Afew weeks back the tastebuds participated in the first Philadelphia Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale. The sale generated close to $900 for Share Our Strength and will go towards feeding hungry children in the Greater Philadelphia area. Pretty rad!
Julia made her famous almond anise biscotti and I decided to go a different route and made some super easy cheese crackers that blow cheese nips out of the water. The recipe comes from Tartine, which is also a bakery based in San Francisco. I can merely assume at this point that it’s a mega wonderful place, since I haven’t had the chance to visit quite yet. Let’s just say if their cookbook sums up their operation, I’m already in love. It’s already considered a classic in the tastebuds kitchen.
Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Adapted from Tartine | by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson
3/4 c AP flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian or Spanish paprika
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
2 1/3 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 c finely chopped hazelnuts
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. Set aside. Mix the cheese and butter together in a large bowl until combined. Add the flour in stages until incorporated. Mix in the hazelnuts. The dough should be fairly stiff with small pieces of cheese and hazelnut visible. If your dough seems overly dry or crumbly, add whole milk one tablespoon at a time until it holds its shape.
Transfer the dough to parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap and shape into a log that is roughly 1” in diameter. I divided mine into two smaller logs so they were easier to manage and flatted the sides to make a square cracker. Wrap well and freeze until firm, about two hours (I only waited about 30 minutes…)
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick liner. Unwrap the log and cut crosswise slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Space the crackers about 1 inch apart, they won’t spread much when you bake them.
Bake the crackers until golden brown on the edges and lighter in the center, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. They will keep in a container for up to two weeks, but don’t count on them lasting that long.
