Wholegrain Cheddar Cheese Crackers
So you've prepared your holiday cheese board with all your favourite cheese; added some fresh fruit and a rich piece of chewy honeycomb.
What's next?
How about preparing some crispy homemade crackers to add a salty component to the mix.
When the good folks from Amalgamated Dairies Limited asked me If I'd like to sample some of their award-winning maritime made cheese, my response was mighty quick.
Small batch, naturally aged, hand turned cheese made with best quality milk from Prince Edward Island's dairy farmers?
YES, PLEASE!
The very next morning a package arrived with four different Dairy Isle products: mozzarella, marbled cheddar, medium cheddar and, my favourite, a sharp cheddar.
It just seemed wrong to serve my special delivery cheese on plain old crackers so, using the sharp cheddar, I whipped up a batch of wholewheat cheddar crackers.
To make these yourself you'll need:
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold butter - cut into small cubes
- 270 grams Dairy Isle sharp cheddar - grated
- 4-5 tablespoons cold water
In the bowl of your food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine flours, seeds, and salt by pulsing 2-3 times.
Add the cubes of butter and pulse a few times to incorporate the dry ingredients. The mixture should resemble a coarse meal.
Add about half of the grated cheddar and pulse 3-4 times to partially blend the ingredients before adding the remaining cheese. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
Add 3 tablespoons of water and pulse 3-4 times. If the mixture starts to come together into a ball, that's all the water you need. If not, add 2 more tablespoons of water and pulse a few times until the mixture starts to come together.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form into a ball.
Divide dough in half and pat into two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and let dough rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll out each disk on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8th inch thick.
Use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut the dough into rectangles. Sprinkle each cracker with some coarse salt before baking.
Bake on cookie sheet lined with parchment for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack.
Disclosure - I was provided with these Dairy Isle products free of charge. I have not been compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions, as always, are my own.
