Hi everyone,
Not sure this is the right spot but...
Having sampled some homemade savoury biscuits that go well with cheese, I thought it might be nice to share the recipes.
The Faux Stowe and "Raincoast Crisp" type crackers are knockoffs of Canadian crackers often seen on cheese plates. The Raincoast Crisp crackers are great tasting and I've also made the flatbread crackers.
Enjoy!
Thanks HnC
Downloaded fine, will have to give it a try!
morning guys. for some reason i could not open the file. funny i'm Canadian and have never heard of these crackers. guess i have to get out more often
reg
Hi Reg,
http://www.lesleystowe.com/raincoastcrisps/about/ (http://www.lesleystowe.com/raincoastcrisps/about/) - Hmmm... Perhaps a West Coast thing? These crackers are a staple out here with the wine & cheese crowd.
Sorry you weren't able to open the file. Below are two versions - one with raisins, the other with cranberries. Both recipes came off the Internet.
Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps (Raincoast Crisps)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 cup raisins
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup ground flaxseed
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed and rosemary and stir just until blended. Pour batter into two 4x8 loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. I leave mine until the next day. Also you can pop one into the freezer to be dried for another day. Slice loaf as thin as you can and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Reduce the oven heat to 300 and bake for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10-12 minutes. The 2 loaves make about 8 dozen crackers.
Faux Stowes (double the recipe to make twice the amount)
1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp flax seeds
½ tsp seasalt
½ tsp dried rosemary (or ½ Tbsp fresh)
1 c buttermilk
2 Tbsp brown sugar (demerrara)
1 Tbsp molasses
¼ c pecans, chopped
¼ c pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 Tbsp brown sesame seeds
¼ c raisins or dried cranberries, optional
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Stir flour and baking soda in a medium sized bowl.
Use a pestle and mortar to coarsely grind the flaxseeds, salt and rosemary. Set aside.
Stir in buttermilk, sugar and molasses. Stir in nuts, seeds, salt and rosemary. Also add the fruit, if using.
First baking:Pour the batter into the parchment lined loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean.
Place on a wire rack to cool completely. (The bread can be eaten at this stage - it is delicious!)
Making the crackers: Preheat oven to 300F. Slice the bread as thinly as possible.
Second baking: Place the bread slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for a total of 30 minutes - 15 minutes per side.
Allow to cool on a rack before eating or storing in a tin.
Lavash Cracker
The key to the crisp lavash is to roll out the dough evenly and paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking.
1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 to1/2 cup water, at room temperature
• In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, honey,oil and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup water.
• Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes,or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should be satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes,or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also instead retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading.)
• Mist the counter lightly with spray oil, and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper-thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, anise seeds, kosher salt, etc.). If you want precut crackers, use a knife and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).
• When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.
Source: The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Cheers,
Betty
thanks very much Betty. both recipies are now printed off
again thanks
reg
You're welcome! I'm learning so much from all the boards. Best Forum going!
HnC
aka Betty
Thanks for these, they look interesting. The one that is sliced and goes back for further baking? I assume that it ends up a little like a biscotti in texture? Just wondering.
Must give these a go anyway.
Hi Tea,
The end result is actually more like melba toast although thinner and crisper. Kind've "holey" with a real crunch. Really nice with flavourful cheeses.
HnC
ps - thanks for finding the right home for this conversation! :)
So is this a two stage bake?
Like with biscotti?