Think of crackers kind of like a pie dough. You want to be careful not to overwork the dough or you will get a tough cracker. When you work the butter in, leave big enough chunks that you can still see them in the dough and be sure to chill it before you roll it out for a flaky texture. Other than that, crackers are pretty easy and cheap to make yourself without all of the preservatives that come with store bought versions
I used the raw milk cheddar from Full Quiver for this recipe. You can easily sub in another hard cheese like Parmesan but a softer cheese would give a chewy texture. You want to cook these just until light brown. What I would normally call GB&D (golden brown and delicious) tastes almost burned in these. Better to undercook, you can always crisp them up in a 400 degree oven for 3-4 minutes.
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
7 ounces grated hard cheese (about 1 1/2 cup)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons cold water
Combine flour, butter, cheese, salt, and cayenne in the work bowl of your food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Pulse in water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. (You may not use all the water.) You can also just use a fork to cut in the ingredients in a bowl, the food processor just makes it quicker.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper. (It’s sticky!) Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. You want to make these really thin and even so they cook the same and all get crisp. Carefully flip dough in parchment over, and gently peel off the top layer. Using a pizza cutter, trim dough into a rectangle, then cut into 1-inch squares. The pizza cutter keeps the layers in the dough from being mashed down too much but you can also use an extra sharp knife. Carefully transfer squares onto baking sheets, using a spatula if needed. Use a fork or skewer to poke a few holes in the crackers to prevent bubbling up like in a pie.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until crackers are just slightly turning light brown, and are crisp. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
My poor kale was starting to yellow. One too many days in the fridge. I needed to cook it right away but was not in the mood for cooked greens. A quick toss with some oil, salt, and sesame seeds and I had a delicious crunchy snack of kale chips. Even the kiddos will like this one.
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