Crisp Crackers and flatbreads-Daring Bakers

Life is about choices....

Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers' host and she challenges us to use our creativity in making our own Crisp Flat breads and Crackers! 

There is absolutely no dearth of ideas when it comes to crisp flat breads and crackers. There are so many options even in Indian cuisine. I went absolutely crazy in deciding which ones to do since I wanted to try all of them but unfortunately I was short on time!

Eventually I decided on these two - Indian Gujarati Masala Khakara and Raincoast Crisps.

Masala Khakras

Khakras are thin crackers which can be made out of any flour, masala or herbs .These are roasted and also can be made fat free.


Masala Khakra

Ingredients

1 cup              whole wheat flour
1 cup              flour
1 cup              fresh Methi/fenugreek leaves, chopped
1/2 t               garlic powder
                       salt as per tast
1 1/2 t            red chilli powder or adjust as per your taste
2 T                  Oil
2T                   Ghee/oil                       Water as required.


Method


Sieve together wheat flour, flour and salt into a bowl. Sprinkle chilli powder and garlic powder on top of the flours.

Add methi leaves,oil and enough water to knead into making a soft dough. Divide the dough into 10-12 small balls and roll out each ball into very thin chapatis. 

Heat a thick tawa or a pan and put the chapatti on it and roast on low heat.

Apply just a drop of  ghee on both the sides. Turn and hold it down with a wooden flat spoon or a cloth and keep pressing.The chapatti should not puff up.

Its done when it is crisp and light brown in colour on both the sides.

Allow it to cool before storing it carefully into an airtight container.It may break as its very crisp .

Enjoy it with pickle or a yogurt dip.

Raincoast Crisps

Raincoast Crisps are crunchy crackers with nuts and seeds .These are thin crispy and full of flavor and are baked twice like biscotti.

Raincoast Crisps

From Dinner with Julie blog with Julie van Rosendahl

Ingredients
2 cups                   flour
2 tsp                     baking soda
1/2 tsp                  salt
2 cups                   buttermilk
1/4 cup                 brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup                 honey
1/2 cup                 raisins
1/2 cup                 black currants
1/2 cup                 chopped walnuts
1/4 cup                 roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup                 roasted melon seeds
1/4 cup                 sesame seeds
1/4 cup                 flax seed, ground
1 Tbsp                  finely chopped fresh rosemary

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C .

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. 

Add the raisins,black currants,walnuts,sunflower seeds,melon seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.

Pour the batter into two 8x4'' loaf pans that have been greased.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer. 

Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased
cookie sheet. Slice so thin that they are almost lacy.

Reduce the oven heat to slow 150°C and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes until crisp and deep golden. Y Be careful not to burn.

Storage and Freezing Instructions/Tips: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Prolong the freshness by freezing for up to 3 months.