Smoked Sea Salt and Fennel Seed Crackers
I’ve been using this smoked Maldon sea salt in everything recently. The smoky flavour is just right, strong without being overpowering. I wanted to make some crackers but not fat laden ones. I also wanted a robust flavour and some nutritional benefit so I mixed half stone ground wholemeal flour and half white plain flour. The extra virgin olive oil (Greek) also gives the crackers a nice grassy flavour and the combination of fennel seeds and the smoky salt is actually really really good. We ate the crackers with some houmous as a healthy snack (we’ll forget about the salt content…). I think next time I will experiment with different flours such as spelt, my new favourite ingredient (except smoked sea salt of course). I have some spelt spaghetti which is really good and a colleague has promised me her spelt bread recipe.
The first time I made these, I brushed the tops with beaten egg white. It seemed a bit unnecessary, so the second batch I didn’t bother and they were actually better, more golden on top. It’s a shame then that I didn’t roll the second batch thin enough and they weren’t quite crispy enough in the middle.The possible spice combinations for the crackers are endless, cumin, ras el hanout, smoked paprika. I really like seeds on there rather than ground spices, it’s just a bit more interesting. They would be nice dipped into sour cream too or tzatziki, baba ganoush, guacamole……Moreish just doesn’t even cover it.
Smoked Sea Salt and Fennel Seed Crackers
(Makes approx 30 crackers)
4oz plain white flour
4oz wholemeal flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
35ml olive oil
Smoked salt (or regular)
Fennel seeds
Water
-Mix the flour, baking powder and fine salt in a bowl. Add the oil and then enough water for the dough to come together. It shouldn’t be too sticky.
-On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for around 5 minutes then cover and allow to rest (at room temp) for around 30 minutes.
-Roll out the dough as thin as you can manage without it tearing and cut into desired shapes.
-Sprinkle each cracker with smoked sea salt and fennel seeds to your taste.
-Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 150C/300F/Gas2 for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your crackers but they are ready when golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool on a rack or stuff them into your face right away like I did.
(Edit: Before you put the crackers in the oven, make indents in the top with a fork to prevent them puffing).
Category: Biscuits, Crackers, Healthy, Snacks, Vegan 23 comments »
March 16th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
These look wonderful – healthy snack indeed, and I’m very into fennel at the moment.
March 16th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
These look tasty!
I’d definitely recommend trying out spelt flour (you can buy the doves farm brand in sainsburys). It adds a bit of extra nutty flavour to recipes – we’ve just had a pizza made with part plain flour, part spelt and it was really good
March 16th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
What beautiful crackers and they appear quite easy to make. The addition of fennel seeds would be lovely. I just love all the different salts that are available.
March 16th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
The crackers sound fantastic. Now you’ve got me wanting some of that smoked sea salt and I have at least 10 kinds of salt already!
March 17th, 2008 at 12:43 am
That looks delicious and crispy! Sounds kinda fun to make.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:16 am
You made crackers? I really want to make crackers- I believe this is going to have to be top of the list of things to cook. Thanks for sharing. I’ve added you to my reader, so hopefully, I can one day go back through all your inspiring dishes.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:20 am
AnneMarie- I love fennel too, although I think it is a bit like MArmite, you either love it or hate it.
Sophie – Thanks for the tip, I’m already into spelt pasta so I’ll look out for the flour.
LisaRene & Kalyn-I love the different salts too, although I know what you mean, the collection is starting to get a bit out of hand…..
Jessica – Thanks! I know you are a master baker!
Pixie – Thank you for subscribing. I’d be intererested to hear what you think if you get time to make any of my recipes.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Wow, those look just great! Yum! I LOVE crackers!
March 17th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
It’s been a while since I have made crackers, but now I want to make them right away. Bookmarked!
March 18th, 2008 at 12:51 am
I have never made crackers, and have never been tempted to, until now. I love fennel seed, and these look so ridiculously crispy and flavorful!
March 18th, 2008 at 2:22 am
These crackers look great, and I love your blog. Unique recipes and incredible photos. I will be back to give some of them a try!
March 18th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Someone who will go to all the trouble to make crackers, deserves my respect, well done. The soup looks just as yummee.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:04 am
I just made your crackers! They don’t look as good though.
March 20th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Jessica – I’m so happy you tried them. Did they taste good even though you weren’t happy with the way they looked?
March 21st, 2008 at 1:32 am
Ummmm, gotta get my hand on some of that smoked sea salt.
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
You can also get hickory smoked sea salt. I’ll have to try this recipe.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:08 am
Hey there! I made these yesterday, mine looked a bit more ‘rustic’ than yours (!) but turned out well. I even have some with me for lunch today! I’m now thinking of different toppings for the next batch….!
March 31st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Cynthia – It’s brilliant. And I’ve found it’s quite widely available too.
Mark – I will be looking into that today, I had no idea there was such a huge world of salt out there!
Serena – I’m so glad you made them! You didn’t dip them in the soup did you?! I think rustic is good for a cracker. It might be worth trying different flours too.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
These crackers look fantastic – I’d never have thought about making crackers from scratch! (Though I do have some spelt flour at home… hmmmm…..!)
Did the seeds stick to the top of the cracker ok without the wash??
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Kittie – Thank you. It’s funny because I hadn’t realised until you mentioned it that the seeds didn’t stick as well! Thank you.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:33 am
Finally got round to making these (or something similar anyway!) The spelt flour worked well, they were delicious
kitties last blog post..RFJ: Sambuca Orange Salmon with Spelt Crackers
October 1st, 2008 at 9:54 am
Kittie – Oooh, brilliant! I’m off to have a look now…
December 16th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Very usefull post, i think i will use it.
Thanks.