Whole Grain and Pepper Crackers

Submitted by skat5762

"I'm collecting cracker recipes to bake this fall & winter... this one comes from Country Living. Makes 36 3-inch triangular crackers or 40 2-inch square crackers."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 36-40 crackers

ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup rolled oats
• 1⁄4 cup natural bran
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1⁄3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

directions

1. Make the dough:

2. Pulse the oats and bran in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade until coarsely ground.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and baking soda and pulse to combine.
4. Add the butter and process until the flour mixture resembles coarse meal.
5. Add the buttermilk and pepper and continue to process until the dough forms a ball on the blade.
6. Divide in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. Bake the crackers:

8. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
10. Roll the dough out on lightly floured surface to a 9X9 inch square about 1/4 inch thick.
11. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 3-inch triangles or 2-inch squares.
12. Transfer the crackers to the baking sheet, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining salt.
13. Repeat with remaining dough and bake crackers until golden brown- about 15 minutes.
14. Transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Reviews

[Roosie]

These are really good, S'kat. I like that they're pretty nutritious and the flavor is good, although I think they might benefit from some pepper sprinkled on top with the salt and/or a touch of some other spice in the dough. My only qualm is that even after a couple days of sitting in a paper bag, they're not very crisp or crackerlike- they're a little more of a biscuit-like texture or like a piecrust. Tender and flakey... which is *good*, just not what I'm looking for in a cracker. I rolled them in slightly varying thicknesses just to see which thickness would be best- but they're all about the same. Very buttery tasting and tender and flakey. I do like the recipe, but perhaps it could use a little more flour for crispness or something? Thanks for posting. The directions are clear and easy to follow and the recipe works as stated, just the end texture left something to be desired for crackers.