Homemade Garlic Chia Crackers

Make these delicious, whole-grain crackers in minutes, using ingredients as local and organic as you can.

Active time: 9 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes. Serves 8.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white whole wheat flour (such as King Arthur Flour’s organic)
2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water, plus a little more
coarse salt for sprinkling

Method

1. Heat oven to 400ºF, with a bread stone or a heavy cookie sheet, rim side down,  on the bottom rack.
2. Mince garlic, then heat garlic and oil in  a small, microwave safe container in the microwave on high until oil boils and garlic is fragrant, about 40 seconds.
3. Put flour, chia seeds if using, baking powder, and salt into a food processor fitted with a stainless-steel blade. Pulse once or twice to mix, then add garlic-infused oil. Pulse five or six times until mixture resembles coarse sand.
4. With the motor running, pour water into the food processor. If flour mixture doesn’t come together in a ball within a few seconds, dribble in more water until it does.
   
   
   
   
5. Put dough on floured parchment paper. Sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour so it doesn’t stick, then cover with another sheet of parchment. Roll out dough using a rolling pin or a flat-sided tall bottle (a clean wine bottle will do) until it is about the size of a cookie sheet.
6. Peel off top sheet of parchment. If desired, score dough using a pizza wheel or knife to make break points. Poke each cracker segment all the way through with a fork to keep bubbles from forming during baking. Sprinkle with coarse salt, then use your hand to press it in lightly so it sticks.
7. Put dough and bottom parchment sheet on a pizza peel or rimless cookie sheet. Slide dough and parchment onto bread stone and bake for 11 minutes, until crackers are tan all over with slightly browner edges and crisp. Cool crackers on a wire rack, then break into pieces. Best eaten within a few hours, but crackers will keep for three or four days in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Variations

• Basic cracker. Use neutral oil (corn, canola, or grape seed) and omit chia seeds and garlic.
• Sesame cracker. Use neutral oil and sesame seeds.
• Chipotle crackers. Use neutral oil and add 1/2 teaspoon chipotle.

Comments

[sgwebb]

I made these last night to go with big salads for dinner. They were very easy to make and a nice treat. I used sesame seeds instead of chia since that's what I had. I think next time, I might press the sesame seeds on top instead of putting in the food processor. The food processor pulverized them and I like that little satisfying crunch from the whole seeds.

[Linda Watson]

Sounds great, sgwebb! The chia seeds are harder, so they remain intact. Yum, sesame! ... Linda