DIY Crackers

This is turing into a mini Foodie week... So I'm going to go with it.

Why haven't I made my own crackers sooner? 

Because its really hard, that's why.  I got the genius idea to bake some crackers yesterday.  They turned out alright.  They look kinda rough.  Let's call them rustic.  I made some rustic-looking crackers yesterday.

They taste really good.  So that's one thing.  They should taste good, they are half butter.  And they didn't take that long to make.  But dude, they are labor-intensive.  

Want to make your own?  Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you.  You won't have to go the the gym today, at least...

 
Stephanie's Rustic Cheese Crackers- delicious, but time consuming

Ingredients:
2 cups of unbleached flour
1 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup of cold butter
1/2 cup of extra old cheddar cheese
8 tbsp ice water

Instructions:

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, mustard, pepper.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is coarse crumbs (it should resemble oatmeal).  Mix in the cheddar cheese.  Add half of the ice water and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon.  Don't use your hands- it will warm up the dough.  You don't want that.  Add the rest of the ice water a little bit at a time, stopping when the dough can hold itself together into a ball.  Take the dough ball, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour.  Go watch an episode of True Blood, that's what I did.

After an hour, preheat the oven to 350 degree F, and oil a baking sheet well with olive oil. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until it is 1/8 of an inch thick.  The thinner the better.  This is hard to do, just keep flouring your roller and go to town.  Cut into 1 x 3 inch squares.  I used a biscuit cutter to cut mine, because I like to make things difficult for myself.  Next time, I'm sticking to the squares.  Put them on the oiled baking sheet, and poke each crackers with some holes.  This part was fun, like stabbing my little problems away.  It was like I could punish the crackers for being so hard on my biceps. Baking as Gestalt therapy.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Cool completely before storing, or you will have soggy crackers.

We like to eat our rustic crackers with my homemade Red Pepper and Garlic Jelly.  They go well together.  They are also really good with fig jam, or any other sweet condiment you eat with cheese. 

They are a pain to make, but they are so good to eat.  They melt in your mouth. 

If you decide to torture yourself make some, let me know!