Rosemary Croccantini

When I read about this recipe over at Fifteen Spatuals, I knew it would have to go to the top of my ever growing “Must Try” recipe pile.  It took a few days but finally, I got around to making these lovely crackers.  They appealed to me for a number of reasons, mostly because I love a crispy cracker and I have an enormous amount of fresh rosemary in the garden which I love using.  These are an absolute must make, especially if you are having family and friends over for a drink – they go down a treat with Onion Marmalade, chicken liver pâté and (not that I would agree) blue cheese and fig preserve.  Joanne serves hers with fig jam and manchego cheese.

Taken from Fifteen Spatulas

Ingredients

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup cold water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C.
2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and rosemary in a bowl.
3. Add the oil and enough of the water to form a dough.
4. Turn the dough out onto a counter top and knead to a smooth ball.  The dough should feel tacky, not sticky.  If it feels sticky, add a *very* small amount of flour.
5. Divide the dough into four pieces and cover with a towel.  Rest the dough for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
6. If you have a pasta roller, roll each piece as thin as possible (this is what I did). Alternatively, use a rolling pin to roll the pieces out as thinly as possible.
7. Joanne says to spray the dough with water which helps it to go crispy.  I found they baked better and crispier without the spritz of water.  See which works best for you.
8. Bake on a baking try for 3 – 4 minutes on each side until lightly golden.
9. Repeat with the remaining dough.  The crackers will become crispier as they cool.
10. Once cooled, break into shards.