Crackers - Version 2
- 10 min
- 16-20 min
Ingredients
- Olive oil for brushing pan and dough
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into bits
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup very cold water
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Brush 2 large baking sheets generously with oil.
- Toast 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper in a dry small skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat, shaking skillet occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cool pepper.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon table salt in a bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Add shortening and blend into flour mixture with a pastry blender or your fingertips (or pulse in processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps. Drizzle evenly with 1/2 cup ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
- Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again.
- Divide dough into 2 portions and flatten each into a 3-inch square.
- Roll out each square on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 20- by 8-inch rectangle. Trim edges and sprinkle each sheet with teaspoon toasted pepper. Run rolling pin lightly over dough to embed pepper in pastry. Brush each sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
- Cut sheets crosswise with a small sharp knife into 1 inch wide strips (straight or wavy). Arrange strips evenly spaced in 1 layer on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 16 to 20 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool.
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