Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 2020)
2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020 HOME & LIVING CRACKERS Continued from Page 1A And there is another dis- tinction as well, one that goes a long way toward increasing their level of sophistication. A small amount of cayenne pep- per, just 1/8 teaspoon, makes a big difference. You sense the heat, but just a little, and it amplifi es the smooth bite of the Cheddar. The Onion Crackers were also utterly delightful. A full cup of chopped onion (for up to 60 very small crackers) makes them pungent yet rounded in fl avor, and poppy seeds add just the hint of an unexpected edge. Of all the crackers I made, the Onion Crackers make the best accompaniment to cheese — nothing too asser- tive, please. Which is to say they are the crackers that best live up to their potential and even their duty as crack- ers. A cracker without cheese is like a kiss without the Homemade onion crackers. squeeze. CRISPY SESAME CRACKERS remaining 1 teaspoon cold water, and brush the crackers with this egg wash. Sprinkle Yield: 12 servings with the sesame seeds, then 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast score the strips of dough to make triangular shapes; they 1 teaspoon granulated sugar will break apart into individual 1/3 cup warm water crackers when they bake. 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon 6. Turning the crackers as cold water, divided necessary, bake for 7 to 10 2 cups all-purpose fl our, minutes until they are a deep or more as needed gold. Remove to a rack to 1 tablespoon butter, cut up cool, then store in an airtight 2 teaspoons salt container for up to 1 week — 1 egg or less, if humidity is high. 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably a mix of black and white Per serving: 102 calories; 3 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 18 mg 1. Combine the yeast, sugar cholesterol; 3 g protein; 17 g and warm water together in carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 1 g the bowl of an electric mixer fi ber; 395 mg sodium; 21 mg or a large bowl. Let rest 8 to calcium 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy. Add 1/3 cup of the cold — Recipe from “Mustards water, then add the fl our, but- Grill Napa Valley Cookbook” ter and salt. Mix to combine by Cindy Pawlcyn with Brigid with the dough hook or a Callinan wooden spoon. 2. If using a mixer, mix the dough on medium speed until Yield: 8 servings smooth and elastic, pulling the dough down off the hook if it climbs it. If mixing by 2 cups all-purpose fl our, hand, turn the shaggy dough approximately 1 teaspoon out onto cutting board and baking powder knead for 5 to 8 minutes, 1 tablespoon until the dough is smooth granulated sugar and elastic. If the dough is 2 teaspoons salt sticky, add a little more fl our. ¼ teaspoon black pepper Gather into a ball, place the 2 tablespoons poppy seeds dough in an oiled bowl, turn 1 egg, room temperature to coat lightly, cover, and set it 1/3 cup vegetable oil aside in a warm place to rise 1 cup fi nely chopped onions until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ 2 tablespoons water, hours. if needed 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 1. Lightly grease 2 baking 4. The goal is to make the sheets or line with parchment crackers paper-thin. The easi- paper. est way to do this is to use a 2. In a mixing bowl, add pasta machine. If you don’t the fl our, baking powder, have one, take manageable- sugar, salt, pepper and poppy sized pieces of dough and, on seeds. In a separate bowl, a lightly fl oured surface, roll stir together the egg, oil and them out as thinly as pos- sible into strips that are 3 to 4 inches wide and 6 inches long. It helps to roll out the pieces of dough, let them rest for 5 or 6 minutes, and then roll them out again, repeating if necessary. 5. Lay the strips of dough on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat together the egg with the ONION CRACKERS Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS Homemade cream crackers. Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS chopped onions. Slowly pour the onion mixture into the fl our, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend well. The dough should be fi rm. Add more fl our if needed. 3. Turn the dough onto a fl oured work surface and knead briefl y — only enough to make a smooth dough. Add sprinkles of fl our if the dough is sticky. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to relax in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Cover 1 piece with plastic wrap while shap- ing the fi rst batch of crackers. Press and roll the dough into a rectangle about the length of the baking sheet. Roll the dough as thin as possible without tearing it apart. With the help of the rolling pin, lift and transfer the thin sheet of dough to the baking sheet. 5. With a rolling pizza cutter or jagger, cut the dough into as many crackers as you de- sire. Prick (dock) each cracker with the tines of a fork. Repeat for the second piece of dough. 