Pepper, Fennel Seed and Thyme Olive Oil Cracker with Sea Salt (Gluten-Free Option)
Have you ever made your own crackers? I hadn’t until recently. It’s always been one of those things on my list to do but I couldn’t be bothered because you can always buy such wonderful flavors in the store with no effort. BUT making homemade crackers is something I wanted to do. So, I finally gave them a go. And I’m so freaking PLEASED that I did because these AMAZING Pepper, Fennel Seed and Thyme Olive Oil Cracker was born.
I’ll be 100% honest. I thought making homemade crackers was going to be more trouble than it was worth. Which is one of the main reasons I waited until this long to make them. But that was NOT the case.
Using We are not Martha’s Black Pepper and Thyme Olive Oil Cracker recipe as inspiration, it was so EASY to whip up roll out a batch of crackers. So easy, that a week later, I not only made this flavor again, but made a new one as well. And the FLAVORS. So, much YUMMIER than the ones made in the store.
Crispy, crunchy, and peppery wonderful goodness thanks to two types of peppercorns – pink AND black. The pink peppercorns added a beautiful light floral fragrance and taste to the crackers.
Olive Oil Cracker Base
I separated the recipe into Flavor and Base because you can use the base recipe of this cracker to make so many different flavors of crackers. Another recent flavor I’ve made is Cranberry and Walnut Olive Crackers with Pepper and Rosemary. Absolutely delicious.
The base cooked with an extra flavor makes a nice Olive Oil and Sea Salt cracker, if you’re looking for something a bit plainer in flavor. Or it’s also easy to add seeds, nuts, dried chilies, and grated hard cheeses to this mix, such as parmesan or pecorino romano. Simply use the Olive Oil Cracker base and make up your favorite flavors.
Substitutions and Gluten-Free
You can replace the dried herbs with fresh ones in this recipe. But do be aware, when using fresh ingredients, you’ll need to store the crackers in the fridge. When replacing dried herbs with fresh, you use three times the amount of fresh as to dried. For example, two teaspoons of dried thyme become two tablespoons of fresh to add enough flavor.
It’s also possible to substitute gluten-free flour or even whole wheat in this recipe. If using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour, you can substitute equal portions for the flour in the recipe. Do watch the baking time when adding gluten-free flour because it does change. Set your timer for 10 minutes and start monitoring from there, as not to burn your crackers. For all other gluten-free flours, you’ll need to add and watch on your own experience.
How to Make the Olive Oil Crackers Less Rustic
I’m a huge fan of rustic style crackers BUT if you want something a bit more refined… Using a knife or pizza cutter, gently cut your crackers into squares at your desired size BEFORE baking. Once you remove them from the oven and they cool, simply snap them into pieces.
You can also use cookie-cutters for fun shapes or a biscuit-cutter or lightly floured glass rim to make round crackers.
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The Thinner the Better
Make sure you keep enough flour on your surface when rolling out your cracker dough. Otherwise, it will stick and cause your crackers to tear as you try to move the dough.
To move rolled out dough, I simply gently roll together like a scroll, so that I can pick up the dough and transfer it to the parchment lined baking sheet. Once again, make sure you have a light cover of flour on the dough so that it doesn’t stick together.
Try to avoid tearing the dough when rolling out or moving. Everywhere it tears, it’s more likely to burn before the rest of your crackers are finished cooking.
The thinner you can make the dough, the faster it bakes and the crispier the cracker. For thicker crackers, you’ll need to add more baking time to dry them into a crisp, crunchy cracker.
Let’s Get Cracking
This lovely Pepper, Fennel Seed and Thyme Olive Oil Cracker with Sea Salt is wonderful for entertaining or pairing with a nice warm bowl of soup. I enjoyed them immensely with a bowl of Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Asian Flavors. And a recent get together, on a cheese board with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic with Herbs de Provence.
I’m excited to hear what you paired your Pepper, Fennel Seed and Thyme Olive Cracker with. Please let me know in the comments. And if you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Pepper, Fennel Seed and Thyme Olive Oil Cracker with Sea Salt
Ingredients
Cracker Flavor
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp pink peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
Olive Oil Cracker Base
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or flour of your choice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg separated
- ½ cup milk + a bit more for right consistency or your favorite non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Cracker Flavor
- Roughly grind pink and black peppercorns. Add fennel seeds and dried thyme to the mix. Setting aside until needed.
Olive Oil Cracker
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and cracker flavor mix.
- Make a well in the flour. Then add egg yolk, 1/2 cup of milk, and olive oil.
- Stir mixture together, adding a bit more milk – IF needed – until dough mixture is easily holding together but not overly wet.
- Divide the prepare cracker dough in half and lightly flour a large, flat surface such as your countertop or kitchen table.
- Roll out one half of dough, EVENLY, until very thin. The thinner the better for crispier crackers – thicker ones will be softer. Dough needs to be even to help prevent burning in thinner areas while the thicker parts are still baking.
- Gently place rolled out dough on one of your parchment lined baking sheets, before rolling out other half of dough.
- Lightly whip egg white in a small bowl, then brush over prepared dough. Sprinkle with sea salt to your desired saltiness level.
- Place sheet (or sheets in the oven if you have two racks) and bake for about 15 minutes or until crackers are golden brown and crispy, no longer soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cool before breaking into crackers.
- Store in a sealed container.