After reading my true confession about Cheez-Its, Amanda from High Prairie Homestead took pity on me and sent a recipe for homemade cheese crackers. I guest posted about making a gluten free version of Cheez-Its for Little House in the Suburbs, but while I was at it I decided to experiment with a gluten free pizza flavored cracker.
For all of you people thinking “Crackers?? Is she crazy? Who has time for that?” let me tell you that my sixteen-year-old has taken to making homemade crackers. By himself. With no help from me. And the last time he did, he insisted that his older brother come watch, just so he could show him how easy they were to make. (Note that older brother was much more interested in how they tasted than how easy they were to make.)
It took me about 15 minutes to get these ready to go into the oven. To make them with regular flour, just replace the sorghum and coconut flours with 1-cup all purpose flour (unbleached, of course).
Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Crackers
makes enough to last two teen boys about ten minutes
- ½ cup sorghum flour (plus more for rolling out dough)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 10 slices of pepperoni
- 5 tablespoons cold water
Combine flours and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times, then add cheese, salt, Italian seasoning, and pepperoni. Pulse until crumbly. Add almost all of the water and process just until the ingredients come together, adding remaining water as necessary.
Preheat oven to 350º.
Sprinkle a baking sheet with sorghum flour. Use your hands to form dough into a ball, sprinkle liberally with flour, and then gently roll dough out into a thin sheet (use more flour to prevent sticking if needed). Aim for no more than 1/8-inch thick; too thin is preferable to too thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into one-inch squares. Sprinkle with coarsely ground salt, if desired.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crackers are lightly browned and crisp. Break the crackers apart and cool. Any that don’t feel crisp enough should be popped back in the oven for another five minutes or so. Crackers not eaten immediately (ha!) can be stored in an airtight container.
This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday on Gnowfglins.
These sound terrific. I need to try it because we buy these kinds of crackers and need to stop!
NoPotCoooking recently posted..Salmon with an Interesting Sauce
They’re SO good and easy!
I am SO impressed that you all make homemade crackers. I’d never be so brave… And impressed that your son is into it. He’s learning some good stuff from his mom!
Sheryl recently posted..Why We’re Stressed
Sheryl, we really need to work on your bravery in the kitchen!
These look like great crackers. (I love pizza-flavored crackers.) Can’t believe you made ‘em from scratch. Good going.
Well, they look easy, and would have been last week before my husband broke the latch on my food processor by trying to force it to fit together. The Cuisinart is so damnably clever with its locking mechanism. Don’t suppose they supply parts?
Vera Marie Badertscher recently posted..What I Learned About Italy
Parts for the processor, or the husband?
Very impressive. They look much better than the icky processed ones from the store, too!
Living Large recently posted..Living Large Tip of the Week: Throwing out Plastic Containers
This is *all* impressive. But the teenage son who makes his own crackers? I’m astonished and humbled.
ruth pennebaker recently posted..Monday in One of my Favorite Places
He’s a cool kid, Ruth. And one that likes to cook!
Two teenage boys can eat these in ten minutes, you say? I bet one thirtysomething food writer could eat them in seven minutes.
Casey@Good. Food. Stories. recently posted..To Have, to Hold, and to Bite Your Head Off
NO doubt.
I remember making crackers ages ago – back in my hippy Laurel’s Cookbook days.
I love that you’re making them, and that your 16-yo son makes them. That’s awesome. Now I’m wanting to make some, too.
Jane Boursaw recently posted..The Hunger Games: First Teeny-Tiny Peek at Katniss in Motion
Jane, I love that you had “hippy Laurel’s Cookbook” days.
Very nice! Seems easy, but how do I do it without a food processor? Maybe use a knife and a bowl? and just repeatedly cut through and stir? Some other way? maybe melt the butter and cheese together with a little water, and add that and stir?
The advice for pizza dough without a stand mixer was spot on and the pizza came out great! So, I’m hoping you’ve some good advice for this one.
Allen, I would NOT melt the cheese. You’ll end up with a sticky mess. You could use a two knifes or a pastry blender if you have one (http://amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0000VLYAO/ref=nosim/kbauthor-20) to cut the butter into the flour until it’s pea sized or smaller (you could TRY melting the butter, but I think I wouldn’t). Cut the pepperoni as small as possible, and work the ingredients together with the knives, and finally a wooden spoon (or your hands). Let us know how it works!
Kris,
I’ve not tried crackers with these ingredients, but I have made cheese crackers and plain crackers, experimenting with herbs now, without a food processor or blender, just cutting up and mixing by hand. works fine, tastes great. so I encourage Allen and others to give it a go.
Kerry recently posted..Celtic Colours Festival on the way
I think I will try to find a pastry cutter this week, and give this a go. Maybe in two weeks time though, as I am going on vacation next week.
This weekend I was making pita! Very easy and very tasty, with homemade hummus, which I have yet to perfect.
Thanks for the advice, and I’ll let you know how the crackers turn out.
-Allen
I haven’t tried to make homemade crackers either but this looks too good to pass up. You can play with the flavors too, how fun.
MyKidsEatSquid recently posted..DIY flower pepper
I’ve made simple crackers before, but nothing with cool flavors!
Melanie @ Frugal Kiwi recently posted..Photo Freebie: A Fisheye View of the Bay of Islands
Awesome recipe. Looking forward to trying it!
Those look awesome. I’m embarrassed to admit that I read this while eating cheese doodles. We all have our very guilty pleasure, I suppose.
Alisa Bowman recently posted..What Are You Hoarding?
These look yummy and not so hard to make. Will give this a try. I love crackers.
Donna Hull recently posted..Saturday’s scene: Ribbons of Color
I am wondering if anyone has tried to make these or the cheese crackers with dairy free cheese…I am gluten and dairy free…
Kerri, I don’t know, but I put it out to the Facebook community. If anyone responds, I’ll let you know!