Polly Want A...

Homemade Cracker???

I've made these several times and I love them and they usually are enjoyed by our guests. They are pretty simple and generally use ingredients you probably already have on hand. And a good way to use up some extra rosemary.

Cheddar Rosemary Crackers
Yields about 3-4 dozen crackers

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 Tablespoons cold water
3 Tablespoons finely chopped Rosemary

Schlup the flour, cheeses, salt, cayenne together in a large bowl or mixer. Add the butter in pieces and combine until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the yolk and water together. Drizzle over the dough and quickly mix/pulse in the mixer until the dough forms small most crumbs. Add the rosemary and pulse again.

Pile the moist crumbs on an unfloured work surface. With the heel of your hand, push and gently smear the crumbs away from you until they start to come together. Repeat about three more times, rotating the pile 45 degrees each time. Roll into one or two long rolls about an inch or inch and a half in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until solid. The dough can also be frozen for up to a month and then thawed for about an hour before baking.

Slice off pieces no more than 1/4 inch. Arrange on a baking sheet 1/2 inch apart.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and delicious. Sprinkle with kosher salt as they come out of the oven, cool, enjoy.

When cooled completely, store in an airtight container. If they start to stale, refresh in a 325 oven for a few minutes.