(mainly) a success!

What do you do after a period of serious sensory overstimulation? I wanted to come home and sleep, but that's not altogether too productive, so I washed and hung laundry and washed dishes. And, I went over to the land of semi-sanity or complete insanity. I made crackers.

It's been seven months since Catherine Newman posted the recipe for "homemade fancy crackers" on Dalai Mama Dishes. I can't remember how long it's been since I bought the ingredients to make the crackers, but it's been a while. And, when I say "bought the ingredients," I bought some spelt flour, because I had everything else on hand. The ingredients list is quite short.

I'm not sure why I felt so daunted by the idea of making crackers. Newman writes that you have to be very careful about timing because the crackers can go from almost done to burnt in a very short time (we're talking a matter of seconds). I've read a lot of people's thoughts on making crackers at home, and there seems to be a lot of complaining and nervousness about the process and a lot of wondering why someone would even do this. I'm just not a very confident (or quick, or organized, or efficient) cook, so I figured it'd be really difficult for me to accomplish this. It wasn't.

As I said, there are barely any ingredients. As suggested, I went with a half-cup unbleached flour, a half-cup spelt and a half-cup whole wheat flour. Other than that, I used water, olive oil and salt. The next time I make crackers (oh, yes, there will be a next time), I want to use less salt and add sesame seeds. I'd also like to try shredded cheese. Mmm.

In my first go, I didn't bake most of the crackers long enough. In the second go, I baked some entirely too long (like twenty seconds too long). Oops.


There were more burnt crackers, but Cardo ate them.

The ones that came out crispy and un-charcoal-like are tasty.