Cheese and Crackers

Today we are going to make homemade crackers and taste cheese from the Dairy Maids.

HOMEMADE CRACKERS

2 cups flour
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
egg wash - one egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Mix to combine the dry ingredients.
Add the olive oil and the water, and mix until a ball of dough has been formed. No need to knead--just mix until the ingredients are incorporated.
Divide the dough in half.  Roll out the dough directly on two ungreased cookie sheets.  
Once the dough is rolled thin, brush the egg wash over the surface of the crackers, and sprinkle with the toppings of your choice. Sea salt and fresh rosemary, or Parmesan cheese, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic salt -- really, just about any herbs or spices -- are wonderful.  Experiment with your favorite flavors.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares.
Bake for 10 minutes, until the crackers are golden and crispy.  Let cool.

SOURDOUGH DISCARD CRACKERS

3/4 cup sourdough discard
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional:
1-2 tablespoons herbs or seasonings
1 teaspoon sweetener

Melt the butter and add to sourdough and stir together with the salt. Spread thin onto a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper using a spatula. Pay attention to spreading the dough evenly so that all crackers are the same crispiness. One recipe should spread out over a 13x16”parchment paper or the equivalent. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes then remove from oven and score the crackers using a pizzacutter. Return to oven for 20-25 minutes more and remove when crackers are slightly golden in color. While the crackers are still hot put them into a bowl and toss with a bit of salt and seasoning of choice. This gives a pleasing savory rush to the tastebuds with each bite!
If you don't like the tart flavor of the sourdough crackers, the sweetener cuts that tart flavor. If you don't mind the tart flavor of sourdough you might not need to add the sweetener. PS: more butter gave a flakier cracker.