Multigrain crackers

Crackery goodness

I know I know, its been a long long time since my last blog, what with wedding season in full swing plus a short trip only to return home, not in the pink of health...just couldn't find the time to complete this blog earlier...hopefully will try to be quicker from now on..

I love baking...I really love pulling out freshly baked warm cookies and cakes from my oven. But once in a while i just don't want to make something sweet. I've always loved crackers, chips, saltines and the likes...so when i finally found this recipe here, i just couldn't wait to try it...the thing i've felt with similar recipes is that usually it takes longer to get them crisp than the said time (or you have to keep them at a lower temperature for a long time to dry out). The difference with this recipe was the semolina flour. and I found that It actually got them crispy and crunchy much faster. also you can try it with all sorts of flour combinations.
these are also a healthier option for growing kids...especially when they are at the age when they love chips n other dry snacks that they can eat on their own.

Ingredients:
3/4 cups semolina flour
1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ragi(nachni) flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable oil)
Coarsely ground flaxseeds

Method:
Whisk together the flours and salt. Add the water and olive oil. Using a mixer with a dough hook attachment mix the dough at medium speed for about 5 - 7 minutes. Alternately, feel free to mix and then knead by hand on a floured counter-top. The dough should be just a bit tacky - not too dry, not too sticky to work with. If you need to add a bit more water (or flour) do so.
When you are done mixing, shape the dough into a large ball. Now cut into twelve equal-sized pieces. Gently rub each piece with a bit of olive oil, shape into a small ball and place on a plate. Cover with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes.
While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Insert a pizza stone if you have one.
When the dough is done resting, flatten one dough ball. Using a rolling pin or a pasta machine, shape into a flat strip of dough- I didn't have a pasta machine so i rolled it by hand, but it becomes easier to roll between two sheets of cling wrap, especially if you are using a combination of different flours, you can roll it as thin as you want without the dough sticking or braking(so crispier crackers, yay). Pull the dough out a bit thinner by hand (the way you might pull pizza dough). You can also cut the dough into whatever shape you like at this point. Set dough on a floured (or cornmeal dusted) baking sheet, poke each cracker with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing, add any extra toppings, and slide into the oven (onto the pizza stone). Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls, baking in small batches. If you don't have a pizza stone, bake crackers a few at a time on baking sheets. Bake until deeply golden, and let cool before eating - you will get more crackery snap.

Makes a dozen extra large crackers.

I tried the same recipe to make cornmeal crackers, this time I mixed some spices into the dough instead of the topping. also since cornmeal is pretty course, i switched it with the semolina, but later i felt that it took longer to crisp than the ragi crackers, but these were definitely better in taste.

corn meal cracker - In cute little fish shapes

YES!!! they look so professional b'coz of the shapes, and I got to use my new cookie cutters. your kids will love these

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 - 4 Tbsp grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup boiling water

these are so great you will want to try out all kinds of different combinations...