Cracker Bread

This is a basic unleavened bread recipe.  It's great to use if you want a thin crust pizza that is crispy and cracker thin--we use it for that purpose all the time!  But yesterday I just wanted to have some flavored crackers on hand to enjoy with some guacamole.  So, enter flavored cracker bread...you can season it to meet your favorite flavors.  On this particular day, I simply used salt and garlic powder.  But the possibilities are endless--there are options ranging from savory to sweet!

Ingredients:
1 c. water
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 c. flour
seasonings (your choice)

Baking temperature: 450 degrees
Baking time: 20 minutes

You'll start by placing the first 4 ingredients in a mixer and mix it until a rough dough forms.  Once this happens, allow the dough to rest in the bowl for about 10 minutes.

Finish mixing the dough until it becomes smooth, then allow it to rest an additional 15-20 minutes.

So that the dough doesn't dry out, place some plastic wrap over the top of the dough.

Once the dough has rested, you'll roll it out as thin as you can.

If you have a pizza peel, now is the time to sprinkle a little cornmeal on it (or flour if you don't have cornmeal) so that the dough won't stick to it between the transfer from pizza peel to baking stone.  If you don't have a pizza peel, simply place your dough on a baking sheet.  You may want to lightly coat the baking sheet with cornmeal as well--it adds a nice crunch to the crackers.

Place the rolled out dough onto the pizza peel and then prick the dough all over with a fork to help prevent it from bubbling too much.

Take your olive oil and drizzle a little bit on top of the dough, spreading it evenly across the surface of the dough.

At this point, you want to add whatever seasonings you like.  I simply sprinkled salt and garlic powder across mine.  Then slide the dough off the pizza peel and onto your baking stone...or, if using a baking sheet, set it in the preheated oven.

Allow the dough to bake for 20 minutes.  Check every 5 minutes or so and poke any bubbles with a fork.  It's inevitable that your dough will have bubbles in it, but there's a big difference between dough that's been poked with a fork prior to baking than dough that hasn't been.

Dough baked without being pricked with a fork:

Dough baked that has been pricked by a fork:

Finally, cut or break the cracker bread into pieces.  It crumbles a bit as you cut into it, but those little pieces are tasty, too!  Pair this recipe with your favorite dip or salsa, or enjoy them plain.  Tastes great with guacamole!