Herbed Crackers are the perfect addition to a bowl of soup, extravagant cheese board or even a snack on the go. With a few ingredients and your favorite herbs, you’ll have freshly baked crackers in no time. PLUS, you’re making a preservative-free cracker!
Ever hear of BHT or BHA? Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) they’re used as food preservatives, as well as to preserve oils and fats in pharmaceuticals. Known to impair blood clotting when consumed in high quantities, and promote tumor growth.Â
Outlawed: Yep, they’re Banned! In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and throughout Europe. Yet readily available in your favorite box of crackers here in the US, think bright yellow boxes that purport to be a Thin snack that’s good for you.Â
- BHA: is commonly found in chewing gum, butter, cereals, snack foods, and beer (beer..oh no!). It can also be found in food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.
- BHT: is commonly found in packaging materials, shortening, cereals, and other foods with fats and oils.
Seriously? Make your own crackers and watch out for this crap hiding in your favorite foods. I’m not saying we can’t indulge sometimes but if we can cut some of it out then we might as well!
carte du jour
Is It Hard to Make Crackers?
Not at all, actually it’s super simple and you only need a little time and your desired flavors to create gourmet crackers. No eggs involved here! Flour, olive oil (or your favorite fat), water, sea salt, sugar (optional) and fresh or dried herbs of your choice. Add seeds to build another level of flavor and crunch!
Toss in a 1/3 cup (80 grams) of your favorite hard cheese!Â
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Parmesan
- Cheddar
- Gouda
- Gruyère cheese
- Manchego
- Cheshire
- Mimolette
- Cantal cheese
Tips for Making the Best Herbed Crackers.
- Get creative, use your favorite herbs and seeds to make new flavor combinations!
- Roll the dough out to roughly 1/8-inch thickness on the parchment paper it’s going to be baked on so you don’t have to move the dough around. The thinner you roll the dough the crisper and lighter the crunch of the cracker.
- Brush your dough with olive oil before slicing.
- Use a pizza wheel for swift slicing.
- Slice the dough into evenly shaped sizes to allow for a uniform bake. If the outside crackers cook faster, just remove the pan from the oven, move the cooked crackers to a rack to cool, and put the unfinished crackers back in the oven to complete baking.
- Watch the crackers closely as they bake they like to go from perfect to charred in a minute.
- Don’t forget to prick the dough after cutting, it allows the crackers to puff up but hold their shape.
What Herbs and Seeds Can I Use for Making Crackers?
- thyme
- basil
- rosemary
- sage
- oregano
- dill
- tarragon
- marjoram
- coriander
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- fennel seeds
Can I use Whole Wheat flour to make homemade crackers?
Yes! You can also use a blend of equal parts whole wheat and AP (all-purpose flour). You’ll have a very distinct whole wheat flavor even with the half and half blend.
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How to Make Herbed Crackers
Herbed Crackers are the perfect addition to a bowl of soup, a fabulous cheese board or even a snack on the go.
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2½ teaspoons pink Himalayan sea salt or Kosher sea salt, finely ground
- 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), sub melted butter, melted ghee, melted coconut oil (plus extra for brushing rolled dough)
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 2 Tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, sage, oregano, dill), finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons seeds (sesame, poppy, fennel, coriander) mix and match if desired
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Heat the oven to 450°F/230°C and tear to sheets of parchment paper large enough to slide onto the sheet pans after rolling and cutting the dough.
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Add the flour, sugar and salt to a fine meshed strainer over a large glass bowl and sift.
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Now sprinkle in your freshly diced herbs and seeds, then pour in the water and EVOO.
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Mix with a large wooden spoon, the dough will be quite tacky.
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Flour a cool work surface and drop the dough out of the bowl and roll around in the flour to reduce the tackiness. Then divide into two separate dough balls.
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Place one of the dough balls onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 1/8 inch in thickness and then slide onto baking sheet. Repeat the process with the other dough ball.
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Brush the dough with Olive Oil (or your chosen fat) and sprinkle with extra seeds if desired. And cut with a pizza wheel into desired cracker shape, keeping as uniform as possible and prick well with fork.
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Bake for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown in color. If the outside crackers cook faster, just remove the pan from the oven, move the cooked crackers to a rack to cool and put the unfinished crackers back in the oven to complete baking. Transfer crackers to cooling rack. Crackers will crisp as they cool. Serve crackers immediately or store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.
- Prep time is approximate.
- Serve crackers immediately or store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.
These Homemade Herbed Crackers are perfect for pairing with classic soup recipes like Authentic Pasta e Fagiloi..
or our Robust Cabbage Soup that’s jam packed with plenty of fresh veg!
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12 comments
These look so delicious!! I’m surprised how easy it is to make your own crackers and love that prep is only 25 minutes!
Rolling them out on parchment paper makes the process even faster, thanks so much, Morgan! 🥰
These look amazing. I am not sure what I would try these with first since there are so many options. Since it is summer, a great soft cheese spread would be ideal but even something as simple as slices of ripe garden grown tomatoes !
Cream cheese and ripe tomatoes would be heaven, thanks so much, Angela! 🙂
These look so good! Homemade will always beat store bought, no question. The only problem is, what flavors do I try first?! They all sound amazing.
Thank you, Colleen! 🥰 I like to toss a little of everything in 🙂
Ooh, I’ve never tried to make my own crackers before, but I love this. Can’t wait to try!
They’re fun to make, I love working doughs and crackers are a nice addition to so many recipes. Plus they’re tasty to snack on too, thanks so much, Erika! 🥰
These look amazing! These would be amazing with hummus!
I agree, Jennifer, super tasty with hummus! 🙂
OK, I can see I’m going to have to try these with GF flour. I’m getting (for my birthday next month, hope, hope) a nifty rolling pin with bands that make sure you can roll to 1/8 inch, this will be my first project. And in the always-learning-something-new department, will have to research cantal and mimolette cheese. We have scads of thyme and chives in the yard, mmm.
Ohhh Birthday celebration time, Beth! I hope you get your new rolling pin, I love new kitchen gadgets too especially when they’re super useful 🙂 I really look forward to seeing how your GF version turns out, please be sure to share!