23 Mar All natural “Cheez-it” Crackers
I started working on a way to make cheese-flavored crackers when my mother-in-law was lamenting her days of being able to eat cheese-itz. There really is something very addicting about that crunchy salty/sour cracker.
When I started experimenting with gluten free sourdough bread, I noticed the flavor was similar to that of cheese flavorings, probably because both go through a version of a fermentation process. I also learned that the coloring you get with cheddar cheese is actually annatto seed, a natural seed that imparts an orange color to the foods it is added to.
This recipe is actually very simple, but the ingredients will take some effort. You will probably need to find a speciality spice store to find ground annatto, or order it online. The gluten free sourdough starter will take a bit of effort too… maybe you have a friend who could give you a start, or you could make your own. I plan to do a post on starting your own starter soon, but in the mean time a great resource for starting your own gluten free starter is Bread Matters by Andrew Whitley. Once you have a starter and your are feeding it regularly, I think you will find that this recipe is a great one for using up starter when you aren’t wanting to embark on making bread.
This recipe is adapted from Bojon Gourment’s Spelty Sourdough Crackers.
All Natural “Cheez-It”
- Category: Appetizer, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Snacks, Sugar Free
Ingredients
- 1 c Potato Starch
- 1 c GF flour blend
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 2 tsp. Ground Annatto Seed
- 4 tbsp. Cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 c Liquid GF Sourdough Starter
- 5 tbsp. Cold water
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil, for brushing
- Course sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Combine flours and salt in a bowl.
- Cut cold butter into the flour, and work the butter into the flour with your hands until the mixture is crumb-like, and no large clumps of butter remain.
- Add the liquid starter to the flour and butter mixture and combine.
- Add water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and there are very few dry clumps unincorporated. You are looking for a firm dough that is not too crumbly. The amount of water needed is going to vary based on the water content of your starter.
- Form a ball with your dough and wrap or cover. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 mins. You aren't really looking for the dough to rise, you are just letting the dough come together.
- Divide the dough into two balls and place between two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin as thin as you can. Try to work it into somewhat of a rectangle so it will fit on a large cookie sheet.
- Brush the dough all over with olive oil and then cut into small squares. The smaller the squares, the faster they will crisp.
- Sprinkle with course sea salt and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the crackers from the oven and break apart. The ones on the edges should be fully crisp, so those can be moved to a cooling rack. Break apart the rest and let them bake for another 10 minutes, or until crisp.
- Move first batch to a cooling rack and repeat with the second ball of dough.
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