Einkorn Sourdough Cheese Crackers
Why these are LIFE-CHANGING sourdough crackers
As part of my series on life-changing foods, these life-changing einkorn sourdough crackers are a mainstay and are a critical component of a healthy modern diet. Snack foods are one of the worst offenders when it comes to shortcuts in the food manufacturing process and the use of low-quality ingredients. There is no doubt that food manufacturers are capitalizing on the fact that most modern families are seeking convenience foods, especially for snacks, at an all-time high rate. Additionally, with the rising cost of food and labor, there is ever more motivation for food companies to use cheaper ingredients and deceptive labeling practices that confuse us about the true nutritional content of the foods we eat.
It is time to fight back and take control of the food that goes into our bodies. Most specifically, I am speaking about the food that we give our children because they are our future and we shall not give up control of their health so easily. The act of pushing back begins with reprioritizing our health so that we create the necessary time and energy in our lives to prepare our foods with traditional methods and healthy ingredients.
Many of the life-changing foods I am highlighting are wheat-based products that most of us eat every day. Sandwich bread, pizza, these crackers, baked sweets, etc. These products are some of the hardest to learn how to make the right way, which is why I am on a mission to teach you how to do it in a modern kitchen with the least amount of effort.
To learn why processing and preparing wheat-based products the right way is so important, check out the All About Wheat page on my website.
NOTE: This recipe is for CHEESE CRACKERS, but you can easily omit the cheese and make plain crackers with the same recipe. The only modification would be to limit the initial amount of water to 3/4 cup to yield a slightly drier dough, and knead it for an extra minute or two before letting it sit overnight.
Life-Changing Einkorn Sourdough Cheese Crackers
NOTE: This recipe yields enough crackers to fill a 1-gallon size ziplock bag.
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Ingredients List:
1 cup active sourdough starter
3/4 cup - 1 cup water
2 cups einkorn wheat berries (or any other ancient grain wheat berries you like), freshly ground
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt, plus more for dusting the crackers
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp paprika
8 oz. freshly shredded aged gouda cheese
All-purpose einkorn flour for dusting, or as needed
1/4 cup melted UNSALTED butter, or more as needed
Instructions
-- The Night Before --
Whisk together 3/4 cup water and 1 cup active sourdough starter.
Grind wheat berries, and combine with whisked starter mix.
Give a quick mix with a spatula, then transfer to KitchenAid mixed with the dough hook attachment to knead for 2 minutes on setting 2.
Add more water or all-puprose einkorn flour as needed to form a nice dough ball that is pliable, but not too moist.
Cover and let sit overnight.
-- The Next Day --
NOTE: These steps can be done anytime during the day. Plan a couple of hours in your day to be in the kitchen for this.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Melt about a 1/2 stick of butter in a small saucepan.
Add the remaining ingredients minus the cheese to the dough in your mixing bowl. NOTE: If you are making plain crackers, you will omit the cheese, turmeric, and paprika.
Check dough for proper consistency and add more flour as needed.
Knead the dough with the dough hook attachment until the dough ball has a uniform consistency and is coming off the sides of the bowl.
Add shredded gouda cheese and continue kneading the dough until it comes together in a uniform consistency.
Lightly flour a large work surface.
Take roughly a tennis ball sized ball of dough and roll it around in the flour, then press it flat to about 1/2 thick with your palm.
Transfer the dough to the KitchenAid pasta roller on setting 4, or medium the medium thickness setting on whatever roller you are using.
Continue passing the dough through the roller, dusting in the flour as needed, until you have a smooth, uniform rectangular sheet of dough.
Gently transfer the dough to your sheet pan and repeat until the sheet pan is full.
Lightly baste the dough with melted butter.
Lightly sprinkle salt onto dough - brush as needed for even distribution.
Use dough docker tool or fork to press holes into dough to prevent bubbles from forming.
Use pizza cutter to cut dough sheets into cracker size squares.
Bake in over at 400° for 9 - 9 1/2 minutes. At 9 minutes check for doneness. You should see some light browning around the edges of the dough sheets, and the crackers should be slightly coming apart at the seems where you cut the dough.
Transfer the finished crackers to a plate to cool for at least 1 hour before packaging.
Repeat the steps until all dough is used.
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