Square off these

SAVOURY NEW YORK-STYLE RYE CRACKERS 

These crackers should definitely be thinner.

I made them to use up some dark rye flour. Finishing the bag was harder than I thought. I’ve made bread with it a couple of times but I'm not really sold on the coarse texture. (Mental note: Next time, get the finer type of flour.)

The crackers are all right and go really well with a thick and creamy soup but still, 30 pieces – tiles, more like! – is a little hard to finish when there are only two people in the house and the Husband made a face after tasting one.

After sitting around in the glass bottle for a while, and not looking very attractive at that, I decided I would use the crackers for something else. So into the food processor they went where I whizzed them into crumbs, added melted butter and pressed them into a tart pan. After blind baking, I filled the tart case with a mixture of eggs, milk, cheese and various vegetables, and out came a flavourful (and more attractive) quiche with a savoury crust.

Quiche with a rye cracker crust

But back to the crackers.

I like the method of shaping crackers by simply rolling the dough out on parchment/baking paper and then cutting them with a pizza or fluted wheel. They are then baked like that – without separating the pieces. Out of the oven, they come apart easily.

Roll out on parchment, place on a baking sheet and cut into squares with a pizza/fluted cutter, then bake

Similar recipes are available all over the Net, and I take no credit for the one I give below – I am simply documenting it so I can access it easily. I might try it with spelt flour next time, as recommended by an online site.

The thing I want to know is why they’re attributed to New York? If someone can point me to the origins of these crackers, I would greatly appreciate it.

New York Rye Crackers

Makes about 3 dozen pieces

120g rye flour

100g all-purpose flour

1 tbsp caraway seeds

1 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic salt

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp honey

65ml water, or as needed

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the water. Process briefly to blend. Gradually add enough water until mixture comes together into a moist ball.

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Place dough onto a sheet of baking paper and roll out as thin as possible (this can be done in batches). Transfer the baking paper to a baking sheet. Use a fluted pastry wheel or pizza wheel to cut through the sheet of dough into 3cm squares. The crackers do not need to be separated. Use a fork to prick the surface of the crackers. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crisp. 

When done, remove baking sheet from oven, separate crackers and place on a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

PRINTABLE RECIPE