Sourdough, Olive Oil and Sesame Seed Crackers

With the unbelievably tasty – and my new favorite condiment – Spicy Chili Crisp, and also with some Hummus and Thai basil garnish.  Decorated for the picture with curry leaves and sesame seeds.

Here is a fun recipe to try this weekend, especially if you are having company (within the guidelines of course) over. It is super easy to make and while the original recipe talks about a pasta machine (which I used), you can just as easily (but with a little more effort) do it old school with a rolling pin. So here is my slightly adapted version of an Olive Oil, Sesame Seed and Sourdough Starter (discard) Cracker. I found this recipe on the brilliant “Chocolate and Zucchini” site, and thought I would experiment with it.

My friend Maria (from the PC Cooking School in Richmond Hill and of our Italy meets India classes) gave me some sourdough starter and very clear instructions – thanks so much for this Maria. Truth is she sent me home with a car load of things that she makes, bottles, grows etc. The instructions said to discard 1/3 of the batter before feeding the remainder. My first feed I did discard the batter but only because I was involved with other things at the time. The second feed, I figured I couldn’t keep throwing that out and didn’t want to keep making sourdough bread, buns etc. I wanted to find something that we could snack on without too much guilt. Follow the directions below and make a nice smooth dough before you start to roll – infinitely better results.

As I was making it I kept saying – can’t be this easy, I should take pictures and blog this – but was so amazed with the simplicity of the ingredients, the steps involved in making it and finally the spectacular results – I forgot! So all you get are the finished pics. These crackers are addictive, delicious and with one batch you can make different combinations of flavors. I did half this batch with sesame seeds and the other half with chopped fresh curry leaves. Both were great! You can make these with fresh or dried herbs, I think sumac would be awesome as well, curry powder, finely grated parmesan etc. Thicker crackers will make allow for dipping into soft dips, or for holding your favorite topping, thinner ones are great for snacking, almost like chips. So invite your “regional limit” of people over and have a nice, safe, socially distanced get together. Above all, as always – enjoy!

Ingredients
*100g sourdough starter discard or starter
*125g all-purpose flour
*125g semolina flour – I like the texture given by the coarse grain, but the site used the fine grind
20g toasted sesame seeds
10 – 12 fresh or frozen curry leaves, finely chopped – optional
7g fine sea salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
*75 ml water

*If you don’t have sourdough starter, raise the quantity of the flours to 150g each and the water to 120ml.
Preheat the oven to 400f – line 2 baking sheets with parchment
Place the starter, flours, seeds and salt in a mixing bowl
Add the olive oil and stir it in with a fork – add the water and mix it in
When the water is absorbed, turn the mixture out on a clean work surface and knead the dough gently to gather into a smooth ball
Add a touch more water if the dough feels too dry to come together, but the consistency you’re shooting for is smooth, not sticky or tacky
Divide the dough in half and mix in the chopped curry leaves (if using) to one half until well blended
Divide each half into 4 equal sized pieces and cover with a kitchen towel
Take one piece of dough (keep the others covered to prevent them from drying out) and flatten it into an oval disk between the palms of your hands
If using a pasta machine, set the roller on the widest setting –on my Kitchen Aid it is #1
Turn the machine to the lowest speed and run the disk through – do this twice, then narrow the space on the pasta machine – run it through a couple of times, then reduce one more setting – to #3, and repeat – I found this was the perfect thinness for baking
If you are using a rolling pin, you don’t have to divide the dough balls into 4 pieces, just leave it as is and roll out on a very lightly floured surface
Place it on one of the prepared baking sheets and trace squares with a sharp knife onto the surface – or be free form and break off into pieces after it has crisped up
Continue with the other half of the dough
Bake for 7 – 10 minutes, I checked at 7 minutes and it didn’t quite feel crispy. I left it in for another 2 minutes (it should feel crisp when it comes out of the oven, but with some give), then removed it from the oven and let it cool – it crisps up further as it cools
Store in a ziploc bag or some other container that allows for easy, undetected sneaking of a snack as the need arises 🙂