Parmesan & Garlic Crackers

 

You'll need a baguette tin to make these delightful savoury crackers. 

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour. 

 

Ingredients

225 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

5 g Psyllium husk (or 2 tsp)

1 tsp Yeast

2 tsp Sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

260 g Warm water

1/2 Egg 

25 g Oil (I use Rice bran Oil)

25 - 50 g Parmesan (finely grated)

1 - 2 Garlic cloves

Extra Oil

 

Method

Warm water is ~1/4 to 1/3 of boiling water with the remaining cold water (tap). Whether you use 1/4 or 1/3 will depend on how cold your tap water is. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast.

Pre-incubate the yeast at room temperature for approximately 5 - 8 mins in 50 g of warm water containing the sugar. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar & disperse the yeast. This gives the yeast a readily available food source & they can "revive" in a relatively undisturbed environment. After the allocated time the surface of the yeast mixture should be slightly frothy. This indicates the yeast are viable. 

If the yeast mixture has a frothy top or you can see bubbles proceed with bread making.

Are you going to proof the dough in your oven or in another warm spot? If proofing in your oven turn oven to ~50 C for approximately 10 mins then turn it off again.

Stand Mixer

Place all ingredients into the mixing bowl (including pre-incubated yeast). Remember you need to add 210 g of water as you will be adding the other 50 g with the pre-incubated yeast.

Combine ingredients using the flat beater until a uniform consistency is achieved. You may need to stop the mixer and scrap down the sides. This make take longer than 5 mins. 

The dough is ready for proofing.  

Put a piece of baking paper on your bench. Lightly oil the paper. 

Transfer half of the dough to the baking paper. 

Put a bit of the extra oil on your hands & shape the dough into a sausage shape.

Fold the piece of baking paper over the dough sausage. Use your hands (on the outside of the baking paper) to smooth the dough sausage (making it rounder, all the same size and slightly shorter than the length of the baguette tin). 

Pick up the folded baking paper from both ends with the dough sausage inside. Position it above the baguette tin so that the start of the dough sausage lines up with the start of the tin. 

Gently tip the dough sausage into one side of the baguette tin.

Repeat with the other half of the dough.    

Let the dough proof for approximately 30 mins in a warm moist environment. Turn your oven on to 200 C.

If you are proofing in your oven put on the timer for ~20 mins. When the time is up take the proofing bread out of the oven and turn the oven up to 200 C. The 20 mins is an estimate, it will depend on how long it takes your oven to reach 200 C.

Before putting it in the oven ensure that the dough has risen approximately 2x.

Bake at 200 C for ~20 - 25 mins, the time will vary depending on the individual oven. If your oven has a hot spot turn the bread halfway through baking. 

Take out of the oven & cool the bread on a cooling rack. The bread should slide out of the baguette pan; if it doesn't don't force it out, wait until it cools.

Ensure the bread has cooled before cutting into it. It can be still warm but not hot.  

Turn the oven on to ~100 C when you are ready to slice the bread.

Slice the bread thinly & arrange it on a cooling rack. 

Optional Lightly (very lightly) spray the sliced bread with oil.

Put the rack in the oven. Check the crackers for crispness after an hour. If the crackers do not snap they need a bit longer in the oven. The length of time required to dry the crackers will vary depending on the thickness of the slices & your oven.  

When the crackers are crisp turn off the oven. I usually leave the crackers in the oven to cool down. Stored in an airtight container they can keep for weeks (if they are not eaten first). 

Simply enjoy!