The Fresh Loaf

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Brother Juniper's Four-Seed Snack Crackers

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

Brother Juniper's Four-Seed Snack Crackers

I tried to include a picture, but I'm not adept enough with my photo editor and the online host.  Maybe another time.  But, trust me, they look and taste good.

They're the Four-Seed Snack Crackers on page 122 of Brother Juniper's Bread Book by Peter Reinhart.

Grind 1 cup each sunflower and pumpkin seeds into a flour in the blender.  Also grind 1/2 cup flax seeds in the coffee grinder.  He has you grinding all three seeds together, but the flax seeds did not break down properly.  Mix with 3-1/2 cups ww flour (or ap if you must), 1 cup sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoons honey, and 1/2 cup oil; add 6-8 ounces of water as needed to make a ball of dough. Knead about 10 minutes "until smooth, firm, but elastic, satiny rather than tacky" about 10 minutes.  Then place in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap for at least 10 minutes (I left it overnight).**

Divide into six pieces.  I rolled each piece into a ball and flattened it.  Then I placed five of the flattened balls on a cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours before placing them in a freezer bag.  They'll keep up to three months.  Roll today's dough out to about 1/8 inch thick.  (It was still stiff from the refrigerator, so I nuked it for a few seconds before rolling.)  I found that my Sil-Pat (little brother to the Roul-Pat) was adequate because the dough was oily enough, but he warns that you should re-flour as needed.  Then he has you use a biscuit cutter or a pizza roller knife to cut out round or diamond shapes, but I used a plastic dough scraper - gently - on my Sil-Pat and cut out random shapes.  I just wanted crackers and wasn't trying to impress the bridge club.

Finally, you can mist the top of the crackers with water and sprinkle with more sesame seeds or other toppings, but I didn't.  I just baked in a 340-degree F oven for 20-25 minutes until they're light golden brown.  You're warned to let them cool for at least 20 minutes so that they'll crisp up.

My first batch is now almost gone.  When I'm ready, I'll pull out another piece of dough, defrost it, and repeat.  I can keep the crackers coming with just a little effort.

Rosalie

**EDIT:  PLACE IN REFRIGERATOR - Details! Details!

Comments

xaipete's picture
xaipete

You mean the Energy Cookies on page 132? I've made a version of those and they were extremely tasty!

Seeded cracker

--Pamela

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

No, not the same.  But there are no cracker recipes on page 132 of my copy of the Brother Juniper book.  It's a continuation of the Oat Bran Bread recipe.  I found Energy Cookes on page 165.  Surely our books are not that different.

Oh, BTW, your crackers do look good.

Rosalie

xaipete's picture
xaipete

I guess our books are that different. Mine is Brother Juniper's Bread Book Slow Rise as Method and Metaphor, first printing, July 1991. It doesn't have a recipe for four-seed snack crackers.

--Pamela

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

Mine is the 2005 version.  Sounds like it's quite different from the original.

Rosalie

Susan's picture
Susan

The latest incarnation of these crackers is in Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.  Page 293, Seeded Crackers.  Excellent!

Susan from San Diego

xaipete's picture
xaipete

Ah, there is one more :-) but it won't be out until November.

--Pamela

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

Another Reinhart book?  What do you know about it?

Rosalie

xaipete's picture
xaipete

A lot. I was a tester for it.

--Pamela

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

Sworn to secrecy?

Rosalie

xaipete's picture
xaipete

Of course, but the book will be out soon enough.

--Pamela

cmkrause's picture
cmkrause

Please...semantics.  Are they good?  Ultimately, that is all that matters!

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

 

Rosalie