Saltines, 2013 Style

Hey old friends!

I hope you’ve been scooting along through winter a bit better than me these days! I recently fell victim to the international-newsworthy NYC flu epidemic, and it has been a slowww journey back to health.

Fact: Whenever I’m sick…and pretty much only when I’m sick…my tastebuds do a complete 180, and ALL I crave are salty snacks. I don’t even know myself!

So last week, I ignored my gregarious stash of dark chocolate, flavored nut butters and leftover Christmas gingersnaps in favor of my one lone bag of pretzels.

As I neared the bottom of the pretzel bag, a mild panic set in—zero energy to leave the apartment, but an OUTRAGEOUS craving for crunchy, savory goodness?!

No sweat (barring the awful night kind), with just a few staple ingredients on hand!

WHY it took me so long to start making my own crackers, I surely will never know.

But they’re infinitely customizable, 10x as delicious as anything store-bought, and the process could not be easier. So I’m not lookin’ back!

Whole Wheat Thyme Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup 100%whole wheat pastry flour (I imagine most other flours would work as well)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or whatever tickles your fancy! Rosemary, sesame seeds, paprika would all be delectable)
• generous 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 “chia egg” = 1 tbsp chia seeds +3 tbsp water. (You could also use 1 real egg or a “flax egg”, which has the same seed:water ratio)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare chia or flax egg and let stand in water for 5-10 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mix gently until everything is moist and incorporated. Feel free to add a bit more water or olive oil if you feel the dough is too dry, but it is a dry dough.

Turn dough onto parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out, as evenly and thinly as possible. I actually use a wine bottle instead of a rolling pin, and it works like a charm . You might need to add a sprinkle of flour to the surface to prevent the rolling implement from sticking.

Using a pizza cutter or knife, slice dough into whatever size you like. Don’t slice completely through, but just enough to make a solid indentation. Pop crackers into the oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through. Take crackers out when the edges are crispy and golden—note that they will harden more while cooling.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before breaking up into your official, beautiful crackers!

Eat’em in whatever way sounds good to your lil’ belly. I just polished off another handful with the above homemade spicy hummus!

Since I never know when I’ll be back around these parts, I leave you with a request to TAKE CARE of yourself during the chilly, sickness-inducing months. Vitamin C, rest and lots of deep breaths. And I’m learning to practice what I preach .

Have a wonderful weekend, and Happy Friday!

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