Saffron Crackers with Citrus Fennel Pollen Sea Salt
Crisp little crackers with a delicate flavor that you can make small or large. Perfect for dipping into hummus, eating out of hand, or as an accompaniment to a soup or stew
2 ½Tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
Citrus Fennel Pollen Sea Salt, for sprinkling (or herbs/spices of your choice)
Instructions
Steep the saffron threads in the hot water until the water is at room temperature.
Whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and fine sea salt.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the saffron water, the flour mixture and the olive oil.
Mix on low until all the water is absorbed and the dough holds together in a fairly firm but smooth dough. If the dough is crumbly, add water, just a little at a time and mixing well in between, until the dough comes together.
Knead for about 6-7 minutes on medium.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Set two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven, and preheat to 425F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat and set aside.
You can either roll large sheets of dough out as thinly as you can and then cut them into your desired shapes with a pizza cutter or scale the dough into whatever size you want and roll it into individual crackers, either bite-sized (2-3 grams or so) or large enough to break, (20-25 grams or so). Again, make sure to roll these as thinly as you can to get crisp rather than crunchy crackers.
Keep your extra dough covered.
Place the crackers on the baking sheets--they don't need much room between them at all.
Lightly brush the crackers with olive oil and sprinkle with the citrus fennel pollen sea salt (or whatever herbs or spices you prefer).
Bake for 2-3 minutes and then switch the pans and bake for another 1-3 minutes, depending on the size. Smaller crackers will only take about 4 minutes to bake while larger ones can take up to 6-7 minutes. Finished crackers will appear almost blistered and have deep golden brown edges. Watch them carefully and remove to a cooling rack as soon as they are done. Even crackers of the same size on the same sheet might not all get done at the same time, so watch them carefully.
Once completely cool, store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. If it is humid and/or the crackers get at all soft, re-crisp them in a 250F oven for about 5 minutes.
Notes
If you would like to use 100% all purpose flour, decrease the initial amount of water to 1/2 cup and add extra sparingly if necessary.