Ayla Coşkun
ISTANBUL: If a craving hits and there is a lot of time until the next meal, salty snacks are the best way to satiate your hunger. Here are some recipes that will help you snack better for less money
I’m not going to lie: I love to crunch down on some salty crackers when I’m a bit hungry but don’t want to wait for the next meal. Sometimes I like dipping them in some labneh, cream cheese or even hot sauce to spice it up a bit.
While buying them is very convenient without a doubt – I literally have a stash of them – making them yourself is a great way to save some money and cater to your own tastes.
Mahleb crackers
Every pastry shop in Turkey sells these savory cookies that melt in your mouth and have that distinct taste to them. While they are easy to find, I prefer to use a bit of my time to elevate these savory snacks to higher levels by making them myself. Mahleb is a very strong spice, so adding just a little does go a long way. Plus, you can add as much sesame or nigella seeds as you like – or leave it out altogether.
Ingredients
- 125 grams butter
- 100 milliliters oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon mahleb
- 400-500 grams flour
- 10 grams baking powder
- sesame and/or nigella seeds, optional
Instructions
Separate your eggs and set one of the yolks aside to be used at the very end for brushing on the crackers. Add all the ingredients except the flour and baking powder and give it a good mix. Gradually add the flour and all of the baking powder and knead until you get a non-sticky dough. As each flour behaves differently, the amount can change a lot (not to mention that even the temperature of your room can influence it!) so you might not need the full 500 grams mentioned here. Make the cookies in any shape you want. Popular shapes found in pastry shops are simple braids made by rolling out a bit and then twisting it onto itself. Pretzel shapes are popular too but if you feel like just rolling it out and cutting squares, that is of course viable as well.
Add a bit of oil to the egg yolk that you set aside at the beginning and whisk it together. Brush the crackers with the mixture and add the seeds if you so desire. Traditionally only nigella seeds are used but don’t let that stop you from experimenting.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 10-15 minutes until they take on a slightly golden brown color. Cool off and store in an airtight container.
Puff pastry sticks
This is a bit of a lazy way to make cheesy goodness to crunch on, especially if you want more variety in your snacks. I like these a lot because they are not as loud as chips when you eat them while watching a movie. This one is not a really precise recipe because it depends entirely on your taste and what you have at home.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry of your choice
- cheese (more than one kind will make this interesting)
- garlic
- oregano, thyme
- sesame
- salt
- hot sauce
- 1 egg
Instructions
Depending on what kind of puff pastry you have you’ll need at least two pieces so that they can be layered together. Chop your garlic as finely as possible, or if you prefer garlic powder, use that instead. Lay out one of the puff pastry and sprinkle on the seasoning, sauce and cheese in a thin layer. Overloading is a bad idea because it will get twisted. Use your hand to press the ingredients into the pastry at least slightly. Add the next layer of puff pastry, add more cheese and seasoning onto it and press it into the puff pastry. If you like you can use a rolling pin as well but you don’t need to smoosh it all down. Now use a sharp knife to cut out narrow strips; how long or how wide is entirely up to you. The puff pastry I can get in Turkey at every shop is already pretty long and narrow so I usually just cut it lengthwise in four or three parts. Prepare a baking tray with baking paper and take each strip and twist it carefully. Press both ends onto the baking tray to prevent the sticks from un-twisting. Whisk the egg until it gets a bit frothy and brush it all over. As a last touch, sprinkle some sesame seeds over the sticks and bake them according to the puff pastry’s instructions.
Once out of the oven, enjoy them as soon as possible.
The simplest of them all
If you want to have your crackers as simple and plain as possible this is the recipe you want to make. Why would anyone want so plain a cracker? For dipping, of course. You can make these in any shape you like to make it extra fun to dip.
Ingredients
- 350 grams flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons fat of your choice
- 200 milliliters water
Instructions
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and knead it through. The dough will be kind of sticky so don’t add too much flour. Lightly dust your work surface with flour or use a sheet of baking paper to help you roll out the dough. Cut the dough in any shape you want and put the crackers onto a baking paper-lined tray. Poke the crackers with a fork and brush some oil over them. Bake them at 180 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes or until they get a golden brown color. You can go darker if you like to but as they are fairly thin you need to keep an eye on them to prevent them from burning.
Courtesy: Dailysabah
The post Savory munchies: 3 recipes for homemade crackers appeared first on The Frontier Post.
