NUT FREE
If I was to describe how these crackers taste I would probably have to say something like umami, sour, deliciously cheesy peppery crisps.
Or to give you more of an idea, imagine “ cacio e pepe” pasta, but a cracker.
I have been enjoying creating recipes with fermented stuff, especially with my mom’s rye sourdough discard. Rye, pepper, and nutritional yeast combine so well together, is hard to resist.
I love them and I hope you’ll do too.
ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS, DON’T FEAR THEM!
If you happen to have the whole list of ingredients, that is amazing, but do not step back if you don’t. For the flour, use whatever you have at home. I very much enjoy playing with different grains, for texture, and flavor but also nutritional value. Eating different grains adds a wider variety of nutritional values.
For the different peppers, I used a mix of three peppers I bought in Rome in a beautiful spices shop, where Franco, a real spice wizard collects and mixes spices from all over the world.
Here the address if you happen to be in Rome: Il Genovino D’Oro, Via Collina, 22, 00187 Roma RM
Of course, use the pepper you have on hand, just make sure to ground it before using it. Rainbow pepper mix works well too, if of good quality.
Lastly don’t fear if you don’t have sourdough!
You can replace it by mixing in a bowl 100g water and 100g rye flour, and let it ferment 12 to 36h covered with a towel somewhere warm in your kitchen. The longer you let it ferment the more sour and bubbly it will become.
You can choose to use it straight away, it won’t have the sour kick, but it will still be deliciously different.
Ingredients:
200g rye sourdough discard starter
55 g spelt flour
55 g senatore cappelli flour ( or semolina for extra crispiness)
55g good quality olive oil + more for brushing
1 tsp salt + more for sprinkling
1 tbsp nutritional years + more for sprinkling
3\4 tsp mix of freshly ground black paper, white pepper and melegueta
Method:
In a bowl add all ingredients and gently combine them. You ABSOLUTELY don’t want to knead the dough, just put the ingredients together. Divide the dough in half and place the two halves on top of each other and push down.
Do this step a few times until nicely combined.
Cover with a lid or a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 180 C°.
Divide the dough in 3 and place one between two pieces of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin roll out the crackers as thinly as you can ( 1-2 mm).
Drizzle lightly with olive oil and spread with a brush. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, extra salt and cut in squares or whatever shaper you like with a sharp knife.
You can do the same with the remaining two pieces of dough.
These crackers don’t take very much to cook. Being so thin, you’ll have to be very close to the oven to take them out as they cook.
Start with 4 to 5 minutes, and check. They will be ready when golden. The ones on the edges will be the first ones to be ready, but be careful, as they can burn very quickly. Is a matter of 20 to 30 seconds more.
Transfer them to a cooling rack, to make sure they get rid of any moister before storing them in air-tight containers or jars.