You might not think crackers are much to get excited about so why would you make them at home? But these are a different beast entirely these are the crackers that ate London and that London can’t stop eating. Deeply savoury and fragrant with seeds, they’re so moreish that they should carry a health warning, and so simple to make that it’s all too easy to feed your addiction.
Ingredients
For the Crackers
- 400 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 20 g caster sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 100 g butter, chilled and diced
- 250 ml buttermilk
For the Topping
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- 1 tsp each of sesame, caraway, nigella, poppy and fennel
- seeds and golden linseeds
How to Make It
- To make the crackers, sift together the flour, sugar, baking power and salt into a large bowl. Scatter over the cubes of cold butter and use your fingertips to rub them gently into the dry ingredients until you have something resembling breadcrumbs.
- Pour in the buttermilk, mixing with a wooden spoon as you go, until you’re left with a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill overnight.
- The next day, preheat your oven to 200˚C/gas mark 6 and take the dough out of the fridge. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Lightly flour your work surface, divide the dough in half and use a rolling pin to roll each piece into a rectangle, as thin as you can while still fitting onto the baking sheets. Work fast, keeping the dough as cold as possible. If it gets too warm, chill in the fridge again before continuing. Wrap each rectangle of dough around your floured rolling pin and unravel it carefully onto a baking sheet.
- To make the topping, mix the salt with the seeds and sprinkle it liberally all over the dough, pressing in the seeds gently with your palms.
- Bake for around 15 minutes (rotating the baking sheets 180˚ halfway through to ensure they cook evenly) until they are a light golden colour all over. Leave to cool, then use your hands to break into jagged shards. Serve with dips or plain, at a casual spread or with a glass of Champagne. These are as versatile as crackers come.