Easy Homemade Crackers

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220C/200 Fan/Gas 7

Step 2

Cut 4 pieces of baking parchment to fit 4 shallow baking trays then set aside.

Step 3

Stir together in a large bowl the flour and the salt.

Step 4

Stir the olive oil into the water.

Step 5

Tip all of the liquid into the flour and stir to bring together, eventually using your hands to form a dough.

Step 6

Working with a quarter of the dough at a time (cover the rest with the upturned bowl to prevent it drying out), put one piece of baking parchment on the worksurface and dust with a little flour.

Step 7

Place the dough quarter on the parchment, dust a rolling pin and roll the dough out to the approximate shape of the parchment,1-2 mm thick. Cut off any excess if you want the edges to be neat.

Step 8

For Plain CrackersPrick the dough all over with a fork to stop it rising too much.For Seedy CrackersBrush the dough with a little water, prick it all over with a fork, then sprinkle over the seeds. Take your rolling pin & lightly roll it over the seeds so that they stick to the dough.

Step 9

Using a knife or pizza wheel, mark out the dough into squares or rectangles:  you don't need to cut all the way through the dough.

Step 10

Carefully lift the parchment paper onto the baking tray & put it in the preheated oven. Cook until crisp and golden (10-15 min).Meanwhile: take the second quarter of dough and make another tray of crackers in the same way.Check after the first 5 minutes: crackers at the edge of the tray may cook very quickly.If you haven't rolled the dough thinly enough, you may need to turn the crackers over and bake for a further 2-3 minutes to ensure they're crisp all the way through.

Step 11

Transfer the crackers to a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Break into individual crackers along the marks you cut.Repeat the process until all 4 trays of crackers are baked.

Step 12

Leave until completely cold before storing in an airtight container. Crackers will keep fresh for at least 2 weeks.