Cheddar Fennel Crackers
I love crackers. They are such a perfect food - crunchy, salty, they can be used for dips, spreads, and cheese *chefs kiss* For a few years in college I worked for an incredible cracker maker named Nina Murray who owned Mill Cove Baking Co. She just sold her business to Seven Star Bakery in Rhode Island. If you can get your hands on her crackers do it, they are truly the greatest crackers ever. This recipe is influenced by my time as a cracker maker. I think more people should make crackers before they have some friends over for a charcuterie board because they are so easy to make, and are a real party showstopper.
I used fennel in these crackers to add another layer to their savory flavor. If you aren’t a fennel fan you can totally leave it out and you will still be left with a great salty cheesy cracker. My one ask is to not buy pre-shredded cheese. Buy a nice block of aged cheddar and shred it yourself - it will make all the difference I promise.
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Sugar
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Fennel Seed
Cheddar Cheese
Olive Oil
Water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine 1 cup flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon crushed fennel seed, and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 3 tablespoons cold water. Mix the dough together using a wooden spoon or your hands. The dough should come together into a smooth ball with no dry spots. If it’s a little dry add more water one teaspoon at a time until ball of dough comes together and is smooth.
Press dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Let dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
Roll dough out with a rolling pin into a thin rectangle, less than a quarter inch thick. They won’t puff up too much so you can decide how thick or thin you would like your crackers. Make sure your dough is not bigger than your baking sheet. If it is, don’t stress, just cut it in half and use two baking sheets. Gently transfer dough to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut dough into squares or diamonds or any shape you would like your crackers to be, just make sure all the crackers are roughly the same size.
Brush crackers with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with a little more salt.
Bake until the crackers on the outside of the sheet pan start to brown slightly and the middle crackers look dry and lift easily off the sheet. This time will be different depending on how thick your crackers are and how big they are, after 7-8 minutes I would monitor them closely.
Cool and enjoy!
