tin (approximately 21 x 11 x 7 cm / 8.5 x 4.5 x 3”) with baking paper to ensure easy removal after baking.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the milk, brown sugar, and plain unsweetened yoghurt until the sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the plain flour, wholemeal flour, and dried cranberries. Use your fingers to gently break apart the cranberries if they are clumped together for an even distribution.
- Add remaining ingredients: Stir in the rolled oats, sunflower seeds, baking soda (or powder), and all the spices plus salt and black pepper into the dry mixture. Then incorporate the wet milk mixture. The resulting batter should be thick, similar to muffin batter, though it may thicken slightly if left to stand for a few minutes.
- Bake the loaf: Pour or scrape the batter evenly into the prepared loaf tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, indicating the loaf is fully cooked.
- Cool and freeze: Remove the loaf from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, wrap it tightly in cling wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours or up to 3 months. Freezing makes slicing easier.
- Prepare for slicing: When ready to make crackers, unwrap the frozen loaf and let it thaw partially for about 20 minutes so the exterior is not rock hard.
- Preheat oven for crisping: Preheat your oven to 120°C (250°F), and place two shelves inside the oven spaced to allow two baking trays on different levels.
- Slice and arrange: Using a serrated bread knife, slice the partially thawed loaf into thin slices approximately 2 mm (1/12 inch) thick. Arrange the slices closely but not overlapping on two large baking trays.
- Bake until crisp: Bake the slices on both trays for about 50 minutes until they turn a light brown color. Swap the trays halfway through baking for even crisping.
- Cool and store: Allow the crackers to cool completely on the trays. They will harden as they cool and become crisp. Store them in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
- Serve suggestion: These gourmet crackers pair excellently with creamy cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, or soft blue cheeses for an ultimate tasting experience.
Notes
- The size of the loaf tin affects cracker shape; using a smaller tin gives taller loaf slices resulting in a nice rectangular cracker.
- Completely freezing the loaf makes thin slicing much easier without crumbling.
- Each loaf yields about 40 crackers measuring approximately 11 x 3 cm (4.5 x 2.3 inches).
- Store in an airtight container to keep them crisp for up to 4 weeks, possibly longer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cracker (approx. 11 x 3 cm)
- Calories: 65
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 2.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
