Rosemary and Cheese crackers

I always thought cracker and khakhra are very closely related. Why, they can even be twins! Raised in different environments. The ingredients are similar, the dough making quite the same, only difference being the method of cooking it. Baking in an oven for a cracker and roasting on a stove top for the khakhra. Next time, I am going to make cheesy crackers on stove top. Will work well right? What do ya think?

The last week has been good! Got three lovely emails from friends appreciating the blog and the recipes, and also a few queries about some ingredients. Such emails and messages make my day. After several hours of sweating in the kitchen, photographing and then writing, such moments of *glory* liven it up 🙂

The weekend was equally gratifying. Spent the whole Saturday cooking and baking. Made baked potato baskets, Bengali biryani for the Daring Cooks challenge, mushroom and onion soup, and the humble Maharashtrian pithala bhakri for lunch. All of this and it left me no time to make any dessert. May be, I can bake a cake today. Pina-colada or layered coffee cake?? Umm.. I think both.

The monsoon in India will soon come to an end, and my husband has promised me that he will grow some herbs for me in the home garden. I am so looking forward to rosemary and basil and thyme to be freshly ‘harvested’ and used. But till then, the store-bought cold storage herbs will have to do.

Never mind, rosemary is still rosemary. The woody, slightly bitter and highly aromatic rosemary. Couple it up with cheese and pepper, and the flavor enhances anything it touches. Just like these crackers :

Bake a big batch and treat everyone you know to some gourmet food. And earn lots of brownie points.

Rosemary and Cheese crackers

Loosely adapted from Katie Goodman’s Goodlifeeats

Yield : About 50-60 one-inch sized crackers

Ingredients :

2 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp minced, fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
200 gms salted butter
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Preparation :

In a bowl, combine flour, minced rosemary and pepper and keep aside.
In a mixer, pulse butter and cheese and till it comes together to form pea-sized chunks.
Pour in the flour mixture and process, till it has the consistency of a coarse meal.
Then take out the dough on a lightly greased surface and knead it for a couple of minutes to form a smooth dough.
Divide the mixture in half and wrap it in saran/ plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast an hour or upto one day. The dough needs to be cold, to prevent flaking.
Pre-heat oven to 350°F/180°C.
Once the dough is properly chilled, take half of the dough, and knead it again for a minute.
Invert a baking tray upside down and lightly flour it. With a rolling-pin, roll a part of the dough onto the baking tray to thin layer, 2-3 mm in height. With a serrated knife, cut the dough sheet into pieces of desired shape and size.
Drizzle some white/ black sesame seeds on top and gently press it down with your fingers.
Bake at 180°C for 14-15 minutes on the middle rack and check a tiny portion after 12 minutes. If it feels reasonably crisp, then it is done.
Cool on the tray for 5 minutes and on a wire rack till completely cool. On cooling, the crackers will harden and be crisper.