Rye Crackers (Recipe)

The sound of crunching in my head is definitely a pleasant one. A good taste to go along with the crunching, just doubles the pleasure. I enjoy making, and eating, these hearty crackers because they are so easy to make and easy to pair with any type of cheese or dip. It's also becoming more difficult for me to find already made crackers in grocery stores that can compare to the taste and texture of homemade crackers. I would encourage anyone to try it out. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp. olive oil (I prefer something peppery rather than fruity)
1/2 tsp. salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup water

Here's what you'll do:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients except the extra sprinkling salt.
- Mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon. The dough should be somewhat sticky, but still cohesive. If too wet (like mud), add a little more flour. If too dry (crumbly), add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest on the counter for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
- With lightly oiled hands or a silicone spatula, divide the dough in half and press into a ball. Place one ball onto a piece of parchment paper that is big enough to line a cookie sheet and pat down with lightly oiled hands or spatula until about 1 inch thick. Add another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until very thin, maybe 2 millimeters thick. I don't normally measure, but it should not be so thin that you can see through it. The parchment paper may need to be adjusted after each roll to straighten it out.
- Carefully peel off the top parchment paper and gently score the flattened dough with an oiled pizza cutter or knife to your preferred size. I normally score to about 1.5 inch squared. The edges will not be perfect, but those can be eaten first!
- Extra salt can be sprinkled on top and gently pressed into the dough at this time.
- Bake in the oven for 34 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees half way through.
- Once the dough is a bit curled, is a bit darker, and sounds hard when gently tapped with the end of a wooden skewer, it's ready to come out of the oven. If it sounds a bit dull when tapped, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes, checking every 3 minutes or so.
- Slide the bottom parchment paper, along with the crackers, onto a cooling rack. 
- Allow at least 20 minutes to cool. Then these can be broken apart, eaten right away or stored in an air tight container for up to two weeks. Repeat the rolling and baking for the other half of dough.
- Enjoy!