Description

This homemade gourmet crackers recipe combines whole wheat and plain flour with dried cranberries, seeds, and a blend of warming spices to create delicious, crunchy crackers. The recipe involves baking a loaf batter and then thinly slicing and baking again to achieve the perfect snap. These crackers are perfect for pairing with creamy cheeses or enjoying as a snack.

Ingredients

Scale

Wet Ingredients

1 cup milk (any fat % cow’s milk)
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt (e.g., Greek)

Dry Ingredients

½ cup plain flour (all purpose)
½ cup whole wheat / wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (or 3 tsp baking powder)
¼ tsp salt

Add-ins

½ cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit of choice)
½ cup rolled oats (or 1/3 cup more nuts of choice)
¼ cup sunflower seeds (or other seeds or nuts of choice)

Spices

½ tsp ground turmeric (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg (or all spice or 1/8 tsp cloves)
¼ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary (or ½ tsp more thyme)
1/8 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a small loaf tin (about 21 x 11 x 7 cm) with baking paper for easy removal.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the milk, brown sugar, and plain yoghurt until smooth and combined.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, stir together the plain flour, whole wheat flour, and dried cranberries. Use your fingers to gently break up the cranberries if needed.
Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the baking soda, salt, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, spices, and the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir well to make a thick batter similar to muffin batter.
Bake the Loaf: Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and Freeze Loaf: Let the loaf cool on a wire rack, then wrap it tightly in cling wrap and freeze it for at least 2 hours or up to 3 months to make slicing easier.
Slice the Crackers: Remove the loaf from the freezer and let it thaw partially for about 20 minutes until it’s not rock hard. Preheat the oven to 120C/250F and position two oven racks, one in the middle and one below.
Prepare for Second Bake: Using a serrated bread knife, slice the loaf into thin crackers about 2 mm thick. Place the crackers onto two large baking trays, fitting as many as possible without overlapping.
Bake Crackers: Bake for 50 minutes or until the crackers turn light brown, swapping the trays halfway through baking for even cooking.
Cool and Store: Leave the crackers on the trays to cool completely so they harden and snap when broken. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

Notes

The size of the loaf tin affects the shape of the crackers; a smaller tin creates a taller loaf for nicely rectangular slices.
Freezing the loaf solid before slicing makes it much easier to cut thin, even crackers.
This recipe makes approximately 40 crackers measuring about 11 x 3 cm (4.5 x 1.2 inches) each.
Crackers pair wonderfully with creamy cheeses like brie, camembert, or soft blue cheeses for an elevated snack experience.