Trouble with Crackes
Hi all, I have been trying this recipe: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/22562/sourdough-crackers from Ron, but I can't get the crackers to be softer. My multigrain baking soda crackers aren't this crunchy. Is the baking soda/powder the kicker or is there just not enough fat? I have had to put my oven down to 300F and bake for 20 minutes, the middle still isn't crispy, but when it gets crispy (and not chewy) it's very hard!
Things I've tried:
I have an oven thermometer, my oven is spot on.
Half all purpose flour and half whole wheat, my kids seem to like the rye tang though.
I am using 20g of refined coconut oil (somewhat solid at room temp)
Using silicone pie guides to roll it 1/16"
Rolling thinner than 1/16, but then it just breaks apart into shards
My goal is a kid friendly cracker. I have a 2 year old and 6 year old. thanks for any insight!
In afraid you'll find baking powder is the trick. At least the easiest way to go. To get that soda cracker texture you really have to limit gluten development - to something like close to none. The advantage here with baking powder/soda is you add everything, mix just barely enough to incorporate (the absolute minimum of handling) and bake. This severely limits the amount of gluten formed and you get that texture.
Yes you can add more fat, but it'll get hard, very hard. As an aside - I use very high gluten flour 17% protein - and use it for everything - pizza to biscuits - lots of gluten for pizza, hardly any for biscuits - it's all how ya go about it. Enjoy!
I'll try handling it even less and with bread flour next time. I do keep bread flour on hand, but I thought the high gluten would make it too chewy. And thanks for the note about more fat, I was about to add more. I don't want them hard, but not crispy shards either. If that doesn't work I may go back to my old multigrain cracker recipe with baking soda/powder in it.
You're right - you really want cake flour - lowest protein you can find - and even then you'll want to limit handling/mixing/kneading ie. anything that'll develope gluten. Enjoy!
PS - nothing wrong with baking soda/powder - it still has it's merits.
I will try it with cake flour, I think I still have some. I don't use it very often unless I need to do a pastry flour substitute. I like sourdough, but the kids and husband don't like sourdough bread. They do like the sour cracker though, go figure!
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14518/windowpane-crackers
Thank you Mini! do these turn into shards? There is one in "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" that has you making the dough so thin can see light through it, but the pictures look like shards, great for stabbing.
counter time at comfortable room temp. i can't remember having shards. Just bake up a batch or half batch and see how they come out.