Altman Jenifer - Crackers, crisps & dips: more than 50 homemade snacks

Text copyright 2013 by Ivy Manning.

Photographs copyright 2013 by Jenifer Altman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN 978-1-4521-2417-9

Designed by Vanessa Dina

Food and assistant prop styling by Chris Bryant

Illustrations by Kristina Urquhart

Typesetting by DC Type

Keebler is a registered trademark of Kellogg NA Co.

Girl Scouts are a registered trademark of Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Chronicle Books LLC

680 Second Street

San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

They say it takes a village to raise a child; the same could be said for a cookbook! I would like to thank my editor at Chronicle Books, Bill LeBlond, for hearing me out and seeing the potential in this project, and Sarah Billingsley for her always helpful and gracious guidance. Many thanks also to my grandmother Helen Zalubowski, for giving me her decades-old rolling pin and showing me how to use it, and to Chef Ian Titterton for sharing his vast baking knowledge with me. I also owe heaps of gratitude to my husband, Gregor Torrence, for discussing crackers and dips in depth for many, many hours. If patience is a virtue, he is a saint.

I would like to thank as well all of my friends and colleagues who were willing testers (and retesters) of the recipes herein. A special shout-out goes to my kitchen angel, Rebecca Gagnon, a brilliant baker, DIY maven, and blogger (rcakewalk.blogspot.com) for her insights, enthusiasm, encouragement, and testing acumen. A mixing bowl full of gratitude also goes out to Sara Bir, Susan Gilbertson, Susan Theis, Heather Jones, Rosemarie Torrence, Danielle Centoni, Pam Henderson, Cathie Schutz, Deena Prichep, Michelle Smoody, Ryan Smith, and my best friend, Mamie Korpela, for giving me honest feedback and support in my little cracker journey. I owe you all a big bowl of cheese crackers!

INTRODUCTION

Wander down the snack aisle of the grocery store or peruse any specialty foods shop, and youll find scores of crackers on the shelves, from preservative-laden fish-shaped snacks to elegant flatbreads with Tuscan herbs. The average box of crackers can cost as much as a good cheese, but turn that box around and look at the ingredients list, and youll find theyre all made with the same simple, inexpensive ingredients: flour, oil, and salt.

The same question comes to my mind every time I see rows of pricey crackers in stores: Why would anyone spend that kind of money when all the ingredients you need to make your own better-than-boxed crackers are in your pantry right now? Homemade crackers are as easy to make as a batch of cookies, they are much tastier than mass-produced crackers, and theyre great to give as a homemade gift. Perhaps the reason more people arent making their own crackers is that there has never been a book to show home bakers howuntil now.

As a dyed-in-the-wool snack tooth (the opposite of a sweet tooth), Ive been making crackers for my family for years. In my work as a professional cook, catering chef, and culinary instructor, I have delighted clients with my homemade semolina cracker sheets, perfect garlic-rubbed crostini, animal crackers, and other crunchy treats. Clients and students alike have been amazed by how much more delicious homemade crackers are than the mass-produced, boxed kind, and theyre especially thrilled when they learn how easy it is to bake crackers at home.

At the start of this book, I offer guidelines based on my years of experience and practice to help you learn simple techniques for rolling evenly thin dough, cutting crackers, and topping them like a pro, as well as tips and tricks for getting perfectly baked crackers that stay crisp for days. Once you get the hang of the basics of cracker craft, there are thirty-five recipes to try, from the Tangy Cheddar Cheese Crackers (), that tap into our collective fascination with street food and snacks from afar.

) prove that whole grains can be both healthful and delicious.

Since I know youre pressed for time now and then (or always), I have also included a collection of quick crackers and crisps that give you nearly instant snacking gratification. From the Pappadams Three Ways ().

Crackers by their very nature are made for dipping and topping, so Ive included eighteen of my favorite dips, spreads, and schmears to give your homemade crackers the adornment they deserve. Some are deviously decadent (molten cheese fondue, anyone? See ). When appropriate, I suggest pairing the right cracker with a dip that accentuates the flavors and textures of both.

In a world of overprocessed snacks made increasingly less accessible by rising prices and less desirable because of their increased fat, sodium, and sugar content, Crackers & Dips will show you how to feed your snack cravings in a more delicious, healthful way, right from your very own kitchen.

TECHNIQUES FOR PERFECT CRACKER BAKING

For Good Baking, Measuring Accurately

Making crackers is easy, and it can be done with very few pieces of special equipment. That said, this is the part of the book where Ill get up on a soapbox and tell you the one thing I think you absolutely must have in your kitchen: a digital scale.

I do give both volume (cups) and weight (in grams, which is more accurate than ounces) measurements for ingredients in this book, but I strongly recommend you forgo the measuring cups for a digital scale. Why? Because 1 cup of flour can weigh between 115 to 155 grams depending on how compacted the flour is, relative humidity of the room, and how you put the flour in the cup.

Use a scale, and you wont have to worry about any of that, plus its loads easier to add ingredients to the mixing bowl by weight as you work than it is to spoon them into those little measuring cups. Most digital scales have a tare button, so you can place your mixing bowl on the scale, press tare and it will zero out the bowls weight. Then you can add the first ingredient, press tare, add the next ingredient, press tare, and so on, measuring all the ingredients in the same bowl without fussing with measuring cups. It makes baking easier, faster, and your results will more consistent. Thats why pro bakers use scales and why an increasing amount of baking books are written with weights. Digital scales cost from relatively inexpensive for a basic model to highway robbery for a needlessly high-tech version. At the right price, a digital scale is an investment you can afford.

So you want to get into the delicious, crispy, crunchy world of cracker baking and you dont have a scale (yet)? You can measure the dry ingredients with measuring cups, but please follow this method: Fluff the dry ingredients in the bag or bin with a spoon, spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup until it is overflowing, and then, level the top with a butter knife. This procedure produces more consistent results than the dip into the flour bin, scoop up the flour, and pour it into the mixing bowl method.