Milk/Cream

Herby Spelt Icebox Crackers

February 26, 2018
4
4 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Makes Makes about 1 1/2 dozen crackers
Author Notes

These are the easiest crackers to make because they require only a few ingredients, plus they don’t need to be rolled out and cut. They’re shaped into a log and chilled, then sliced. They can be tweaked endlessly to create yummy flavors, but my favorite is topping them with a few herb leaves – they’re wonderfully sandy crackers that are great alone or with cheese. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

Test Kitchen Notes

For more on how to make crackers, see the full article. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (149 g) white spelt flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon (14 g) heavy cream
  • egg wash, as needed for finishing
  • herb leaves, as needed for finishing (I especially like sage + thyme)
Directions
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for a few minutes to lighten it.
  2. Add the spelt flour and salt and mix until the mixture is thoroughly combined (but don’t overmix)!
  3. Add the cream and mix to combine. The mixture should easily hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it doesn’t and seems dry, add more cream 1 teaspoon at a time until it does.
  4. Prepare a piece of parchment paper roughly the size of a baking sheet Turn the dough out onto the parchment and form it into a rough log along one of the long sides of the paper.
  5. Roll up the log inside the paper, and continue to roll it into an even, rounded log shop about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
  6. Transfer the dough to the freezer and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes, until nicely chilled.
  7. When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Cut the log with a sharp knife into rounds about ¼ inch thick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets. The crackers will spread only slightly, so they can be pretty close together.
  9. Brush the surface of each cracker with egg wash, and garnish with an herb leaf (or a few).
  10. Bake until the cookies are barely golden around the edges and appear set on the surface, 15-17 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

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