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1
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 450F.
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2
To make the topping: In a small bowl, stir the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and fennel or caraway seeds.
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3
Fill another small bowl with water; set it aside along with a pastry brush and the kosher salt.
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4
To make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and table salt.
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5
Add the olive oil and 1/2 cup water to the flour; stir with a rubber spatula until it collects into a soft, crumbly ball of dough.
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6
Use the spatula or your hands to press the dough against the sides of the bowl to gather all the stray flour.
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7
Set the dough on a lightly floured work surface and portion it into thirds.
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8
Pat each portion into a square.
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Set two squares aside and cover with a clean towel.
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10
Roll the remaining dough into a rectangle about 1/16 inch thick and 7 or 8 inches wide by 14 or 15 inches long.
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11
Whenever you feel resistance, lift up one edge of the dough and sprinkle more flour underneath before you continue rolling.
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12
(Note: To use a pasta machine, it has been suggested to start on setting one, roll, double and re-roll to get close to a shape that can be cut without excess dough.
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Follow rolling steps from settings two to four, then double again to correct the shape.
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Roll on setting five, finally on setting six.
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15
Place the sheets directly on a silicone baking sheet liner.
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16
Remember, dough will be very stiff.
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).
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With a pastry brush, brush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle about a third of the seed mix evenly over the surface.
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Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt.
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(Note: At this point, using a lightly floured rolling pin to roll over seeds will help them adhere better to the cracker.)
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21
With a dough scraper, pizza cutter, ravioli cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut across to make rectangles roughly 2 by 4 inches.
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22
It's not necessary to trim the edges; rustic edges add character.
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If using a silicone sheet as your work surface it is, also, not nessary to separate; they will shrink.
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If desired, prick with a fork.
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25
).
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Transfer to an unlined baking sheet.
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Bake until nicely browned, about 6 -10 minutes depending on your oven.
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Let cool on a wire rack.
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While each batch is baking, clean your work surface as needed and repeat the rolling and cutting with the remaining portions of dough.
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30
Store the cooled crackers in a zip-top plastic bag.
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Theyll keep for up to a week.
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32
Variations: Rosemary & Sea Salt Crackers: Add 2 Tbs.
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chopped fresh rosemary to the dry ingredients in the dough.
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34
Skip the seed topping and instead sprinkle each batch of crackers with 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt.
