Crackers and Crispbreads: Made from scratch

I'm a lover of crackers and crispbreads. Growing up I didn't eat bread so crispbreads were my go to lunch option. And of course no cheese and antipasto platter is complete without something crispy to spread the goodies onto. So on my made from scratch adventures my attention eventually turned to crackers.

I've tried many recipes and techniques over the time of honing my cracker skills. I've used the pasta maker to roll really thin ones, I've experimented with seeds, herbs and flours, and I've played around with sizes and thickness. I've found what works for me as far as fitting the making in around life and also what gets enjoyed the most in our family.

Homemade crackers.

My go to option for a long time was a knekkebrod recipe that I came across on city hippy farmgirl. True to form I made a few adjustments – replacing spelt flour with plain flour and omitting the sesame seeds simply because I often didn't have them on hand. This was a great gateway recipe into making my own as it was so simple. Just mix and flatten. They also tasted delicious and were a nice hearty style crispbread. Eventually though I went searching for something a little thinner and crisper....

My next victim recipe was a bbc multi seed cracker. Once again I made a few adjustments – using plain flour instead of wholemeal and whatever seeds I had on hand. I was also a little more rustic in my cutting of the dough and opted out of using the ruler (!!). These were great and versatile. I played around with the recipe a lot adding spices, omitting the semolina when I didn't have it on hand and occasionally ditching the seeds altogether for a water cracker style substitute. Then I got lazy.....

Cracker dough.

Now that I've been making my own for a few years and know what type of dough consistency I'm looking for I pretty much just wing it. I generally mix flour (usually plain but sometimes mixing it up with rye or atta flour if they are to hand), seeds and water in a bowl until they are the right consistency and go with that. You want the dough to be soft enough to roll but not too sticky that it makes a big old mess when you're rolling out. The good thing is you can just add extra flour as you roll if you need. If you want a small batch start with around 1 cup of flour.

Dough rolled out and ready to cut.

The variations to this basic recipe are endless. Sometimes I add leftover sourdough starter which I think adds a great flavour and gives a really nice texture. Oats are a nice addition too. If I'm feeling adventurous or have a specific purpose in mind for the crackers I'll sometimes add spices or herbs (dill and caraway was a little phase I went through in spring time, absolutely delicious with smoked salmon). These days I also bake the dough in long strips and either use as is or break up once baked. With two kiddos around time is at a premium and I don't use it cutting up my crackers (unless I need them smaller for a specific purpose of course – but I definitely don't use a ruler!).

Crackers ready to bake.

The other benefit to making my own is so much less packaging. After I had my second baby I went back to buying crackers for a while as I was understandably a little distracted. However, I really hated all the extra packaging it produced and got back onto the made from scratch bandwagon as quickly as a newborn allowed (not very quickly of course!).

So, there you have it. My 'journey' to making my own crackers/crispbreads. I'd encourage you to give it a go. Start with any recipe and adjust from there. The hardest thing is always getting started. Once you realise how simple, versatile and tasty home made crackers are you'll be hooked.

Have you thought about giving DIY crackers a go?
If you've already taken the plunge – any recipes or tips to share?