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CRISPY OLIVE OIL CRACKERS
1.5 cups semolina flour
1.5 cups white whole wheat flour (all-purpose will work too, but I especially like whole wheat pastry flour from Fairhaven Mill here in B'ham)
1 teaspoon sea salt, fine grain
1 cup warm water (the warmer the better)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together flours and salt. Add water and olive oil. I mix and knead by hand on a floured board, but you can also use a dough hook in a mixer at medium speed for 5-7 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky (not too dry, not too sticky). Add more flour or water as needed.
Shape dough into large ball and cut it into twelve equal pieces. Rub each with a bit of olive oil, then roll into a small ball and keep them on a plate or back in the bowl in which you mixed the dough. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rest at room temp for 30-60 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 450ºF and insert a pizza stone or similar baking sheet.
When the dough is done resting, flatten a dough ball on a floured surface. I use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to the thinness of pasta sheets, so a pasta machine would work just as well. Keep the dough floured enough that it won't stick to the surface or the rolling pin. Poke the flat sheet with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing, and add any toppings. The crackers I brought just had fresh cracked salt and pepper (my favorite), but I've experimented with all sorts of things: sesame seeds, paprika, dill, basil, parmesan, cinnamon & sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce, rosemary, garlic, curry, etc.
Cut the sheet in any way you'd like, then pull the pizza stone from the oven and set on a heat-safe surface. Transfer the dough pieces to the stone as quickly as possible (you'll hear them starting to sizzle) and put the stone back in the oven. They bake fairly quickly, in about 3 minutes or so. You'll know they're ready when they curl up on the edges and they're golden brown on the edges. Repeat for each ball of dough, and be sure to leave the pizza stone in the oven between batches - they bake better if the stone is as hot as possible. Let crackers cool completely before eating for a better crunch!
Erin Jensen