6. Bake in the middle or lower shelf of the oven until a light golden brown, from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the dough. After 8 minutes, check the crackers to be certain they are baking as you want them. Cool on a metal rack. Per serving: 227 calories; 11 g fat; 8 g saturated fat; 23 mg cholesterol; 5 g protein; 29 g carbohydrate; 3 g sugar; 2 g fi ber; 594 mg sodium; 98 mg calcium Market swings making you uneasy? Let’s talk. — Recipe from “Bernard translucent. Clayton’s New Complete Book 5. Using a pastry brush, lightly of Breads” by Bernard Clayton coat the dough with cold water. Jr. Sprinkle some of the seeds into the dough with your fi ngertips. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. 6. Bake each batch on the inverted pan until crisp and Yield: 16 servings golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on the pan. Break each piece ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons into half or thirds. Store in an warm water (110 degrees) airtight container for several 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast weeks; recrisp in a warm oven, if ½ teaspoon granulated sugar necessary. 1½ teaspoons curry powder CURRIED POPPY SEED CRACKERS ½ teaspoon salt 1 egg yolk 1½ cups all-purpose fl our, plus more as needed 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1. Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and stir until it dissolves. Stir in the sugar, curry powder and salt. Whisk in the yolk. Add 1 cup of the fl our and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Gradually add the remaining ½ cup of the fl our until the dough becomes too diffi cult to stir. 2. Turn out the dough onto a fl oured surface and knead in enough additional fl our, if neces- sary, to form a cohesive dough. Continue kneading and adding small amounts of fl our until the dough is fi rm, resilient and no longer sticks to the work surface. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 4. Invert a jelly-roll pan and generously oil what is now the top. When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and divide it into 8 equal por- tions. Place 1 portion at a time on the oiled, upside-down baking sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough as thinly as possible. Wet your hands in cold water and use your fi ngertips to spread the dough out farther, until it is stretched to the point where it has holes and is almost 2 inches in diameter. Evenly space 15 balls on each of the prepared sheet pans. Flour the bottom of a 3-inch-diameter drinking glass and use it to fl at- ten each cracker so it is ¹/8-inch thick. The crackers will not be perfectly round. If there is a lot of fl our on the crackers, turn them over with a spatula. 5. Sprinkle with the fl eur de sel and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature. Per serving: 52 calories; 1 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 12 mg choles- terol; 2 g protein; 10 g carbohy- drate; 1 g sugar; 1 g fi ber; 78 mg sodium; 12 mg calcium Per serving: 227 calories; 12 g fat; 8 g saturated fat; 33 mg choles- terol; 3 g protein; 25 g carbohy- drate; 7 g sugar; 2 g fi ber; 377 mg sodium; 19 mg calcium — Recipe from “White Dog Cafe Cookbook” by Judy Wicks and Kevin Von Klause — Adapted from “Cooking for Jeffrey” by Ina Garten ENGLISH OAT CRACKERS CHEDDAR CHEESE CRACKERS Yield: 6 servings Yield: About 15 servings 3 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup all-purpose fl our ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 1 teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, ½-inch diced ¼ cup lukewarm water Fleur de sel or other crunchy salt 1. Preheat oven to 375 de- grees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. Place the oats, fl our, brown sugar and salt in a food proces- sor fi tted with the steel blade and pulse for 45 to 60 seconds until the oats are coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse 15 to 20 times until the but- ter is the size of peas. 3. Dissolve the baking soda in the lukewarm water and drizzle it over the crumbs in the food pro- cessor. Pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and can be pressed into balls that will hold together. 4. Roll dough into balls about 1½ ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 1 cup all-purpose fl our, plus more if needed ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons tepid water ½ teaspoon malt syrup 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, room temperature Butter, melted 1. Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, add the cheese, 1 cup of the fl our, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and cayenne pepper. Stir to mix well. In a separate bowl, dissolve the malt syrup in the water and add the shortening. Form a well in the center of the fl our; pour in the liquid with the shortening. Blend with a wooden spoon; the mixture will be quite heavy. See Crackers/Page 3B UPGRADE 215 Elm Street La Gande • (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com
