Preparation Time
20 minutes
Serves
Makes 45 crackers
Ingredients
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85g (3oz) cold unsalted butter, cubed, or firm plant-based spread*
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150g (5½oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
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100g (3½oz) Cheddar cheese or plant-based Cheddar-style cheese*, grated
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2 tsp garlic granules
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2 heaped tbsp poppy seeds
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1 small egg or 1 chia egg (see notes)
Start the week by whipping up a batch of these savoury, melt in the mouth crackers, perfect for quick-grab snacks, an accompaniment to a picky plate or lunchboxes on the go. They’re also the perfect vehicle to dunk in your favourite dip.
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan (220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7).
2. Put the butter and flour in a food processor and whizz briefly until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Now add the cheese, garlic and poppy seeds and whizz again.
4. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and gradually add to the food processor while blending on medium speed. Once the dough starts to clump together and clean the sides of the mixer, stop whizzing and tip it out onto a floured work surface.
5. Bring the dough together with your hands, then cut the dough in half. Roll out each portion to about 3mm (⅛in) thick, dusting with flour as you go. Keep moving the dough between each roll to ensure you get an even thickness and to stop it from sticking to the surface.
6. Trim the edges with a knife so that you have a clean-cut rectangle or square, then cut into 7.5cm (3in) rectangle shapes. (You could also use a cookie cutter here to make the crackers any shape you like.) Transfer the crackers to a non-stick baking sheet, then gather up the excess dough, re-roll and repeat.
7. Bake the crackers for 8–10 minutes until coloured slightly and crisped up. Check them after 8 minutes as they can catch quickly. Once baked, transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool.
8. The crackers will last in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze some of the unbaked dough for another day; thaw completely before rolling out and cutting.
Notes
To make a chia egg substitute for hens’ eggs, mix 1 tbsp chia seeds with 2½ tbsp warm water per 1 egg required. Scale-up as necessary: so for 2 eggs, use 2 tbsp chia seeds and 5 tbsp warm water, and so on. Set the chia egg mixture aside for 10 minutes before using. This can also be done with ground flaxseed.
What Mummy Makes: Family Meal Planner by Rebecca Wilson. Published by DK, 10 December, £9.99.
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